Toe Druming

Hello I would like to briefly talk about another form of toetap .Called Toe Drumming ;This Verizon of a long time ago dance form .That was done in Music Halls and Vaudeville. Was done with out taps. All you needed was a drum and,a pair of pointe shoes.With a leather drum head and ,metal shell. The snare drum type should not be more than 6 inch's high by 14 inch's wide. This height was good encase the drum broke .you could recover without real damage to yourself. Also,the drum should be able to hold your weight .While tapping on it . The idea was to tap out a rhythm to music .While on pointe . This form of toe tap or toe drumming as it was called predated toetap and was the most likely the driving force into Toetap itself. As performers searched for newer thing to entertain the masses. The performers name in the picture is Lily Elsie. She was a Music Hall performer in the late 1890's early 1900's. This is the only picture of this dance form to survive.

Sansha's TA-11"s

Here are two pictures
the top is the Sansha TA-11 a hybrid shoe .Which is a Sansha fusion pointe shoe with a tap shoe sole and taps on it . The bottom is a regular pointe shoe with toetaps or in modern language pointe/taps .I preferr toetap because the tap are on the box's toe.

Hello I would like to pointe out Some differences.

Between Sansha TA-11's And a Toetap shoe.

Or, the modern name Pointe /Tap shoe.

My friend Ben wrote to the boss of Sansha .Trying to get them to make a traditional Toetap shoe . With many tries .They still kinda missed the mark. This shoe(the TA-11) is what I would call a hybrid shoe .Consisting of a Pointe shoe and a Tap shoe sole .While you can tap on pointe with it .The shoe which has no tap on its boxfront.Which will give you a muffled sound . You can do all the tap moves and pinte work .Just you can not combine them .Into a real toetap production.

Toetapper Like to break the classic form of ballet . Most dancers do pointe /tap or toetap with out realizing it . When they get a new shoe they tap the point to soften it or , so I am told .Toetaper love to hear there shoes make nose, as to say freedom .From being so rigid and repetitiveness.

Since I am the last person to make these taps . I do know about them . I make each tap to the wearer so they can do pointe work without impedance from the tap.I become a expert in this field. A toetap shoe has the tap on it's boxfront . You can do all most any tap move or dance step. Just on pointe .I have made the taps so,you can combine pointe work into each performace.The Pointe /Tap or toetap shoe, I make are a true fusion of these two arts .

Pointe shoe quiz. Can anyone tell me what shoe my taps are on ?

Some toetap steps

When I was talking to the mother of a dancer.

The New tap dancer did not understand all the language of tap .

So , if anyone did not understand Kathleens answer...

it breaksdown like this:She said Hop ,Shuffle, Step ,Toe Grind ,Brush Step.

Lets take them by themselves

Hop: A jump into the air on one foot: With the weight on one foot and the free foot in the air in any direction, flex the knee of the supporting foot; spring into the air and land on the same foot. Shuffle: Are broken down into 6 types Front, back , Side,Double ,leap and Step ;A forward brush followed by a back brush to the front, side or back,executed rapidly in a 16th note rhythm and counted "a 1"

.Front Shuffle:The basic "Shuffle" - with the feet in line with the hips and the toes directly forward, flex the R knee up in front of body -- lower the leg, striking the toe of the foot against the floor in a forward motion. At this point, the L or supporting leg is straight, where in the R ft is straight and extended forward of the body. As you flexthe R knee, strike the toe of the R ft on the floor in a backward motion. The shuffle should be executed slightly forward of supporting foot. The free foot should always remain in front of the supporting leg by flexing the knee forward and up on the back brush.

Side Shuffle:Extend the right foot to the R side, toes are in line and there is no turnout of the R foot.

Back Shuffle:With the weight on the left foot and knee slightly bent, extend the Rft bk with the toe turned out. From this position, execute theshuffle on the side of the big toe.

Double Shuffle:Two Back Shuffles ("8 and a 1").Shuffle, Leap A forward shuffle on the free foot leaping forward to the same foot.Shuffle, Step A shuffle with the free foot, followed by a step on same foot. Once referred to as a "Three".

