tap dance

tap dance

noun

Definition of TAP DANCE

1

: a step dance tapped out audibly by means of shoes with hard soles or soles and heels to which taps have been added

2

: something suggesting a tap dance; especially : an action or discourse intended to rationalize or distract <does a clever tap dance to explain — Campbell Geeslin>

— tap–dance intransitive verb

— tap dancer noun

— tap dancing noun

First Known Use of TAP DANCE

1928

Rhymes with TAP DANCE

advance, barn dance, by chance, clog dance, closed stance, finance, freelance, lap dance, line dance, main chance, New France, romance, round dance, snake dance, square dance, step dance, sun dance, sword dance, tea dance, toe dance, war dance

tap dance

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Style of American theatrical dance using precise rhythmical patterns of foot movement and audible foot tapping. It is derived from the traditional clog dance of northern England, the jigs and reels of Ireland and Scotland, and the rhythmic foot stamping of African dances. Popular in 19th-century minstrel shows, versions such as “buck-and-wing” (danced vigorously in wooden-soled shoes) and “soft-shoe” (danced smoothly in soft-soled shoes) developed as separate techniques; by 1925 they had merged, and metal taps were attached to shoe heels and toes to produce a more pronounced sound. The dance was also popular in variety shows and early musicals.