Module One Post Ten (Tap and Productions)

For my tenth website, I have found a website that talks about how tap dancing started as African slaves who were to work on the ships deck. When they had nothing to do when they were not working, they started to dance around to stay fit and exercise. This website also talks about the how people incorporate other styles of dance in. They have also added in acting to make larger productions that have tap in them to make them more entertaining to watch. I think this website can be helpful for those who need inspiration about production ideas and want to try to add tap into any of their productions that they have already thought of.

Module One Post Nine (History/origin of How Tap was Popularized)

My ninth post is a little bit more about the origin of tap for those who just want to know how tap dance started in someone else’s words. This website talks about the how before, one specific man named William Henry Lane aka Master Juba, the first “black” man to ever be allowed to perform in front of “white” people before the “black” people were even allowed to perform. it also talks about other people who were famous for tap dancing, for example William Henry Lane (Master Juba), Bill Robinson (Bojangles), Fayard and Harold (the Nicholas Brother’s). All of these people were the people who made popularized tap in America. This website is a very good website for someone who just wants to know a little bit of the history of tap in a paragraph. I think this website is helpful for people because then they can find another activity that were started not only by Caucasian people and could be from “black” people.

Module One Post Eight (Steps)

For my eighth website, I have found a website that explains how to do certain steps with a written example and a video as an example just in case some people don’t understand. The steps that they explained were shuffles, ball changes, buffalo’s, toe-heel heel-toe. I think this website is very helpful because for those who just want to see how to do a simple step and practice until they understand it. They can also just watch the video as an example if they really don’t understand the explanation.

Module One Post Seven (Basic Tap Information)

For my seventh website, I found a website that goes step by step about what to do if someone wants to learn how  to tap dance at a dance studio. First, they start with talking about what kind of tap dancing styles there were, for example there were hoofers. Hoofers would always aim to use all the parts of their foot to make sounds so that there is more variety of sounds. One of the more common styles of tap dancing is classical tap. The people who do classical tap, they use simpler tap steps but elaborate, they use their arms and upper body to add in some ballet and jazz into either their routine or combination. Throughout the website, it explains what to do if you are going to start tap dancing. To start off, you need to get a pair of tap shoes that will fit you which you can go to a dance store in a convenient location close to where you live and try on some sizes. In order to have a comfortable fit in your new tap shoes, it is recommended that you tie the laces tight so that they don’t slide off your feet. Classes to take to start tapping, go for about an hour and usually start off with warming up and then getting to know the basic and then build off of that to make more complicated combinations. I think this website will help many people who want to try something new and challenge themselves because at the beginning, tap is not easy, especially when you have to learn how to make proper sounds.

Module 1 Post 7 (The Mathematical Reasoning Behind Dance)

https://maddywoolwine.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/the-mathematical-reasoning-behind-dance/

 

This site talks about the different math in ballet. This site uses many examples. There are examples such as Rhythm in ballet, symmetry, geometry, and more. It shows pictures as examples. If a dancer is off symmetry then they could lose balance and get injured. If a dancer isn’t counting then he or she will be off time with the rest of the dancers. There are also several angles in dance and dancers form shapes with their bodies.

 

This site was helpful because it was like one of the previous sites I used except this site had more details. This site actually explained why they thought math was in ballet. This site also showed different dances and not just ballet. There was also tap, because rhythm in tap is very important. If you’re off beat in tap then your taps will just sound like noise.

Module one Post Six (Levee Dancers)

For my sixth post I have chosen a website that explains more styles of dance before it evolved into tap dance. This website talks about how before soft shoe dancing, it started with pedestal dancing. Pedestal dancing is when the dancer dresses in in a certain colour and dances on a pedestal in a statue like manner. It also talks about Levee dancers. Levee dancers were Negro slaves who would dance on their boats making rhythms by stomping and doing various movements with their feet. This website also introduces wings. A wing is when the dancer jumps up into the air and while they are getting into the air their feet brush out to the sides and back in again when they come down. There are various kinds of wings, for example, the is a double wing, the most basic wing to do. A double wing is when both of your feet brush the ground at the same time when jumping up and landing. A pendulum wing is when one foot does a wing and in between each wing, the other foot brushes back and forth. I think this a very good website to use because there are lots of information on what kinds of dance came before tap.

Module One Post Five (Instructional Videos)

My fifth website is mainly about how to do certain steps, showing you in videos. This site is meant to teach you how to tap dance in easy and step-by-step videos. The videos will teach you some choreography with dance and also a tap workout. There is also and option of beginners, adv-beginner, intermediate, int-advanced, advanced, and custom levels for the steps that were already choreographed.

Module One Post Four (Jimmy Slyde’s Signature Slide)

My fourth website is about Jimmy Slyde, who’s signature steps are sliding. Sliding was meant to look like your slipping on ice and your weightless a the same time. This website is also about techniques to use to slide and that Mr. Slyde usually made up his dances as he went and had never made up a dance before hand but you could never tell because his transitions where so clear and clean. Jimmy Slyde and Jimmy Mitchell worked together on Jimmy Slyde’s signature style of sliding and and formed the class act, the Slyde Brothers.

Module One Post Three (History and References)

My third website on tap history/references is a little bit about the history of tap dance but also some references to websites that will also help you learn more about this subject. Some information of the history is that tap dancing first originated in Africa known as Juba, practiced by African slaves. The website also explained that before there were tap shoes, dancers wore soft shoes or clogs.

Module One Post Two (Steps and Counts)

For my second website, I chose one that explains what the types of steps are, how you do it, and the counts for it. I think this website is good for beginners so that they can get the basic steps and learn from that. The website is dance syllabus. Relating tap dancing to math is simple because in tap, you have to use counts which include numbers that you can add up so you know how many counts a phrase is. When you dance to certain genres, there are different counts that you are supposed to use. An example is that when you are dancing to waltz, you would use the counting 1,2,3-1,2,3-1,2,3 and so on. When you are dancing to pop music or for tap, jazz, lyrical, or ballet, you would be using 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 etc.