Toe: This has 9 types they are: Back ,Beat,Click, Dig,Drop,Heel,Stand, Toetap,and ToetipToe Back Same as a Toe Tap: Strike the point of the toe in back of the standing foot and immediately raise the foot from the floor. Does not take weight.Toe Beat Same as a Toe Tap but the toe remains on the floor.

Click Same as Click Toes: With the weight on the heels of bothfeet (toes up) Strike the toes together.

Toe Dig Emphasized step fwd on the toe of the foot with the kneebent; a strut or jazz type movement.

Toe Drop force the toe to the floor Toe-Heel An old term for a Brush R fwd, Dig R toe In reg. tap it's a Brush R fwd, Dig R heel fwd (toe up).

Toe Stand A movement of the old school of tap wherein the dancer is on the points of both feet.

Toe Tap A striking of the point of the toe in any direction andimmediately raising the foot from the floor.

Toe Tip Same as a Toe Tap.

Grind: A circular movement of the hipsBrush: There are 3 types Brush ,Brush Steps and Brush FlatBrush A one-sound kicking movement, in any direction. With the knee in a flexed position, strike the toe of the free foot against the floor, the leg raises in the air until the knee is straight. This applies when the brush is executed in a forward movement. A brush maybe executed in any direction but basically it is forward or backward.

Brush Step A forward Brush Step is the same as a Flap. Whether it isa forward or back brush step, the movement can be executed in any desired rhythm pattern.

Brush Flat A flat brush is executed in exactly the same fashion as a basic brush - the difference is that the entire Toe of the foot strikes the floor in the pendulum movement.

Flap:A forward brush step: With the knee in a flexed position, strike the toe of the free foot against the floor in a forward motion,stepping forward on the same foot; the step takes weight. May be executed in any direction but normally forward.

Step:There are 4 types ,they are Step, Step Chug,Step Brush/Toe Drop,Step PullStep; A placing of the front part of the foot firmly on the floor,taking weight; always executed on the Toe of the foot unless otherwise noted.

Step Chug A stepping forward on the toe or flat of the foot, followed by a Chug which is an exaggerated heel drop. In toetaps case a exaggerated toe drop Step Brush, toe Drop A basic combining of tap movements:A. Measure Count Movement1 1 Step L bk and Brush R bk2 Drop L toe3 Step R bk and Brush L bk4 Drop R toeStep Pull Also known as a Step, Slide: A step and slide back on same foot. The term "Pull" has been used to mean a Back Brush.

Chug:Sometimes referred to as a Buck: A forward movement accentingthe toe drop: With the weight on one foot, the free foot is raised;force the toe of the foot to the floor with exaggeration, thus moving the foot forward approximately 3 inches.All tap definitions where modified for Toetap

Hope this helps

Paul D. Let me know how I did?

