Musical Theater: Tap & Jazz

I) Book Link: (5:00 min)

 Beginning Musical Theater Dance By Diana Dart Harris

 Question 1

Go to the link above and scrawl down to page 2. 

After reading the paragraph on Defining Musical Theater Dance; 

please explain in your own words the meaning of musical theater dance.

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Tap Dance

(8:17 min)

II) Book Link: (5:00 min)

Tap Dancing America By Constance Valis Hill

 Question 2

Go to the link above and scrawl down to page 2. 

After reading the paragraph on page 2; please define the term tap dance.

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(3:26 min)

 III. Book Link:  (10:00 min)

Beginning Tap Dance By Lisa Lewis

Question 3

Go to the link above and scrawl down to pages 106 - 107. 

Read pages 107 and 108, please name the different styles of tap dance.

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IV.  42nd Street 

42nd Street is an  American musical based on the novel by Bradford Ropes and the subsequent 1933 Hollywood Film adaptation. The backstage musical show focuses on the efforts of famed dictatorial Great White Way director Julian Marsh to mount a successful stage production of a musical extravaganza at the height of the Great Depression.

 42nd Street- Opening Number (3:02 min)

 Question 4

After watching the video above:

What style of tap was used in 42 Street. Explain.

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V. Jazz Dance

(2:17 min)


 IV: Book Link (5:00 min)

Beginning Jazz Dance By James W. Robey 

Question 5

Go to the link above and scrawl down to page 2. 

After reading the paragraph on page 2; please define what jazz dance is.

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VI. Chicago the Musical

Chicago is an American set in Chicago during the jazz age. The musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name.  The story us about actual criminals. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal". The original Broadway production opened in 1975. Bob Fosse choreographed the original production, and his style is strongly identified with the show.

"All That Jazz" (4:10)

  Question 6

After watching the video above,

Why would you say their style of dance is jazz?

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Question 7 (10:00 min)

Compare and contrast 42 Street and Chicago the Musical.

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Students' Work

Haiming Hao

Explain the meaning of musical theater dance

Musical theatre dance collect song, dance, drama as a whole, widely used high-tech stage technology, the continuous pursuit of visual effects and auditory effects of the perfect combination.The humor, satire, pathos, love, anger, as moving parts of the play, and the story itself are conveyed to the audience through the language, music and action of the actors, as well as fixed interpretation.

 Definition the term tap dance

Tap dancing is one of the modern dance styles.The form of this dance is relatively open and free, without many formal restrictions.Dancers do not pay attention to the body dance, but to the tip of the toe and heel strike rhythm of the complex skills.Tap dance according to the different dance rhythm to jump the degree of speed, mainly by tapping shoes to produce the 'tap tap tap' sound.

The different styles of tap dance

soft-shoe, buck and wing, classical tap,jazz tap, hoofing, rhythm tap, musical or broadway tap, and funk tap

Style of tap that was used in 42 Street

Musical or broadway tap

“Broadway musicals such as Anything Goes, My One and Only, and th emost popular 42nd Street showcase this style.”

Definition of what jazz dance is

Jazz dance, namely American modern dance, is a kind of rapid and dynamic rhythmic dance, which belongs to an external dance.Jazz dance is mainly a kind of dance that seeks to be cheerful, lively and lively.It is characterized by the freedom to jump, unlike traditional classical ballet which must be limited to a form and conform to the inherent posture.

Why would I say their style of dance is jazz

The dancers freeze their movements, and the difficult gymnastic movements into a fantasy show, but also from time to time to make puppet-like dance and dance skills to challenge the people.

Compare and contrast 42 Street and Chicago the Musical

“Unlike 42nd Street, Chicago was fully translated into Russian to be performed solely by Russian-speaking actors.” While 72 street is performed by a large number of actors.

