Laura Jinparn

Julia Johnson-Thick
Tap IV
April 30, 2015
Evolution of Tap Shoes
Tap is a style of dance where one uses the sounds of tap shoes
hitting the floor as a form of percussion. Tap dancing has evolved
tremendously throughout its origins by creating diverse styles of
tap. It is believed that tap dancing originated with the creation of
the tap shoe, however, the idea of slapping feet to the ground to
create rhythms had been going on since the mid-1600s.
During the mid-1600s in America, slaves would walk
rhythmically across the decks of riverboats barefoot. They combined
Irish jig and Lancashire clog to create energetic steps. These steps
gradually evolved into the tap dancing beat shown on the minstrel
stage in the 1800s. Thomas D. Rice brought tap dancing to center
stage in his role of Jim Crow. This marked the beginning of tap
history.
Tap dancing emerged as a form of dance between 1900 and
1920. During this time was the birth of shoes. When tap dancing
first became popular, people hammered pennies and hobnails into
the toe and heels of shoes. This created the tap sound when

performers danced. Before the 1910, tap dancers wore shoes made
with leather and wooden soles. The wood would be used to tap out
the beat. After 1910, people started incorporating metal tap and
stuck them to the bottoms of shoes.
Tap shoes began to get high in demand after numerous
movies were made revealing how glamorous tap dancing was. The
demand for tap shoes contributed to new designs developing.
Leather soled flat tap shoes were considered the best for beginners
because rubber soles often stuck to the floor. Canvas and synthetic
materials often replaced leather. Most taps have adjustable screws
in them so that they can create different sounds. Nowadays, taps
are now seen as lace-up Oxfords, Mary Janes, Heels, Tap Sneakers,
Tap Boots, etc.
In 1989, Gregory Hines starred in a film called Taps where he
performed in electronic tap shoes. These tap shoes, built by Al
Desio, had built in electronic transmitters that were connected to
synthesizers. When Hines tapped, he was able to create all these
different sounds. Tap shoes have evolved tremendously. We can
date tap dancing all the way back to the 1600s with the American
slaves stepping with bare feet. We are discovering even more ways
to showcase what an amazing art tap dancing is.