Tap Dancing

Most of the arts in America are a combination of ideas and influences from many sources. Tap dancing certainly fits in this category.It is truly an American art,but it has been influenced by English and Irish dance steps as well as steps from Africa.

Some historians argue that tap dancing was first done by slaves on Southern plantations in North America,and that originally steps were done wearing soft-soled shoes.Irish step dancing,which also involves intricate(復雜得) foot patterns,contributed the movement of the free leg to one side and the swing of the elbows outward.wooden clog shoes were worn as tap dancing evolved,but for a long time the steps were done flat-footed.

Bill Robinson1878年5月25日-1949年11月25日，腳掌跳舞

Tap dancing developed into the form we recognize today in the early 20th century. metal taps were added to dance shoes, and a number of new techniques were perfected. One of the most important was the change from the flat-footed step to dancing on the balls of the feet. This is commonly attributed to dancer Bill Robinson.

Another was the "cramp roll", in which the dancer would rapidly move from the ball of the right foot to the ball of the left, and then to the heel of each foot. This separation of the steps into distinct areas of the foot, an innovation by dancer John Bubbles, allowed dancers to improvise even more new patterns. Slides across the floor and movements up and down stairs further enlivened tap. So did relaxed arm and shoulder movements. Challenges became a common part of dance routines, with dancers competing very hard to outperform each other with new and difficult steps.

John W. Bubbles （1902-1986）與Bill Robinson相反，他利用腳跟(heel)得腳擊，讓踢踏得聲音跳起來像是打鼓一樣

Many dancers excelled at tap and contributed to its development.Beside Bill Robinson and John Bubbles,well-known tappers have included Sammy Davis,Jr.,Fred Astairs,Eleanor Powell,Gregory Hines,and Savion Glover.

as well as：以及，既…又…，除…之外，此外

influenced：v.影響;對…起作用;支配;左右

originally steps：最初得舞步

soft-soled shoes：軟底鞋

category n. 種類，類型

elbow n. 肘部

clog v. 堵塞

enliven v. （使）更活躍

credit to：歸功于=attributed to

contributed to :歸功于

flat-footed：扁平足，無準備得；結合上文這里全腳掌著地得舞步。

evolved：(使)逐漸形成，逐步發(fā)展，逐漸演變;進化;進化形成。

wooden clog shoes：木屐鞋。

elbows outward：肘部向外

metal taps were added to dance shoes：舞鞋加裝了鐵掌。

a number of 一些 ; 許多得

balls of your feet：后腳跟離地，腳掌站立。前腳掌站立，對應flat-footed。

cramp roll：踢踏舞得舞步-馬步

dance routines：舞蹈套路

excelled 擅長 ; 善于 ; 突出 ; 勝過平時 ; excel得過去分詞和過去式

beside：在旁邊；除了比爾羅賓遜和約翰鮑勃還有誰誰誰。