 Avery Gawel

1. The primary goal of musical theatre is to tell a story; this is achieved through the combination of dancing, acting, and singing. Musical theatre dance is used to enhance a piece, to allow the audience to have a greater understanding of the story. And, since every musical is different, these dancers must be well versed in all different kinds of dance styles too.
2. Tap dance uses the feet to produce extra sound and rhythm to enhance the dancing style. The roots of tap dance are English, Irish, and African primarily, and it eventually evolved in the Americas. In particular it combines English clog, Scottish highland, and early American folk. But, most of the rhythmic aspects are taken from the Afro-Irish fusions created before.
3. Soft shoe, buck and wing, classical tap, class acts, jazz tap, hoofing, rhythm tap, musical or Broadway tap, funk tap
4. I think musical or Broadway tap is what is being used in 42nd Street.
5. Jazz dance is an American art form that comes mostly from West African traditional dance. Jazz is very much a “Hollywood” dance and focuses a lot of rhythm. Jazz dance takes on tons of different forms, and also evolves over time, both things which make defining jazz dance more difficult. Its main characteristics are that it’s rhythm driven, in dialogue with gravity, directly expressive, and embraces individual style. 
6. “All That Jazz” has many sexually-driven stylistic components of jazz dance. Similar to other pieces choreographed by Fosse, the style is sexually suggestive and characterized often by turned-in knees, sideways shuffling, and rolling the shoulders.
7. 42nd Street is much more upbeat and giddy, with everyone dancing as one unit doing the same moves. On the other hand, Chicago the Musical is much more sly, with people dancing more fluidly and in their own space/manor.

 Alexis Jackson

Musical theatre dance is a genre of dance that includes dancing with music or singing to tell a story in a show. It includes any type of dance. Musical theatre dance can be jazz, hip hop, folk, ballet, etc. Musical theatre dances are generally done for entertainment purposes. The dances within these shows are to help aid in the audiences further understanding of the play. 
 

Tap dance is a dance that is based off of making rhythm with the sound of tapping your shoes against the floor. It incorporates parts of English, Irish, and African musical and dance traditions. Afro-Irish fusions created the rhythmic aspect of tap dance. Although, the combination of all these cultures gave birth to American tap dance. 

There are many different styles of tap dance, including soft-shoes, buck and wing, classical tap, class acts, jazz tap, hoofing, rhythm tap, musical or broadway tap, and funk tap. Soft show is a light graceful dance performed in a smooth soft soled shoe. Buck and Wing is a flashy dance combining Irish and British clog, African rhythm, and fast footwork and kicks. Classical tap is also known as flash or swing tap and combines tap, ballet, and jazz with acrobatics. Class arts is a more refined style with high-speed elegant close to the floor style. Jazz tap was featured in carnivals and circuses, and emphasized precision, lightness, and speed. Hoofing is dancing into the floor with emphasis placed on stomps and stamps and the percussion these actions make. Rhythm tap has heel drops and lower body movement rather than emphasizing toe taps and upper body movement. Musical or Broadway tap is a combination between Hollywood and traditional forms of tap and focuses on the body formations. Funk tap is contemporary tap that attracts a new generation of tap but preserves traditional tap technique.

In my opinion, 42nd street is an example of Jazz tap. It is very upbeat. It’s focus is on speed and lightness on their feet along with precision as they are all in sync. Additionally the music in the background is a jazz piece. 

Jazz dance is an American dance with roots from West African traditional dance and has rhythmic focus with dialogue and direct visual expression. Jazz dance is the type of dance that we see in most musicals, shows, theme parks, cruise ships, and music videos.  

I would say this video is a jazz dance because of the body language expression. It is a show piece, with lyrics and they are moving their bodies to the music to help portray the story. 

The difference between 42nd street and Chicago the Musical is that one is a tap dance while the other is a jazz dance. However, 42nd street is a jazz tap dance. Both of these pieces are portraying a story throughout, and the dancers are in sync with each other the whole time. However, 42nd street is much more uppity and has a more rhythmic aspect to it, because their shoes are making a beat as they tap. Meanwhile. Chicago the Musical the lady is singing a song but there are also other instruments in the background. They are moving their bodies much more slowly and in expression with the song. Both are very elegant pieces however 42nd street is more upbeat.