剑桥英语四年级47页游戏如何做（英语二自学P11-Tap）

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(复杂的) 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.

剑桥英语四年级47页游戏如何做（英语二自学P11-Tap）(1)

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

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.

剑桥英语四年级47页游戏如何做（英语二自学P11-Tap）(2)

John W. Bubbles （1902-1986）与Bill Robinson相反，他利用脚跟(heel)的脚击，让踢踏的声音跳起来像是打鼓一样

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.影响;对…起作用;支配;左右

originally steps：最初的舞步

soft-soled shoes：软底鞋

category n. 种类，类型

elbow n. 肘部

clog v. 堵塞

enliven v. （使）更活跃

credit to：归功于=attributed to

contributed to :归功于

flat-footed：扁平足，无准备的；结合上文这里全脚掌着地的舞步。

evolved：(使)逐渐形成，逐步发展，逐渐演变;进化;进化形成。