Looking up the Past

When I look up information some times I have to implore so different means of finding it . For example :To find someone in Vaudeville . Here are somethings to try...The Internet is big help.. with web site's like ....Circus History Message Boards at Http://www.circushistory.orgNewspaper archives In my area the New York Times ; Keeps archives back to 1857.Obituaries The publication Variety has one . Called Variety Obituaries By Garland Publishing Inc.The stage and screen actors guild if the worked on stage or screen they had to belong to this union! There is also, a musicians guildThe Internet Broadway Database or IBDB .If they stared in a show on Broadway, they have them .I found one performer through Naturalization Records If they went through Ellis Island .They have a record of it.I found another performer through a song.http://parlorsongs.comThe library... Here are a couple books :The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville by Anthony SlideThe Dictionary of the Dance by Barbra Naomi Cohen-StatynerHere is some reference material from her :Heading West/Touring West: Mapmakers, Performing Artists, and the American Frontier by New York Public Library, Barbara Naomi Cohen-Stratyner, Alice C. Hudson Softcover, New York Public Library, ISBN 087104451X (0-87104-451-X)Preserving America's Performing Arts: Papers from the Conference on Preservation Management for Performing Arts Collection, April 28-May 1, 1982, Washington, D.C. by Barbara Naomi Cohen-Stratyner, Brigitte Kueppers Softcover, Theatre Library Association, ISBN 0932610072 (0-932610-07-2)Taking the Pledge and Other Public Amusements by Barbara Naomi Cohen-Stratyner Hardcover, Theatre Library Assn, ISBN 0032610130 (0-03-261013-0) Barbara Naomi Cohen-Stratynerat Library Thingcoauthors & alternates:Alice C. Hudson Brigitte Kueppers New York Public Library The Dictionary Of TheatherComplete Book Of The American Musical Theater.David EwenThe Historical Dictionary of American Theater by James FisherThe New York Public Library for the Performing ArtsJerome Robbins Dance Division40 Lincoln Center Plaza New York, NY 10023-7498Tel: (212) 870-1657Fax: (212) 870-1869dance@nypl.org The Library of Congress the on line cataloghttp://catalog.loc.gov/ ... They have lead me to some AMAZING findsIf your library does not have theses book they can borrow them or order them from other library's.Theses are some of the avenues you can try Remember don't give up .....Keep trying ...its out there somewhereGood Luck I hope this helpsPaul De Lorenzo

Breaking the line of the leg

In this blogI am going to try to explain the difference between the ballet (pointe ) and toetap.They both use the ballerinas pointe shoe the difference is the stance .While en pointe a ballerina has the working leg straight along the body axis,elongating the leg . A ballerina use all the muscles in the lower body and her core to pull her up through the stance of pointe . The general rule for alignment in ballet. Is shoulders over ribs over hips over knees over toes. Everything is completely straight up and down. A ballet dancer use's a turnout for each of the 5 classical ballet positions involves lower extremity motion that occurs primarily through hip external rotation. (see definitions) A ballerina dances on top of the floor trying to feel it .Trying to be silent quite as a mouse.In Toetap the Tapperina or dancer which ever you wish to call yourself. In Toetap the most important thing is to relax. Toetap or Pointe-tap the dancer takes more of a tap dancers stance .The body relaxes using the "the Rad tap technique" The Rad Tap technique is doing for tap (by Rosie Raditor)as the Perfect pointe book is going for ballet (by Lisa Howell)Here is what they