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Barriers that have impacted tap as a genre

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Barriers that have impacted tap as a genre

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There are numerous barriers that will have affected different tap practitioners in different ways. For The Nicholas Brothers race and ethnicity was a barrier that affected them as performers. Due to the fact that racial segregation was so huge black people were not aloud to mix with white people at all really. One of the worst things were the minstrel shows in the 1800's to the 1900's. It used race to entertain and make people laugh. This was where white performers would paint their faces black and perform in an extremely derogatory way to make people laugh because it was funny and entertaining to imitate black people.

This was still the case however in Early Vaudeville stages 1800's- 1900's we saw the abolishment of slavery at this point there was a move away from Blackface and African American stereotypes. In addition to this sexism was no longer really a thing either since this was the starting point where both me and women were being seen both on stage and in the audience where normally women wouldn't be aloud to either perform or watch these performances.

However the theatre circuits from 1900-1930's still was quite a segregated environment the Keith and Albie Circuit whereby only white audiences were aloud no black people were aloud to watch in this circuit. The performers were also primarily white people however sometimes African Americans are able to perform if they have exceptional talent. The other theatre circuit being that of the T.O.B.A Circuit was created primarily for both African American audiences and performers. Despite still at this stage no solo black people were aloud on stage at one time therefore meaning that The Nicholas Brothers had to stay as a duet because they weren't aloud to be on stage on their own at any point they always had to perform together as a duet. Therefore meaning that this could have put a barrier to their career because they would never know if they could have done better as solo performers. In addition to this due to the racial segregation of the circuits it also means that The Nicholas Brothers were unable to see white performers and try and get some ideas from them as they would have came from a different background so may have had more or different movement vocabulary.

in 1969 there were weekly tap jams that occurred at the Bert Wheeler Theatre in New York and there were two solo female performers that would both perform at this both Sandra Gibson and Leticia Jay however they were told to face the fact that this evening was only for the men and it belonged to the men and that women were not really welcome. Not only was this segregated men from women but it was extremely sexist and this went on for decades for women not really being able to perform in tap genre.There was a piece that was produce called the Happenings in the 1970's whereby Jay and Gibson were in the first half of which it consisted of solos. However they went on to be excluded from the second part which was named the "cutting contest" which the section was just left for men. Women in the tap industry were constantly told that they were weak and that they lacked strength and that they could only perform certain steps because of their gender. Therefore limiting how successful they are able to be within this gender because they had way less rights than male performers. It is clear that women were treated very poorly in the early stages of tap dance and in no way did they have anywhere near the opportunities that men did unless like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers whereby Ginger Rogers was paired with a male dancer otherwise she would have been nowhere near as successful as she were. But not only were women segregated and treated completely different to male performers they were also not paid the same as male performers even for doing the same job roles which is outrageous and this still happens within a lot of industries however not as bad as it has been in previous decades. Due to the sexism and women being treated so unfairly compared to men. This lead to the Equal Pay Act which John F Kennedy confirmed in 1963 leading to the gender pay gap becoming smaller. However today there is still an 18% gender pay gap compared to men and women which is better than it used to be but still is an improvement.

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In order to improve my timing and rhythm I plan to try and isolate myself when in lessons or rehearsals to practise the movement on my own so that I can make sure at first that I am making the correct sounds. Then I will count and dance at the same time to ensure that I am getting it right. I then would put on the music and try and tap to the music and see how that goes whilst sticking to the timing. Then I will record myself or get someone to record me dancing to the music so that I can see if the rhythm sounds the same and if I am still doing it correct to the music. I will carry out the same thing for improving my dynamics and light and shade in my tap work through recording myself it enables me to see what audiences would both see and here when I am performing.

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Regarding weakness when I am taking part in tap practise is that I could do with working on my light and shade of sounds that I make when performing. It is important because doing this makes you stand out when tapping because it makes you more interesting as a tapper to watch. In addition to this it sounds more impressive also and acts as another instrument to the music that you are dancing to through doing this.

However, another thing that I need to work on is my rhythm sometimes due to the fact that there are so many possible time signatures it is important to understand each of these and be able to keep in time no matter what the time signature and whatever the music also.

