Teaching Tap History Part 1: The Educator's Role

As an aspiring performer in NYC, I realized very early-on how uninformed I was about Tap dance history and culture.

I couldn’t hold a basic conversation with anyone about a dance form that I had studied for YEARS. There were times when I was around Tap dance “greats” & had no clue who they really were. I felt a kind of quiet, but very real embarrassment inside. I knew so little, AND I didn’t know what I didn’t know. 

It just felt OFF, very “out-of-alignment”.  

This definitely affected my teaching. In my early days as an educator, I taught very little history I’m sad to say. I didn’t know what to tell my students about Tap dance history. On top of that, I was a novice Tap teacher who didn’t have the skills to teach technique & clean routines efficiently, so there wasn’t even TIME for history. So in those ways, many of my students were short-changed.

Over time, I gradually gained more knowledge.

But when I started offering in-school residencies and school assemblies about Tap dance, I got serious about the history part. 

Something about the four walls of a traditional school completely changed my instincts about what to teach and why. My brain totally went “academic FIRST”, technique second. Before I got students up to dance, I taught them the origins of Tap dance and about early innovators of the form, within the context of their respective eras. 

Most school teachers were thrilled & extremely thankful for this approach! It reinforced their school lessons in more ways than one, and gave the students a chance to dance. 

I’ve worked to bring more of this energy to studio culture, where, across dance styles, we’ve somehow managed to get away with teaching “just steps” for decades. As a result, we unfortunately have countless students who think Mikhael Baryshnikov’s claim to fame is selling ballet tights or being Carrie’s love interest on “Sex & the City”. 😖

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If you’re looking to bring more to your Tap students in terms of history and culture, but you aren’t sure what your role is as an educator, consider these as key parts of your mission:

Grow your own knowledge base. 

We don’t typically teach our students everything that WE know, but we also know that the best educators, at any level, teach with their greater knowledge, vision & goals in mind. Even when we only teach beginning Tap we, as teachers, know more than beginning techniques, so that we can teach toward the more advanced concepts that the students will get as they grow with the next teacher. 

Model the curiosity & interest you want your students to have.

Sometimes we’re afraid to let students know that we don’t know “everything”. But the reality is: we DON’T! So, let your students know that you’re learning more about dance history. Tell them what article you just read, or what documentary you just watched and what you learned from it. If you demonstrate that you’re a student of dance history, it shows your students the idea that they can also study in their own time.

Create space for your students’ curiosity.

In your lesson planning, create time for history lessons. Dedicate time to “footage study” in your intensives. Ask the students to do a small at-home assignment. In other words, brainstorm creative ways to “fit it in.” Better still, brainstorm ways to make it a PRIORITY. Instead of telling students what to think (‘cause that doesn’t work anyway, haha), ask them questions that spark their own thoughts and their own curiosity about dance history. In this way, we’re cultivating their independent exploration and thought…this is a key part of creating true STUDENTS of dance…because they become more eager to STUDY!

It requires creativity to fit so many things into short Tap classes,

but fundamental introductions that inspire curiosity 

& independent study can go a long way...

...IF you create the space.

Think of history as another way to fuel enthusiasm & respect for Tap dance.

People study Tap dance (or any style of dance), for so many reasons. Some want to grow their technical skill. Some want the community and social aspects of class. Some want to learn routines & perform. Some don’t like choreography, and just want to do improv. 

With this in mind, consider that the history of Tap dance is rich, and can be another deeply engaging part of Tap dance for your students, even if they only expected to learn time steps from you when they signed up. 

I can say for myself that learning Tap history has given me a deeper connection to the dance form. Stepping into the legacy of Tap gave me the feeling that a special baton was being passed to me and my friends, and that we had the responsibility and deep HONOR of carrying it forward. It even made me want to be a better technician. 

Don’t you want your students to feel that? A feeling of gratitude when they put on their Tap shoes & step onto the floor? What a gift. ❤️

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If you really want people to “get” Tap dance, then teach the legacy, and teach with the legacy in your mind and heart. Teach the history & technique of Tap dance with reverence, humility, honor, and sooooo much joy. 

Your energy as the educator is so influential, and the space you create for this kind of learning & exploration can be so incredibly meaningful. 

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WANT TO EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE ORIGINS OF TAP DANCE & OTHER DANCE FORMS ROOTED IN AFRICAN TRADITIONS (including the sometimes uncomfortable aspect of RACE in dance history)? CLICK HERE for info! 

Want more articles about how to lead your Tap classes with fresh ideas and confidence? CHECK OUT OTHER ARTICLES IN THE "LESSONS FROM THE TAP TEACHERS’ LOUNGE" BLOG SERIES.