IT’S TIME TO TAP Imagine a dance that can be seen and heard Tap dancers use their shoes as instruments Each shoe has metal taps attached to the bottom One tap covers the heel Another covers the tip of the toe Tap dancing combines sound and movement 5 CHAPTER 1
People have been tap dancing for decades Hitting the taps against the floor creates a sound Tap dancers play rhythms as they dance They strike the floor in different ways This creates different sounds 6
Tap dancing began in the United States It is a mix of different percussion dances These include Irish jigs and English clog dances Scottish hornpipes also influenced early forms of tap dancing African tribal dances were influences too DANCE TIP Keep your knees slightly bent and your weight forward over your toes Make sure your body moves with your feet 7
