Discourse Analysis #5

https://youtu.be/OsK8dWjDi_E

(Link to the challenge scene in the movie Tap with some of the greatest tap dancers to ever live)

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Introduction:

Discourse Analysis #5 analyzes the awareness of the role that tap dance has had on society up until the current day. Media and different forms of technology have played a role in this throughout the decades. That is why I chose multiple movies/television shows that showcase tap dance in one way or another. Then, I asked about 20 college and non college individuals to explain what they know about tap dance when they hear the words and when they hear the title of these films/series' which is the data set/corpus. Based on the survey, I selected the top three movies/television shows from participants to do my analysis on. I also performed an analysis on the least popular movie. All in all, my scope is to find out if tap dance is in fact a dying art form and how well it has been preserved/represented in years past and up to this year, 2022.

The plan of my survey was to ask a variety of questions regarding just how aware people in the current day are on tap dance. Anywhere from what it is to who the masters of the artform were and are. Through these results I was able to see just how well or not it is being kept alive and represented through modern day media and word of mouth. The criticism for my research is afrocentric in that the genre of dance has African roots back to the time of slavery in the 1800s. “Tap dance originated in the United States in the early 19th century at the crossroads of African and Irish American dance forms. When slave owners took away traditional African percussion instruments, slaves turned to percussive dancing to express themselves and retain their cultural identities” (From Margins to Mainstream: A Brief Tap Dance History). It has always been misrepresented in the industry and was predominantly an artform done by African Americans in its early years of rising. This has led many to begin to forget it even exists in this day in age as other dance styles are more commonly seen in media and on television. 

The following movies and television shows include tap dance representation to different degrees and in different decades of the genres development and integration into American culture: 

Singing in the Rain (1952)

Tap (1989)

La La Land (2016)

Spirited (2022)

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So You Think You Can Dance (2005-now)

World of Dance (2017-now)

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Survey, Answers, & Analysis:

As of December 4th at noon, I received a grand total of thirteen responses to my survey. This number was on the low side although I sent it out to multiple family members and group chats of individuals here at Chapman University. Although this number is under what was expected, I believe I can use it to my advantage in individual study. While the survey was sent to far more than 20 individuals, it was not even filled out by that number. That number leads me to believe people in 2022 both lack knowledge on the dance genre and are losing interest with each decade that passes to where they will not even focus their attention on it to spend less than five minutes learning and sharing through the simple survey. The responses I received were from both college students and those of both younger and older ages (outside of college student age: high school and ages 40+) which shows it is not just the younger generations starting to lack knowledge and interest.

When these individuals of different ages with different levels of dance experience were asked the following question, this is how they responded…

When you hear the words 'tap dance' what comes to mind?

Fun. Happy. Feet

Fun and syncopated

Enthusiasm, happiness

Dancing, tapping, and dance moves in La La Land

The Rockettes, elaborate broadway dance numbers, and the fun clicking sounds.

Fun

Upbeat, fun, loud

jacie mazmanian, mj anti gravity lean,

shirley temple

Tap shoes, metal, clicking

The clicky shoes, lots of facial expressions, and moving fast

Metal footwear

a form of dance that uses a special type of shoes that have metal or metal-like plates that create a clapping/tapping like sound when hit on a hard surface.

A wide range of films and television shows from different decades were selected due to the age range of the survey participants and how representation of the genre has gone

up and down throughout the years. Therefore, I asked individuals the following question…

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These results showed that most people have watched a dance show (SYTYCD) that has little tap representation and zero people had seen the film that’s plot is entirely centered on the genre itself(Tap) and the cast includes masters of the art form as well. “After blatantly dismissing tap dancing for the past five seasons, Nigel Lythgoe and the producers of "So You Think You Can Dance" have included three tap dancers in their lineup of twenty competitors for season six” (SYTYCD Season Six Addition: Tap dancing?). This shows how it took six seasons of one of the most popular dancing shows to even include tap dance as one of its categories. This led me to ask the following question…

Do you think of tap dance specifically when you see the titles of these films/tv shows? If so, which ones? If not, just put “no.”

No

Singing in the rain

Yes- Spirited, Singing in the Rain, Tap

Yes. La La Land

Singing in the rain

La La Land, Singing in the Rain

no

tap

Yes, only with Singing in the Rain

So you think you can dance, yes bc they have so many different types of dance

Yes, so you think you can dance and world of dance not so much, but the other two I do.

la la land

The results to this fill-in survey question were interesting to me in that although individuals had seen most of these films and television shows, certain ones reminded them of tap dance from just seeing the titles alone while others did not even with representation included in them. Take Singing in the Rain for example which was one of the films many participants listed. “[Gene Kelly’s] tap solo truly is one of the most memorable in dance history, with other dance scenes from the likes of Dirty Dancing, Grease and West Side Story coming in the same legendary category”(5 Singin’ in the Rain Dances). Various tap dance scenes in this movie make it one of the key images people picture when they think of dance style. The following question was more specific. Notice how most of the dancers named took part in some of these films but are not always thought of when the title is seen…

Can you name any famous tap dancers past or present?

