Tap dance is one kind of dance that is characterized by sounds produced from the metal taps attached on the heel and toe of the shoes when striking the floor in a percussive manner, along with characteristic and interpretative movements of the body.
There are various tap dance styles which include Broadway, classical, rhythm or jazz, and post-modern. However, the most celebrated and popular style is the rhythm tap.
The use of metallic taps on shoes
To make the percussive steps more audible, metallic taps were placed on tap shoes, which began in 1910. While earlier, the tap shoes only used wood to produce such distinct tapping sounds.
Famous tap dancers in the ’50s
Gene Kelly & Donald O’Connor were actors, dancers, and singers who also became famous as a tap-dancing duo in 1952. They both starred in Singin’ in the Rain, an American musical romantic comedy film that was directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly himself and Stanley Donen. O’Connor won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for Motion Picture.
According to Wikipedia, Singin’ in the Rain was…
“the tenth-highest grossing movie of the year in the US and Canada”
However, two guys from New York City come up with the idea to be the modern-day Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor tap dance duo. They decide to perform on the pier in NYC.
At the start of the video, you can see a young man sitting on the bench, very busy with his smartphone. There’s an unexpected person who sits beside him and invites him for some tap dancing.
The video stars Geoffrey Goldberg and Danny Gardner.
Geoffrey is a theater artist based in NYC and works as a choreographer, director, actor, dancer, writer, educator and singer. In fact, he has directed this video.
Danny is a Broadway actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and teacher. He also teaches tap dance around the New York City Area.
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Geoffrey sits beside Danny, and he cannot stop his feet from tap dancing. He disturbs the other guy, hoping to be noticed. He even pokes him with his foot and taps very close to Danny. Feeling irritated, Danny responds with his tap-dancing feet.
Now the two are ready for a show-off.
They strike the floor on the pier’s deck with their shoes according to the rhythm of the music. Adding funny body movements as they perform, the two look so fun and entertaining while they tap dance on the pier.
Viewers are enjoying their tap dance video, which is an Official Selection for Dance on Camera Film Festival 2015, and they say,
“Thank you for this moment of joy that I’ve had watching this video.”
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“Wonderful! Love both of your dancing and your choreography.”
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“Awesome! I got two left feet, so I really admire people with these skills.”
It may look easy to tap dance, but for those who are not skilled, it can be very frustrating to even try. But, Geoffrey and Danny are excellent with this kind of dancing, and their feet just show how talented they are. With their acting skills, they work collaboratively in making funny tap dance videos in other settings, such as at the park and in a circle. You can watch more tap dance videos of these fantastic guys on Goldberg’s YouTube channel.
But for now, here is the famous tap dance on the pier which is absolutely entertaining to watch. We hope the video below brightens your day and will make you smile.
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