said about Rad-tap technique on Dancer Universehttp://danceruniverse.com/stories/issues/200403/rosie-radiator-tap-technique-supershuffle/"In Rad Tap the dancer is able to make fast close to the floor sounds that are heard but not seen," Rosie explains. "A technical approach teaches dancers to feel the small muscle contractions in the upper leg that stimulate and trigger many of the fastest sounds in tap. Isometric isolation's that are natural to your body produce sound through the feet. When this technique is mastered, it is invisible and produces dancers who look like they were born dancing""Tap is such a natural dance form that when you look at it, your body begins to identify with the movement," she says. "It's not like ballet. The lazier and more comfortable you are, the more you can access this pathway. Plus, there's a pleasure endorphin that's released behind the kneecap when the foot is relaxed and the kneecap is gently squeezing." She hesitates. "I'm not sure we should tell the world that. They might make it illegal."( written by - Jeannette Batz Cooperman )With the body and leg relaxed, the knee relaxes and bends slightly breaking the ballerinas line of the leg. This alone will drive a trained ballerina crazy while using a pointe shoe ! With the knee slightly bent the body relies more on the calf and thigh muscles to stabilise you through the movement. If you can't yet, get it the image, think of a tap dancer in a toe loop .Using a regular tap shoe on there shoe tips tapping away. It is the same knee bent body stance except en point . The upper body is like a ballerinas straight. This is a fusion dance .As with any of my posts I want you to remember a pointe shoe is deceptively simple in looks, yet hard to master .Many things can go wrong, if not taught by a teacher .The same thing with tap while doing a toe loop is is a hard thing to do you must have strong ankles and be taught by a teacher . Many things can go wrong.Definitions:Ballet Turnout:Ballet turnout refers to the outward rotation of the legs and feet. There are five basicballet positions of the feet. All ballet movements begin, end, or pass through at least oneof these positions. In all five positions, the knees are straight and the legs rotated outwardfrom the hips (figure 1).In ballet, the generally recognized ideal turnout of 180 degree took several centuries tobecome commonplace. In fact, in the 17th century the standard angle of turnout was only90 degrees. Greater degrees of turnout gradually developed because of their aestheticappeal and the freedom of movement they allowed the turnout leg. By the 18th century,the angle of ideal turnout had reached the present-day standard of 180 degrees.Dancers ideally achieve 180 degrees of turnout by rotating each hip out 70 degrees,rotating the knee out 5 degrees, and rotating the feet out 15 degrees, thereby adding up180 degrees of 2 - legged turnout. Typical ballet dancers have significantly less than 70degrees of outward hip rotation. Studies demonstrate measurements between 40-52degrees of outward rotation. Realistically, few dancers can achieve this angle withoutcompensations else where in the body. These compensations may be allowed and evenencouraged by dance instructors who stress the importance of ideal turnout.Unfortunately, forceful compensation for reduced hip outward rotation can, and oftendoes, lead to many of the injuries seen in dancers.Toetap: is a 1920 name for a dance style of dancing . When the dancer tapped out a series of steps ,while on toe. In today's terms Toe dancing, on toe or toe shoes are frowned upon in the ballet world . In today's terms it is viewed as en pointe or pointe shoes or pointe / tap.Consultation by Selly of http://www.danceoutlook.com/