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Regarding my strength when performing and training in Tap I feel that I am quite able when picking up routines and new moves. I am also really determined to be able to perform new things that I am taught and I self evaluate myself on what I did right or what I need to change to be able to do the move correctly. In addition. I feel that I am good at making it look easy when tapping as it is important that you don't make it look like everything is really hard and that you are really concentrating.I also feel that my performance skills through my face and body are strong and I am able to diversify and change these two things depending on the style of tap that I am performing in.

Another strength of mine when performing in tap is my coordination, therefore meaning that I am able to do what my brain is telling me fast when tap dancing. I can also do movement with my feet while performing with my top half.

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Fred Astaire’s influence on the tap industry was his own individual style that appears incredibly relaxed, light and effortless and was always largely improvised. However, on the contrary to this he did still tirelessly rehearse his routines for hours on end because he was still a hard worker as a performer and is a complete perfectionist.

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The Nicholas Brothers as a duet within the tap industry of their era they contributed hugely to the industry through bringing a different style that audiences hadn't seen before. They did this through combining styles from what they had seen before through watching shows and acts at the Vaudeville shows. Their main focus is on the rhythms that they create with their feet and adding almost an extra instrument to the music. Due to the era that they were performing in they were in an era whereby tap was quite improvised and trying to create different sounds and different time signatures. In the present tap industry not much has changed regarding this, the only thing is that there are different musical influences now based on style of music and time signatures.

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Prior Experience
Before starting at Addict I have done quite a bit of tap as a style.I started training in Tap when I first started dancing when I was 4 and have been doing it ever since.  I have taken part in ISTD Tap exams since a very young age and got up to about Advanced Foundation level. I have always had tap solos because I do feel quite confident dancing tap on my own and performing in front of people in this style. I do really enjoy taking part in tap lessons and classes and performances it is just never really a style that is done much at college anymore.

I am now moving on to take my DDE Teaching qualification whereby I will be qualified to teach children and students from grade Primary to Intermediate and be able apply and put them in for their exams under my name.

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Easter Parade -- Easter Parade (Fred Astaire, Judy Garland)

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Practitioners who have influenced the Genre

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Practitioners who have influenced the Genre

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Musical Theatre/Broadway Tap: Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire was an American dancer who had performed both on stage and in film however is best known for his appearance in several extremely successful musical comedy films whereby he starred with Ginger Rodgers. He is always remembered for his pairings with Ginger Rodgers as they were an iconic due and starred in many films together including “Swing Time” in 1936.

Astaire started his performing career when he was only a young child, he began by partnering with his older sister Adele who then went on to tour the Vaudeville circuit together before later making it on to Broadway in 1917. Through their brother and sister duet team they went on to start in many productions one being 1927 a George and Ira Gershwin Musical “Funny Face”. On the contrary to all his early success he couldn’t make it in the movie industry, he took part in a screen test, but he failed to attract any interest from directors or agents. Following this Astaire suffered a set back in his career because he lost his dance partner because she had retired from performing and went on to marry leaving Astaire without a partner.

In 1933 he managed to get a small role in 1933’s “Dancing Lady” with Joan Crawford. Through him taking this role in a film he managed to then get new jobs and he signed a contract with RKO Radio Pictures. This was then when he was matched with another similar Broadway Talent Ginger Rodgers where they performed together for the first time for “Flying Down to Rio” in 1933. The pair then went on to perform in many more films together one of these being “Top Hat” in 1935. They were so popular due to their routines consisting of a hybrid of different dance styles adapting moves from tap, ballroom and even ballet.

The famous pair then went their separate ways after their final work “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle” in 1939. However, they then reunited for one final time in 1949 in “The Barkleys of Broadway”. Following the duos spilt in 1939 Astaire didn’t go solo he continued to perfom in duets with other leading ladies such as Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn, some of the famous musicals from his later career consist of “Easter Parade” with Judy Garland and “Funny Face” with Audrey Hepburn.

As Fred Astaire got further in to his career he began to stop performing in movies and instead working more in television industry. He often made appearances as himself for special tribute shows. He worked with another extremely well-known dancer, Gene Kelly on the documentary called “That’s Entertainment”. Not long after this Fred Astaire went on to earn many awards, he received his only Academy Award nomination for when he took the supporting role or the disaster film “The Towering Inferno” in 1974. Another award that Astaire received was an Emmy award for his work on a television special “A Family Upside Down” in 1978.

