Reflection Paper On Tap Dancing

Tap dance is an uniquely American dance form. The percussive use of one’s feet combined with the use of rhythms and amplification of sound, has a complex history that involves the intercultural fusions of English, Irish and African musical and dance traditions. The evolution of tap dance in America is further complicated by issues of race, class and gender. Unlike ballet with its formal technique, tap dance emerged from people listening to and watching each other dance, in a variety of settings, where steps were shared, stolen and reinvented. Through its metamorphosis the dance form has progressed from local entertainment, to Vaudeville shows, to Broadway shows, to the Silver Screen and to Concert Halls across the world. The legacy of the art form is characterized by the rise, fall and reemergence of popularity. Savion Glover, a 21st century American dancer, is credited with bringing tap into a new era of popularity as he has wowed the masses with his unique style focusing on African American rhythms. Tap dance, uniquely American in that it is a true melting pot of dance forms, is a dance form rich in rhythms, sounds and amplifications and has transcended social and cultural barriers.

I learned a lot of things that lead me to who I am today, and yes maybe I am not the best girl in the world, maybe I am not the kindest, or the prettiest, but I am who I am and if people are not okay with that then I don’t need those people in my life. People who don’t dance just see dance as it is. Steps, and more steps. Us, dancers see the movements of the dance and go deeper into their story. To us, each little movement we make means something and as the audience is looking at us and seeing our pain and or happiness, they see the story we are telling behind the movements and the music. I can say I learned how to be someone that anyone can trust, someone who is there for you no matter the situation. I learned how to overcome my worst fears, and learned that is okay to fail. What’s not okay is to be a shadow when the light is in the stage pointing at you. To shut yourself down, and not accomplish what you

After hundreds of years of evolution and development, tap dancing has become a truly authentic American artform. However, no two people can agree on exactly how or where the discipline began. Emmy-award winning tapper Jason Samuel Smith still holds an enormous amount of respect for the history of his artform. “Tap culture is all about celebrating the past and accumulating its vocabulary over time,” he says. “If we don’t maintain our history, we lose what is valuable about tap.” Despite the questionable and often debated origin of tap, the discipline stems directly from African roots due to articulate rhythmic and stylistic patterns of African dance, techniques consisting of gliding, shuffling and dragging steps, and the introduction of

powers animated the human body, the body could serve as a kind of lever to bring about

This experience was really important to me because I got to learn about myself as a dancer because the judges gave us feedback. This made me happy because I love to dance and I will keep doing it for years so I want to improve as much as I can. I also learned from this experience that because I don’t like tap, I should work twice as hard when practicing it so that I get better at it instead of falling behind. My dance team and I are now working on 2 dances to perform at a real competition, and it has become a big part of my

This semester in dance class I have had a wonderful time and learned a lot of things. We’ve had some great times in dance this semester, like when we were doing our show, “How the Grinch Stole the Nutcracker”, I had a lot of fun. I did many things well but, there was a lot I could work on,too. I remember that in our ‘Ice Skaters’ dance, we would do a Jazz split and I was really good at that! Also,we would do a “tabletop stand-up” thing and I was also really good at that, that part was really fun. In our “Samba” dance we had to make up some poses to do at the beginning, and make sure we remembered to use levels, I was pretty good at doing that! Even though there were many good things I did, there were also many things I wish to work on. I really

The fact that I was not dancing had somehow made me responsible for providing helpful criticism. I was afraid I might have forgotten to tell her something important, that they may not look together on the court, but it seems as though I had forgotten that birds of feather flock together. On the court, the music started, and they danced perfectly. They look so good! How come they don't practice like that? I wondered. They performed, were given a loud applause, then ran off the court. Ten minutes later, we were already getting ready for the next dance, the one I was to perform.

This level of learning is used throughout life as a child for learning/developing and as an adult for social purposes and building relationships. I felt that this article gave me a superior understanding of the ways a community can change a group of peoples lives through dance and learning. This article made me feel aware of the ways my nephew moves and learns. As a child, I took dance classes and after reading this article I realized how dance helped me develop into an adult. This article inspired me to understand that a child needs activity and I hope to promote that for my children one

The combination of my past experiences and quick thinking allowed me to become successful in my first year of instructing dance. Prior to employment, I had no formal training in instructing a dance class. My first class was filled with fifteen student who were between the ages of eight and ten. I was excited to finally teach a class, but I did not know what

A relaxed and enjoyable evening, students are able to dance with a fellow student or invite a friend from out of school as they show off their ballroom dancing skills. Karen Feldman’s expertise is invaluable as our students learn something new and have a night for themselves. Today our MPC is used as a venue for off-site dance lessons for people of all ages, and many years ago the school even offered dancing lessons. In fact, chances are there are some members of the school community who remember being taught the fine art of ballroom dance under the watchful eye of John

For these past two years in high school, I have been taking Cleo Mack’s dance program that is provided for us at MCVTS. Starting the program freshman year I did not know what to expect at all but I am glad my mom pushed me to come to this school. I have been dancing since I was three at a competition studio who is very strict about almost everything especially performance quality, but as I have learned from Ms. Mack it’s good to tone down the face and make your dancing more authentic and real.

Our team sat in the hallway of our school, waiting for our name to be called to enter the gym. The pregame jitters were everywhere. Girls were bouncing up and down, fanning themselves and skittering around. I had a flood of emotions inside me. I was mostly excited but also quite nervous. What if my parents didn’t like the dance? What if my peers don’t like the dance? What if it looks bad? I couldn’t help but doubt the routine in a time of such nervousness. Our coach gave us each her routine good-luck shoulder shakes, and I knew the time had come. I heard the crowded gym fall quiet.

Standing backstage anxiously waiting for the cue, palms sweaty, the heart beating faster every second that passes. Nerves. The feeling of sweat beginning to roll down your face. Nerves. The nerves are all that exist.

My dance studio is where I have learned many life lessons that I would have never learned elsewhere. With the discipline and corrective criticism that all of my dance teachers have thrusted upon me over my past fifteen years of dance experience has shaped me into the dancer and the person I am today. However, with all the difficult practices and many long nights at

On December 1, 2017, in the University Theatre at California State University, Dominguez Hills, I observed the fall dance concert Rise. It was choreographed by Amy Michelle Allen, Marco A, Carreon, Sarah Cashmore, Jeff Hendrix, Erin Landry, Doris Ressl Acosta, and Kenneth Walker, with the long cast of dancers. The production was pleasing, and would not have been believable without the work from production designers, Frederick Depontee and Cheryl Sheldon. Rise is played out in eight different dance routines, which were Xtra Xtra, Scar Tissue, Hart Broken, Things Are A Stirrin’, and the rest are intermissions such as Female Energy, Women, Exotica, Strength In Numbers, and Makina.