I don’t get tap dancing

[Odesh]

The Twitter algorithm has wrongly concluded I would enjoy videos of Fred Astaire tap dancing. The ballroom stuff I like, but when they start tapping it leaves me cold. I suppose it’s because I’m not familiar with it and therefore don’t know how difficult it is/how accomplished they are, but it just doesn’t seem like dancing to me, not beautiful or musical. The rhythms don’t even seem to make much sense to me. This is of course a personal preference but I am intrigued as to what people see in it that I don’t.

Do you like tap dancing? Does it move you? Is it the dexterity and technicality of it?

I always remember seeing it in TV when I was a child and being fascinated by it . Record Breakers had some sort of a record for the most dancers performing . Such a shame we never really see it on TV anymore that I know of .

Wel I love it, old musical films have lots of it. Old school end of pier entertainers always could, these are dying out of course. I did tap dancing as a child and it’s really fun. My DD does it now but most of her friends only did ballet and modern.

I saw the Fred Astaire clip too, it must be doing the rounds.

I used to tap dance. It’s really good exercise and I do miss it sometimes. In fact it’s one of the only things I can say I’m really talented at. I’m shite at everything in my life but I can tap dance bloody brilliantly. Also I can open any jar even after multiple people have failed.

I can see it be being fun to do. Did you love it (in movies etc) before you did it, or is it the experience of doing it that means you love to watch others do it really well?

I love it. Its not beautiful in the same way that ballet or ballroom are, but it is wonderful. Both to watch and do imo.

It’s the Record Breakers aspect that turns me off I think. Somebody being really good at something really difficult is very impressive, like solving Rubik’s cubes. But it doesn’t seem like dancing to me.

It's a different type of dancing. As you say you do ballroom that is more fluid movements. As would be the case with lyrical for eg.

Tap is more to the beat, and can be quite complex, the timing has to be precise. And see how many taps there are to one beat.

Agree you either like it or you don't. My DD is a dancer and she likes it as she can express herself differently in this style.

You don't know to like every style and that is ok. For me I could really pass on watching the Spanish dancing in the competitions. Just a personal preference, I don't want to offend Spanish dancer, it's just a style I prefer the least.

I love tap! The rhythms, the musicality, i have seen Tap Dogs many many times. I did it for years as did my mum and now my kids (plus other styles).

There are many types of dancing Scottish country and Irish dancing . Do they seem like real dancing to you ?

I grew up doing tap, ballet and modern. I think the generation of dance teachers when I was a kid had grown up themselves when tap was very mainstream. I thought everyone did it! I don't really like dancing it or watching it though*
*except for Gene Kelly!

I adore tap dancing, dd is fabulous at it.
She was told she has very flexible ankles which helps.
I love to see a musical with tap dancing in it.
Each to their own. It wouldn’t do if we all liked the same thing.
I can’t understand why anyone would want to stand around watching someone play golf. I can understand doing it yourself and have played myself, but stood around watching it, what is the point?

Oh I love the big Fosse tap dancing numbers. I still fantasise about high kicking down a wide stair case

@Odesh watch it and weep with joy (although it's Irish dancing) 😊

Tap dancing and Irish dancing are VERY different but both complex and beautiful......and most definitely dancing!

But it doesn’t seem like dancing to me.

Such a bizarre comment.

I went to see 42nd Street a couple of years ago. Lots of tap in that. It was amazing !

🤷‍♀️

The best way I can describe it is like I watch it and it feels like they are playing a percussive instrument with their feet rather than the music moving their bodies.

And yes, I feel pretty much the same about Irish dancing, and flamenco for that matter.

Surely dance is just moving to music at the basic level?
If course tap dancing is dance!

My DD has tap danced since she was 2.5 (along with other forms). She has joined the tap dance society at uni and loves it.

It looks so easy just watching but it is so complex - not just the speed if steps, but the variety. If you look carefully they are using different parts of the foot for different steps to get different sounds and rhythms. And rhythms are usually not on the beat of the music, but much more syncopated.

I love it, watching it and doing it (not very well in my case). Lots of musicals have at least some tap in them, it is a very versatile type of dance. Used to love seeing Roy Castle doing it on TV when I was little.

There are a lot of similarities between drumming and tap dancing - cross rhythms etc, even some shared terminology eg paradiddles!

But you are wrong. They are dancing.

I mean, Irish dancing is even called Irish DANCING! Plus not all aspect of irish dancing involves the 'tap' aspect. The dances performed in light shoes can look very balletic in style.

As an ex professional Irish DANCER and qualified Irish DANCING teacher i can assure you I'm a dancer.

Oh I see, I’m wrong about how I feel about tap dancing. Gotcha.

Anyway, I have enjoyed learning about the appeal of tap dancing from the other contributions

It's not all tap dancing, but this mashup of scenes from classic movies and stars is one of the best things I've ever seen via YouTube. The editing involved is phenomenal.

Never fails to cheer me up!

Oh I see, I’m wrong about how I feel about tap dancing. Gotcha.

No, you're wrong to suggest isn't dancing.
It doesn't matter how you feel about it. It's an indisputable fact.