History of tap #2

During the time of Vaudeville dancers would paint their faces pitch black and dance around mocking slaves. This type of performance was called "blackface comedy", this is how tap became known.

Three styles emerged during the time of Vaudeville: The Charleston which made clacking noise on the stage. Also Buck and wing and soft shoe whcih were light tapping sounds.

Soft shoe: A form of tap done with soft sole shoes without the metal taps. Soft shoe is also known as sand dance. Sand dance is when a dancer puts sand on teh floor and performs soft shoe on the sand. The sand makes a noise which is consistent with the steps and music.