HISTORY

THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN DANCE

            To begin learning about the development of American tap dance, it is important to focus on the history of African dance, as they correlate quite closely together. As mentioned in Tap Roots: The Early History of Tap Dancing, by Mark Knowles, “almost every aspect of African life was somehow related to dancing” (Knowles, 22). African people danced in celebration, mourning, marriage, initiation rites, preparation for war, to insure a good hunt, profitable harvest, healing, and social statements. In this culture, the dance served as a means of communication; each gesture was part of the language. Through specific dances, dancers could address social and religious issues, as well as express gratitude, friendship, or hostility. Humanity’s kinship with the Earth was a common theme in African dance, and can be seen with the movements of “bare feet, close to the ground… therefore consisting of gliding, shuffling, and dragging steps” (Knowles, 22). African dancers kept their feet close to the soil in order to stay connected with the power of the Earth deities. Deriving from this theory is the shuffle, which is the most common step in African dancing. The shuffle will later evolve into one of the most basic steps in tap dancing. The steps of gliding and dragging have also evolved into chugs, which can be seen in this specific repertoire as well. 

            In African culture, music and dance were inseparably linked and constituted one art form. This is also apparent in tap dancing by comparison of audible sound and physical gestures. In African dance, the dances were guided by drums (both rhythmically and stylistically). The drummer would play while inserting “breaks” into the music. The break was used to let the dancers know when to come together and repeat a certain phrase, and this is heavily used in tap dancing as well. Both dances are highly improvisational and the use of breaks ties the movement together with the music. For example, in tap dance, one can learn phrase A, B, C, then back to phrase A (which is the break), while moving on to phrase D, C, and inserting phrase A again. In African dance, dancers would usually improvise their movement and repeat the break when they heard the cue in the music. The accent in African dance usually falls on the second and fourth beats; this in turn led to the development of syncopation in tap dancing. Polyrhythmic movements are another huge characteristic of African dance that has influenced American tap dancing. Polyrhythmic movement is the simultaneous use of contrasting rhythms; for example, moving your head in a 4/4 time signature while moving your legs in a 6/8 time signature. The juxtaposition of rhythms create a loose and disjointed aesthetic that can be seen in African dance as well as tap dancing (Knowles, 24).