Tap Dance information resources

We work to increase awareness of Tap Dance’s cultural background and historical contexts by locating and creating resources to share through our social media platforms and website. We are constantly expanding our sources of knowledge about Tap Dance including oral histories, archives and published material such as books and articles. We aim to highlighting ‘hidden histories’ of Tap Dance and Tap Dancers that are not currently incorporated into mainstream education. We aim to support the viability of Tap Dance as a professional area of creative practice and academic research by raising its profile in the UK Arts sector and Academia. For those wanting to know more about specific aspects of Tap Dance practices and histories, we can provide a starting point for accessing further research, resources, or connecting with other artists, researchers and educators globally. We work to raise awareness of the value of work being done by creative practitioners by upholding an approach to Tap Dance research that encompasses embodied, practice based approaches and scholarly approaches and encourages dialogue between them.

Attend

We have no external event listings here at present but we often share things through our social media.

Have a look at our What’s On page for TDRN UK up-and-coming events.

Watch

NIERENBURG, G. T. (1985) About Tap

NIERENBURG, G. T. (1979) No Maps On My Taps

NEMR, A. (2014) Dancing around defined labels | Andrew Nemr | TEDxCERN (Online). Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=AVHKSYar9XI

Read

Books:

CRAWFORD, S (2019) “Improvising the Future, Expanding Perspectives of Tap Dance Scholarship”. TORRES,N, AMINATA, C, DONELLY, L, S, NZINGA, M Perspectives on Dance Fusion in the Caribbean and Dance Sustainability: Rituals of Modern Society. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

BUFFALINO, B (2004) Tapping the Source: Tap Dance Stories, Theory, and Practice Codhill Press.

DEFRANTZ,T.F.(2002) Dancing Many Drums: Excavations in African American Dance. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.

DUFFY, B. (2017) Tap Into Improv: A Guide to Tap Dance Improvisation. Barbara Duffy Publisher.

FELDMAN, A. (1996) Inside Tap: Technique and Improvisation for Today’s Tap Dancer. Heightstown: Princeton Book Company, Publishers.

PLETCHER, T. (1954) 100 Years of the Negro in Show Business: The Tom Fletcher Story

FRANK,R.(1995) TAP! TheGreatestTapDanceStarsandTheirStories1900-1955. DeCappoPress

GLOVER, S and WEBBER, B. (2000) Savion!: My Life in Tap William Morrow and Company.

GOTTSCHILD, B, D. (1998) Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance Dance and Other Context.

HILL, C. V. (2000) Brotherhood in Rhythm: The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers. New York: Cooper Square Press.

HILL, C. V. (2010) Tap Dancing America: a Cultural History. New York: Oxford University Press.

KNOWLES, M. (1998) The Tap Dance Dictionary. Jefferson: MacFarland & Company.

KNOWLES, M. (2002) Tap Roots: The Early History of Tap Dancing. Jefferson: MacFarland.

MALNIG, J (2009) Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy Sham, Shake: A Social and Popular Dance Reader University of Illinois Press.

MALONE, J. (1996) Steppin on the Blues: The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance. Chicago: The University of Illinois Press.

SAMPSON, H, T. (1980) Blacks in Blackface: A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows. Scarecrow Press.

SEAMAN, L, S. (1944) Tip Top Tapping: Simplified Lessons In Tap Dancing.

SIEBERT, B. (2015) What the Eye Hears: A History of Tap Dancing. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

STEARNS, M. and STEARNS, J. (1968) Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance. New York: DaCapo.

THOMPSON, K. (2014) Ring Shout, Wheel About: The Racial Politics of Music and Dance in North American Slavery. University of Illinois Press.

WILLIST, C. Tap Dance: Manifestation of the African Aesthetic in ASANTE, K, W (2002) African Dance

 

Articles:

HILL, C, V “On National Tap Dance Day, May the Critics Hail: ‘Tap Dance Is Dead Right for Everybody!’” Available from https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/may-critics-hail-tap-dance-dead-right-everybody/#!