No

Gregory Heinz

Gregory Hines, Fred Astaire, Anthony

Anthony

I can not

Yes

camille fehr

shirley temple

Gene Kelly

savion glover

i don't know any names but i know there's many on broadway

The results above showed that when individuals with and without dance experience were asked about media with tap dance representation, they still did not always think about it or notice it. These results also lack a variety of African American tap dancers which make up the majority of masters. This shows the lack of representation to the highest degree that has been an issue since before the 1950s. Therefore,  I asked the following question…

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From the variety of individuals that took the survey, it was fascinating to see that the answers to this question were almost split 50-50. This shows how some see tap dance as fighting to be seen and very much alive where others do not at all. Therefore, tap dance is being underrepresented in areas of media outside of those with many years of experience in the artform.

To conclude the survey, the participants' length of dance experience was asked and revealed…

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These results showed that almost half of the individuals had less than 4 years of experience while the other half had 9 or above. This displayed the diversity of the participants, yet the similarities in their answers. Most dance schools offer significantly less tap classes and do not even require it like they do for genres like ballet, jazz, or modern. This leads many dancers to quit at a younger age due to difficulty and/ or other requirements and never pursue it again. Also, the majority of representation in the media was before the year 2000 therefore making it a more “outdated“ genre of dance. “Children aren't seeing it on their television every week, so they're not walking into a dance studio and asking to take a tap class so they can shuffle just like Maddie Ziegler…” (Keeping Tap Timely in a Contemporary World). Like mentioned previously above, a lack of promotion in the media and industry as a whole is just one of the reasons why tap dance is decreasing in popularity in contrast to before the 2000s. Through Afrocentric criticism, the survey results further show how the origin of tap dance is unknown by most and the names of those who carry on the genre are more well known than the masters (most of African American descent).

Interview, Answers, & Analysis:

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This portion of the analysis included two interviews from individuals with 8 or more years of tap dance experience each and almost 30 years apart in age. They were both asked the same three questions. I chose these two people in order to prove that individuals who grew up in completely different eras still have no idea about important details when it comes to tap dance and give similar answers. This proves that not much has been done if not less to preserve and grow the artform. This also goes for the names of those tap dancers who invented steps and made it what it is today. 

1. Do you have any tap dance experience? If so, how many years?

1. Do you know where tap dance came from originally?

1. Can you name any famous tap dancers past or present? 

Melissa (20 years old)

1. “Yes, 8 years”

2. “No”

3. Gene Kelly, Gaby Diaz(from SYTYCD if that counts), Chloe Arnold.”

Jill (49 years old)

1. “Yes I have 9 years of tap dance experience. I started taking tap and ballet classes in kindergarten and after a while, I also took jazz. My favorite dance genre was always tap and every recital, I performed a tap performance in a small group of three girls.”

2. “I do not know where or when tap dance originated.”

3. “The most famous tap dancers I know are Gregory Hines and Fred Astaire. When I was a tap dancer, Gregory Hines was popular and I really enjoyed watching him perform.”

The most troubling result of the interviews to me showed that each of the interviewees had no idea where tap dance originated from further proving how much its African origins have been neglected to be mentioned or talked about for decades upon decades despite the race of a majority of the tap masters being that of African American descent. 

Conclusion:

All in all, the purpose of this discourse analysis was to study the current awareness of the origin of the dance genre of tap dance to an extent through both a survey and interviews. This was done by asking questions about famous movies, television shows, and figures that represent the style of dance in one way or another and remind individuals in and out of the dance world of it. 

Reflection/limitations:

Discourse Analysis #5 was overall very enjoyable for me because of the freedom it allowed for in which I could complete it on a topic like tap dance; my passion. When I saw the prompt, it was one of the first topics that came to mind. I then decided that the survey/ interview option would be the most interesting because I figured I could learn the most in a more personal way from my peers. I chose to send the surveys to college, highschool, and older aged individuals in order to get viewpoints from the largest range of age groups on this dance form that has been around since the 1800s. Overall, it is still hard for me to wrap my brain around tap dance being looked over but commonly thought of when dance is mentioned after this analysis. The only limitation that I encountered was the fact that not many people chose to participate in my survey even though I sent it to well over 20 individuals. In the end, this worked to my advantage in proving a point about tap dance. Not the fact that it is a “dying art form,” but one that is working back up to popularity in the entertainment industry. As a tap dancer myself, I try my best to educate others on the origins of tap dance and those who came before me in order to revive the light the dance form once had on the country and world. This is why I did my Discourse Analysis #5 on it.

Works Cited:

https://ums.org/2019/06/21/from-margins-to-mainstream-tap-dance-history/

https://www.impactdanceadjudicators.com/post/keeping-tap-timely-in-a-contemporary-world

https://www.movedancewear.com/blog/5_singin_in_the_rain_dances/115/

https://www.dance-forums.com/threads/sytycd-season-six-addition-tap-dancing.34605/

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