Toetap History

Before we begin, I want to say toetapping is for both men and women, just as pointe was and is for both men and women. To know toetap we are going to explore some of the events leading up to this fusion style of dance.Toetap is a fusion of Toe Dancing and Tap Dance where the dancer male or female dances on pointe (using ballet pointe shoes with a metal tap on it's platform) tapping out a series of steps to music. I remember as Rosie Raditor said to me "Toe tap has very little to do with ballet and everything to do with tap!" A toetapper uses the same riffs, shuffles, and hops as a normal tap dancer, just does it on pointe. You can even do a coffee grinder. Buck and wing what ever you wish. Even before women dominated the stage, men were the first to go on pointe. In 1779 Gennaro Magri writes about a performance of a dancer who rises to a full pointe and , it is indeed a man. In his Theatrical Treatise of "The Art of Dancing", Margi relates how Antoine Pitrot raised " his whole body on the tip of his toe (extending) all the joints so, perfectly that the whole length and foot itself (fell) into one perpendicular line". It would be several decades before there would be a discussion of a women doing the same feat. (source article Setting the Stage) Ever since Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) raised herself on tip of her toe's ballet had a new style of dance sur les pointes.In 1735 Ballet arrived in America. An Englishman Henry Holt staged the first production for the amusement of the Charleston, South Carolina elite. The production was not well received. Also,in that year according to the Performing Arts timeline.John Hippisley’s Ballet/ Opera (Flora) Is performed in America. It is the first Ballet/ Opera to be presented to the elite of Charleston In truth if it was not for the elite Americans, ballet would not have survived in America. In 1751 the first professional theater company in the colonies.The Virginia Company of Comedians opens a temporary wooden playhouse in Williamsburg. It is important to note. In my opion, that without this group of performers, sewing the seeds of vaudville in America many of the things we hold dear would not have come to pass. It is also important to note that the play opened on October 9th of that year . It was attened by The emperor of the Cherokee Nation, his Empress and their son, the Prince. Also, several of princes warriors.Great men and their Ladies where present at the play.On February 6,1768, a group of players known as the Virginia Company of Comedians appeared in Norfork. Other Theathers were erected in Virginia during theses years.Among them the Theatre of Varieties in Richmond, introducing vaudville. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/VAGuide/theater.html Like all dances toetap needs a base to work from. While ballet was on a respirator, a storm was brewing. This storm started small with a man called "Master Juba", a young African-American performer named William Henry Lanes donned rags, covered his face with burnt cork, and danced a foot stomping, hand clapping ditty called "Juba". One awestruck critic marveling at Lanes's ability to maneuver his legs and feet in a series of steps with such speed and energy decided this performance reflected the dance style of an entire people, which was later labeled "Negro Dance" (Source Tap History "Juba"). This type of Minstrel Show was common place through much of the civil war. Juba successfully brought out another African-American dancer named Johnny Diamond who performed at the Vauxhall Garden in about 1840 when he was 17. In 1845, the Great Potato Famine struck Ireland . In my opinion, this event was a catalyst for toetap. It brought a people, the Irish with their love for rhythmic dances such as step, clogging, and the jig, to America. Even today clogging and tap dance share some of the same steps. The music halls of the day started to cater to the new influx of people. As this societal upheaval was taking place in America, a great force for tap and toetap, Bill Robinson ,was performing. This one person, in my opinion, was in part the father of toetap. I base this statement on a TV show called "To Tell The Truth" (1956-1967) where a woman who fooled the panel of judges said that she did Mr. Robinson's routine (right after him) as he did it step for step only on pointe. Then, to prove it, she performed the routine for the panel. Let's give a little "yeah" for one of America's tap masters. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949), famous for his soft shoe and tap routines and especially famous for his "Stair Dance", a variation of which was a toetapper's staple between 1920 and 1930. I read an article saying that he used wooden taps, and danced mostly on the front part of the foot doing shuffles and riffs. Ballet comes off the respirator. With a dancer By the name of Adeline Genée (1875-1955),Even before the great Ziegfield opened his follies in 1909.He produced a show called “The Soul Kiss”. Which opened on Jan.28,1909 at the New York Theater in New York City. Staring Prima Ballerina Anita Jensen (Adeline Genée).The Show was a huge success!Zeigfeld billed her as the world’s greast dancer. In two country’s she made people aware that ballet is a true art form. She is also,credited with the popularizing and, the reestablishment of ballet in Great Britian and in America. In 1931 the Genée Metal Awards were instituted in her honor. They remain the most important awards of excellence given to a young dancer. In 1950 was created Dame of the Order of the British Empire for her services to ballet. In my opion this is worth noting for keeping a dancer form alive, because without her,it surely would have died. You can read a little about her here Http://parlorsongs.com/issues/2003-9/thismonth/featureb.php. You also, can see Ziegfeld comments and,a picture of Adeline Genée. Here http://www.collectorspost.com/GoldenAge.htm . In Finishing all Ballet dancers worth their toeshoes should really thank this great dancer. For Ballet in America was dying, when Tap was becoming king. If toetap had a father it needed a mother. In my opion this woman was Bessie Clayton who laid the