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The Nicholas Brothers .. Down Argentine way.

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Biography (2019) Fred Astaire
Available from:  https://www.biography.com/performer/fred-astaire
Accessed on: 29 04.2019

Britannica (2019) Fred Astaire Biography
Available from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fred-Astaire
Accessed on: 30.04.2019

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019) John Durang | American Dancer
Available from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Durang
Accessed on: 25.04.2019

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019) Vaudeville
Available from: https://www.britannica.com/art/vaudeville
Accessed on: 24.04.2019

Legacy (2019) Anne Miller : Top of the Taps
Available from: http://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/article/ann-miller-top-of-the-taps
Accessed on: 27.04.2019

London Tap Jam (2019) London Tap Jams
Available from:: http://www.londontapjam.com/
Accessed on: 28.04.2019

NY Times (2012) Tap Dance Jams
Author: Brian Seibert
Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/01/arts/dance/tap-dance-jams-at-smalls-led-by-michela-marino-lerman.html
Accessed on: 25.04.2019

Rogerebert (1985) White Knights Movie Review and Summary
Author: Roger Ebert
Available from: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/white-nights-1985
Accessed on: 25.04.2019

Rotten Tomatoes (2019) Tap 1989
Available from: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tap
Accessed on: 27.04.2019

Stomp Online (2019) About The Show
Available from: https://stomponline.com/
Accessed on: 30.04.2019

The Library of Congress (2013) Tap Dance in America: A Short History [Online]
Available from: https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200217630/
Accessed on: 19.04.2019

The Nicholas Brothers (2019) The Official Nicholas Brothers Website [Online]
Available from: http://www.nicholasbrothers.com/
Accessed on: 19.04.2019

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BEYONCE TAP SALUTE - Chloe Arnold's SYNCOPATED LADIES

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Practitioners who have influenced the Genre

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Practitioners who have influenced the Genre

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Rhythm Tap practitioner: The Nicholas Brothers

The Nicholas brothers consisted of Fayard who was born in 1914 and Harold who was born in 1921-2000. The Nicholas Brothers are classed as the greatest tap dance acts of all time as their duo. The brothers grew up in Philadelphia they were the sons of musicians who went on to play in their own band at the old Standard Theatre their mother played the piano and their dad played the drums. By the time that Fayard was 10 he had been and seen most of the brilliant and popular Vaudeville acts he watched bands and other acts but particularly the dancers. Including such as Alice Whitman, Willie Bryant and Bill Robinson. The reason as to why Fayard loved watching these acts was because he was so mesmerized by them and he went on to teach himself and imitate their acrobatic skills. Harold didn’t really go to watch the shows instead he watched Fayard practising and started to imitate and copy until he knew how to dance as well.

The Nicholas Brothers were almost immediately successful as soon as they started dancing and performing together. Due to them being so unique with their dancing abilities the word started to spread around the city about their talent. Their first job that they were hired for was a radio program called “The Horn and Hardart Kiddie Hour” and then they were hired for performing in local theatres such as the Standard and the Pearl. While they were both at the Pearl Theatre the manager of the Vaudeville Showcase called the Lafayette saw them performing. The second that he saw them performing he immediately signed them to perform at his theatre. Then on from this the Brothers opened at the Cotton Club in 1932 they were astonished as their white audiences just as much as the residents of Harlem. Whereby they were performing twists, flips and tap dancing to jazz tempos of “Bugle Call Rag.”

Later, The Nicholas Brothers career was taken over by nightclub and concert circuit and they were performing in long tours of South America, Africa and Europe. The Nicholas Brothers headlines shows all over the world and appeared in huge major television shows, nightclub and theatres in American and performed for the troops in Vietnam in 1965.

The Nicholas Brothers developed a tap dance style that has given a name as “Classical Tap”. This consists of combining jazz, ballet and phenomenal acrobatics all at the same time as wearing tap shoes and performing tap dance rhythms. Because they grew up in an era of “hoofers” and “board beaters” which are two different tap dance styles, the Nicholas Brothers elevated tap dance style had a much more elegant and sensational showmanship that audiences went on to love and enjoy watching.

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Tap Dance: A dance style in which it includes wearing shoes that are fitted with metal heel and toe tap sounds that create audible beats by the dancer rhythmically striking the floor or any hard surface acting as an instrument to go with the music.