Jason Samuel Smith

It's dance that is based on sound, the sound made by shoes. But tap dance has a history that is derived from several ethnic percussive dances, including African tribal dances and Irish jigs, and is believed to have begun in the mid-1800s. The sound is made by shoes that have a metal ‘tap’, which make a percussive sound when they hit the ground. Prior to metal taps, the dance was performed with wooden clogs on leather shoes.