Broadway Tap
Also known as: Show tap
History & Cultural Context
Broadway tap is the show-dance branch of tap: lighter and more upright than rhythm tap, danced higher on the balls of the feet, and oriented toward visual line, travel, and ensemble choreography in musical theater. Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson's clean, rolling, on-the-toes style is emblematic of this presentational approach.
Cultural Significance
Broadway tap is the tap most audiences know through musicals and film.
Characteristic Movement & Technique
Upright carriage, dancing high on the balls of the feet, clean rolling sounds, and choreography built for travel and presentation.
Signature Figures
- Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson
- Fred Astaire
- Eleanor Powell
Dance Lineage
Broadway Tap Music & Tempo
Drawn from 15 Broadway Tap tracks in the LODance music library.
Example tracks at practice tempo
- Shaking the Blues Away — Megan Lawrence & Holiday Inn Original Broadway Ensemble96 BPM
- Shuffle Off to Buffalo — Original Broadway Cast of 42nd Street77 BPM
- Getting Out of Town — Original Broadway Cast of 42nd Street108 BPM
- King of New York (Full Song With Dance Break) [Bonus Track] — Ryan Breslin, Kara Lindsay & Newsies Original Broadway Cast168 BPM
- Go Into Your Dance — Original Broadway Cast of 42nd Street80 BPM
- Lullaby of Broadway — Original Broadway Cast of 42nd Street183 BPM
Legends of Broadway Tap
Dancers, choreographers and teachers whose work shaped this style.
Broadway Tap on screen
Films and television where Broadway Tap appears, with the sequences worth watching for.
Singin' in the Rain (1952)6 sequences indexedFit as a Fiddle · chor. Gene Kelly; Stanley DonenSingin' in the Rain title number · chor. Gene Kelly; Stanley DonenDignity flashback and Fit as a Fiddle · 00:04:46 · chor. Gene Kelly; Stanley Donen (uncredited)
Top Hat (1935)4 sequences indexedNo Strings solo · chor. Hermes Pan (dance direction; Fred Astaire collaborated)Opening-credit feet and cane chorus · chor. Fred Astaire (uncredited); Hermes PanNo Strings (I'm Fancy Free) · 00:08:18 · chor. Fred Astaire (uncredited); Hermes Pan
An American in Paris (1951)3 sequences indexedI Got Rhythm · 00:26:36 · chor. Gene KellyTra-la-la (This Time It's Really Love) · 00:46:17 · chor. Gene Kelly'S Wonderful · 01:20:24 · chor. Gene Kelly
Chicago (2002)3 sequences indexedNowadays / Hot Honey Rag · chor. Rob MarshallBilly's courtroom tap dance · 01:30:31 · chor. Rob Marshall; Cynthia Onrubia (Richard Gere's tap steps)Hot Honey Rag finale · 01:42:58 · chor. Rob Marshall; John DeLuca (choreographic supervisor)
Swing Time (1936)3 sequences indexedPick Yourself Up lesson · chor. Hermes Pan (dance direction; Fred Astaire collaborated)Pick Yourself Up lesson and reveal · 00:22:48 · chor. Hermes Pan (dance director)Bojangles of Harlem · 01:12:43 · chor. Hermes Pan (dance director)
The Gay Divorcee (1934)3 sequences indexedDon't Let It Bother YouDon't Let It Bother You reprise — identity-proving solo · 00:06:39 · chor. Hermes Pan (dance director)A Needle in a Haystack · 00:17:47 · chor. Hermes Pan (dance director)
Billy Elliot (2000)2 sequences indexedTap lesson and frustration · chor. Peter DarlingI Love to Boogie private-lesson montage · 00:42:19 · chor. Peter Darling; Lynne Page (associate)
Hail, Caesar! (2016)1 sequence indexed“No Dames!” sailor tap number · chor. Christopher Gattelli
La La Land (2016)1 sequence indexedA Lovely Night · 00:32:23 · chor. Mandy MooreOn the Town (1949)1 sequence indexedPrehistoric Man museum number
Tap (1989)1 sequence indexedBob Wythe’s Broadway solo audition · chor. Henry LeTang; Gregory Hines (improvography)
The Band Wagon (1953)1 sequence indexedBy Myself · 00:06:17 · chor. Michael KiddPoster artwork and title data from TMDB. This site uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.
Sources & Further Reading
Cultural & Historical Context
Broadway Tap emerged from United States during the 1900s—present day. Understanding the cultural roots, musical traditions, and social circumstances of this era enriches appreciation for the dance's characteristics and significance.
Formative Influences
Signature Movement Vocabulary:
Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson, Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell
Primary Source Documents
The Library of Dance contains public-domain primary sources for dance history. Copyrighted modern syllabi are indexed with purchase links to their respective copyright owners. Search by dance name or codifier to discover primary source documents.
Last reviewed: September 2026 — This dance profile synthesizes historical research, cultural documentation, and contemporary practice knowledge to provide authoritative context.
More in Tap Dance
Soft Shoe
The smooth, light, low-volume tap idiom—historically sometimes danced on a sanded floor—that precedes and underlies both rhythm and Broadway tap.
Rhythm Tap (Hoofing)
The grounded, weighted, jazz-rooted tap style in which the dancer is a percussive musician improvising complex syncopation 'into the floor.'
Buck-and-Wing
A fast, vernacular late-19th-century precursor of modern tap, combining flat-footed 'buck' rhythms with springing 'wing' steps on the minstrel and vaudeville stage.
Tap Dance in art
Browse the gallery →Works from the wider Tap Dance tradition — we have not yet identified enough that depict Broadway Tap specifically.
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