National Tap Dance Day
National Tap Dance Day on May 25 honors one of America's most distinctive contributions to world dance — tap, born from the collision of African-American foot rhythms with Irish step-dancing on American plantations and minstrel stages. The day's date is Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson's birthday (1878) — one of the greatest tap dancers ever. Congress designated the day in 1989. From vaudeville to Fred Astaire to Savion Glover, tap is pure American joy in motion.
Why it matters
TAPPIN’ IN RHYTHM
It’s National Tap Dance Day. On May 25 — Bill Bojangles Robinson’s birthday — America celebrates its most joyful dance. Born of African and Irish rhythms; perfected on Broadway.
THE STORY
Tap dance’s origins are in 18th-century America — the rhythmic encounter between enslaved African foot-patting traditions (banned use of drums on plantations) and Irish jig-step dancing. Both traditions emphasized percussive footwork; Irish and African dancers working side-by-side on American plantations and in minstrel shows gradually fused elements of each. The result, by the 1850s, was a distinctly American dance form. The first tap shoes (wooden, then metal-tipped) emerged in the late 1800s.
Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson was one of the greatest tap dancers in history. Born Luther Robinson in Richmond, Virginia in 1878, he became a headliner in 1920s-30s vaudeville. He was the first African-American to headline a major Broadway show — ‘Blackbirds’ (1930). His tap was precise, light, elegant; he called it ‘dancing up the stairs’ (one of his famous routines). He made 14 Hollywood films including ‘The Little Colonel’ (1935) with Shirley Temple — where he became one of the first African-American performers in a mainstream Hollywood role. Robinson died in 1949; his funeral was one of the largest in Harlem history, with 32,000 mourners.
The 1930s-40s golden age of Hollywood tap was defined by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Astaire’s tap was balletic, elegant, seemingly effortless. His 1935-1939 RKO films — “Top Hat,” “Swing Time,” “Carefree” — are considered the peak of Hollywood tap, though his partnerships with Rogers were foundational. Gene Kelly brought a more athletic, balletic version of tap in the 1940s-50s — “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952) is the iconic tap performance. The Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold) — Black tap dancers — outperformed most white tappers in their films, though Hollywood racism limited their opportunities.
Modern tap dance renaissance was led by Gregory Hines (1946-2003) — who brought tap to new audiences in ‘White Nights’ (1985) with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Savion Glover (born 1973) — tap choreographer and dancer — starred in Broadway’s ‘Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk’ (1996) and revolutionized contemporary tap with his hip-hop-influenced rhythmic style. Modern tap combines jazz, funk, hip-hop, and traditional influences. Michelle Dorrance (born 1979) has extended modern tap further. Tap dance is evolving — still a distinctly American art form, still joyful in motion.
I can do as much with my feet as a piano-player does with his fingers.
FOUR TAP DANCE ERAS
American tap across four generations:
Vaudeville (1900s-20s)
Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, the Nicholas Brothers, Master Juba. Stage tap reached mass popularity through Black vaudeville performers.
Hollywood Golden Age (1930s-40s)
Fred Astaire + Ginger Rogers 10-film partnership. Gene Kelly. Hollywood tap became global culture.
Broadway Renaissance (1980s-90s)
Gregory Hines’s film and Broadway work. ‘White Nights’ (1985). Tap made its comeback after a 1960s-70s decline.
Modern Tap (2000s-Present)
Savion Glover, Michelle Dorrance, Chloe Arnold. Tap fuses with hip-hop, jazz, contemporary. New generation.
TAP DANCE CENTERS
Where American tap has flourished:
DID YOU KNOW?!
The Nicholas Brothers were the best tap dancers in film.
Fayard and Harold Nicholas — Black brothers whose 1943 film ‘Stormy Weather’ features what Fred Astaire called ‘the greatest dancing ever done on film.’ Their acrobatic tap routines (jumping off stairs, landing in splits) are unmatched. Hollywood racism limited their fame.
Shirley Temple learned tap from Bill Robinson.
Robinson was Temple’s personal tap instructor. Their 1935 ‘stair dance’ in ‘The Little Colonel’ was the first inter-racial dance scene in a mainstream Hollywood film. It scandalized the South but was too beautiful to censor.
Tap shoes evolved over 150 years.
Early tap shoes (1800s) had wooden soles. Metal tap plates appeared in the 1910s. Modern tap shoes have precisely-tuned metal ‘taps’ that produce specific pitches. Professional tappers have custom shoes.
Irish step dance and tap share DNA.
Both are percussive foot-based dances with upper body held still. Tap allowed arm movement; Irish step dance is famously arms-down. The African-American influence on tap is what introduced upper-body movement and improvisation.
READ & WATCH
Tap Dancing America: A Cultural History
Constance Valis Hill · 2010
Hill’s definitive history of American tap — from its African-Irish origins through modern innovators. Scholarly but accessible. The tap dance book of record.
Mr. Bojangles: The Biography of Bill Robinson
Jim Haskins & N.R. Mitgang · 1988
Haskins and Mitgang’s biography of Bill Robinson. The life of the man whose birthday is Tap Dance Day. Essential for understanding American tap.
Thinking in Rhythm: The Making of a Jazz Improviser
Savion Glover · forthcoming
Savion Glover’s forthcoming memoir on tap, jazz, and improvisation. Contemporary tap’s greatest practitioner on his art.
PAIR IT WITH
‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ ‘Top Hat,’ ‘White Nights,’ ‘Swing Time,’ ‘Stormy Weather.’ Tap film canon.
Take a tap class. Most cities have adult beginner options. Fun, good exercise, surprisingly physical.
Savion Glover tours. Broadway revivals of ’42nd Street.’ Tap festivals in major cities.
Hill’s ‘Tap Dancing America.’ Any Bill Robinson biography. American dance history.
Clap Along
Tag us @celebrationnation with #TapDanceDay. Share your tap videos, your favorite Fred Astaire scene, or your Bojangles tribute. American joy in motion.
How to celebrate
Watch, clap, tap:
- 🎬 Watch Fred Astaire + Ginger Rogers. 'Top Hat' (1935), 'Swing Time' (1936). The greatest Hollywood tap.
- 🌟 Watch Gregory Hines. 'White Nights' (1985) with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Tap meets ballet; iconic.
- 🎷 Watch Savion Glover. 'Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk' (1996, Broadway). Modern tap at its best.
- 💃 Take a tap class. Every US city has adult beginner tap classes. No experience required; fun exercise.
- 🎭 See live tap. Savion Glover tours; Broadway revivals include tap. Tap dance day is the year's big tap performance day.
Celebration ideas by audience
For families
Family movie night with 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952) or 'White Nights' (1985). Classic American tap.
For kids
Kids love tap — percussive, cheerful, physical. 'Happy Feet' (2006) is a kid-friendly tap-dancing-penguin film.
For couples
Couples tap class is a surprisingly great date. Learn basic tap together; laugh a lot.
At the office
Lunchtime tap dance video watch party — Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Gregory Hines. Morale booster.
At school
Elementary P.E. classes do basic tap. A great physical-arts introduction.
In your community
Community theater often has tap revivals. 42nd Street, Anything Goes, Cabin in the Sky.
On your own
Watch Gregory Hines's 'White Nights' opening scene. 3 minutes of pure tap virtuosity. Incredible.