KRAUT, A. “Stealing Steps” and Signature Moves: Embodied Theories of Dance as Intellectual Property. Theatre journal (Washington, D.C.), 05/2010, Volume 62, Issue 2

MACRELL, J. “On the hoof: Tap is cool again – but Fred Astaire would never believe what’s happened to his dance. Judith Mackrell reports”. 1 June 2005. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/jun/01/dance

 

Obituaries:

GREEN, J. “One Man, Many Voices – A Tribute to Tobias Tak” Hotfoot Online Spring 2020 p61-63 https://issuu.com/onedanceuk/docs/hotfoot_spring_2020/61

FORDHAM, J. “Will Gaines obituary” 14 May 2014 https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/may/14/will-gaines

Will Gaines – obituary 8 May 2014 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10817338/Will-Gaines-obituary.html (Note: paywall)

MONAGHAN, T. “Ernest ‘Brownie’ Brown obituary”. 27 Oct 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/oct/27/ernest-brownie-brown-obituary

MONAGHAN, T. “Jimmy Clark obituary”. 19 Nov 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/nov/19/jimmy-clark-obituary

 

Reviews:

WALLIS SIMONS, J. “Strictly come tap dancing, with “Strictly” winner Tom Chambers”. 14 September 2012. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9541478/Strictly-come-tap-dancing-with-Strictly-winner-Tom-Chambers.html (Note: paywall)

FORDHAM, J. “Will Gaines”. 8 April 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/apr/08/jazz

ROY, S. “Turned on Tap”. 6 June 2005. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/jun/06/dance1

HUTERA, D. “Turned on Tap”. 7 June 2005. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/turned-on-tap-77dw3hk2nxk

MEISNER, N. “New York on Tap”. 18 June 2002. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/new-york-on-tap-queen-elizabeth-hall-london-180597.html

ROY, S. “New York on Tap”. 10 June 2002. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2002/jun/10/dance.artsfeatures

WINTON, A. “‘Honi’ Coles – A Class Act”. August 2001. http://www.swingtime.co.uk/Reviews/events/honicole.html

WINSHIP, L, “Savion Glover, Sadler’s Wells – dance review”. 4 April 2014. https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/savion-glover-sadlers-wells-dance-review-9237829.html

MACKRELL, J. “Savion Glover: SoLe Sanctuary review – Dancing as a form of prayer”. 4 April 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/apr/04/savion-glover-sole-sanctuary-review

GILBERT, J. “Savion Glover, Sadler’s Wells, London”. 30 Nov 2008. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/savion-glover-sadlers-wells-london-5464144.html

MACKRELL, J. “Savion Glover”. 28 Nov 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/nov/28/dance-savion-glover

Listen

Podcasts:

Tap. Love. Tour. Hosted by Travis Knights. Originally first recorded on April 3, 2015.
 Travis Knights’ WebsiteSoundcloud  StitcherApple.com

Lost In The Shuffle. Hosted by Hillary-Marie. Originally aired on July 29, 2018.
 ListenNotes  Podtail  Himalaya  Podchaser

Have Tap Shoes Will Travel. Hosted by Rick Ausland. Originally aired on January 5, 2019.
 
 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/anchor-podcasts/have-tap-shoes-will-travel
  Anchor.fm: https://anchor.fm/havetapshoeswilltravel
Owltail (ranked!): https://www.owltail.com/podcast/huG3l-Have-Tap-Shoes-Will-Travel/best-episodes

Real Talk Tap Talks. Hosted by Nico Rubio. Originally aired on April 4, 2020.
 Podtail  
ListenNotes: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-real-talk-tap-talks-shuffle-liiife-CASoazk6WUK/  Himalaya: https://www.himalaya.com/arts-podcasts/the-real-talk-tap-talks-1898031

Interviews:

Will Gaines interviewed by Mark “Snowboy” Cotgrove. 2013 https://nationaljazzarchive.org.uk/explore/interviews/1277622-will-gaines