foundation for toetap. Bessie Clayton's family were Irish immigrants who settled in Philadelphia. She was trained by George W. Smith and made her debut in 1891 in "A Trip to Chinatown" as a specialty dancer. Miss Clayton became famous for her pique turns and pendulum kicks while going down a STAIRCASE, which she did in "The Passing Show of 1913". She also danced in unblockd pointe shoes. Now, we need a medium to fuse all theses elements together. That medium was Vaudeville. Vaudeville dance terms make it hard to determine who is toe dancing [dancing en pointe] and who is toetapping. Vaudeville's definition goes like this: anything outside the norm is called a "eccentric dance". In today's mind set, that is like when hip-hop first caught on in the 1970's. It was outside the normal dance style of the day, which was Disco. The catagories of "eccentric dance" are Eccentric Toe Dance, Specialty Dance, Eccentric Ballet dance, Toetap Dance, and Toe Drum Dance. You see what I mean? The first toetap ad I found was in a Dance Magazine from May 1929, which advertised Haney's Toe Dance Tappers. The ad also stated that Ethel Norris Berkshire wore them in a play called "Rain or Shine" which she performed in 1928. By 1929 there were 1000 toetap shoes on the market. America was so tap crazy they just could not get enough. Capezio jumped on the bandwagon too by making their own toetap shoe with a wood sole and taps. Freed of London made taps till 2007, stopping mainly due to libility law suits. I am the only one left that still makes toetaps for pointe shoes. Selva made toetap shoes with steel shanks. The problem with this idea was when the shanks broke, they could enter the person foot cutting into the peroneus longus tendon, ending many a dance career. These shoes made it possible to go on to pointe with very little experience or training which was an accident waiting to happen. I'm going to get off toetap history and talk about toetap's bad reputation. Toetap has gotten a bad reputation over the years, mainly due to people who where not ready to attempt even a toe-loop with regular shoes. Dancing on pointe , You need strong ankles, even for a basic toe-loop and stronger ones for a pointe shoes. The mind set at the time was to put small children up on pointe before they were ready because their moms wanted their little girl to be a star. This was madness! They made books for home courses promising if you did what was in the book you too could be on pointe in two weeks. A modern pointe shoe is a deceptively simple looking thing, yet it can harm you in unbelievable ways including black [bruised] toenails, bleeding feet, torn achilles tendons, popped hip, busted knees, stress fractures, to name a few. Yet, no parent will sue a pointe shoe maker from these injuries. [This is, if you go on pointe without the proper training and strength, or with ill fitting shoes. These things should NOT be happening and will need more than just bandaids and injury treatment to fix.] Now add a piece of metal to the toe and get the same injury... lawsuit. I saw a video clip where a ballerina slipped and fell flat on her face. Then and only then did the teacher from the side lines say "Be careful, the stage was just waxed". You can bet there were no law suits there; it was most likely put down to experince. Amazing! [You're going to fall. It's a fact of life for a dancer. Many, many studios have you sign a contract stating that you will not sue if you get injured while dancing there. Frankly, injuries are almost never "the shoe's fault". They are either a result of overuse, ill fitting shoes, bad training, an accident or any combinations of these.] I still feel that a toetap dancers need to be strong in pointe [and therefore ballet technique] and tap, and then still be guided by a teacher. Yes, there are still toetap teachers to learn from. Then, understand there are going to be mistakes. Learn from them and improve, just like the system for pointe and tap [and any other dance form].Here are just a few toetap dancers whom I have found:Addam Sisters: A three sister act that did singing, Specality Ballet (toetap), and Theatrical Dance. Errol Addison: English ballet and theatrical dancer. Addison and many American Cecchetti students were the innovators of eccentric ballet and tap techniques.La Petite Adelaide: Performed in many plays including "Up and Down Broadway". She danced on tables, inside hampers, and on drums.Edith Barstow: American theatrical ballet dancer and theatrical choreographer. Besides doing all that. she often paired up with her brother Richard for a toetapping and exhibition ballroom act.Richard Barstow: American theatrical dancer and Specialty Vaudeville adancer. Although born with a club foot, he became an Eccentric Toe Dancer, specializing in toetapping, long distance Toe Dancing, Russian pointe work and the down the staircase trick that was popularized by Bessie Clayton and Mazie King. In a old video clip, he jumps off a Baby Grand Piano, then lands standing on pointe.Lina Basquette: American theatrical ballet dancer and child-star. In 1922, she made her New York debut as a Ballet Specialty Dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies show.Ethel Norris Berkshire: American theatrical and ballet dancer and speciality Vaudville dancer; did a toetap act in the 1928 play "Rain or Shine".Bessie Clayton: American theatrical and ballet dancer. Was famous for doing pique turns on pointe while going down a staircase.Dorothy Datton: 1930's movie star ballet and theatrical dancer. Starred in "The Idol of the North". Did a toetap number and was introduced by Glen Ford! Lily Elsie: Music hall artist and Specality Ballet Dancer. She did a ballet tap routin and one with a drum (Toe Drumming).Harriet Hoctor: American theatrical ballet dancer. Miss Hoctor introduced the backbend on pointe sequence she became famous for while performing in The Bird Dance in "Topsy and Eva". You can see this sequence in the movie "Shall we Dance". She taught her students toetap until her death in 1977.Mazie King: American Eccentric Toe dancer. She danced the "staircase trick" and labeled herself as the greatest novelty dancer in the world.Iris Kirkwhite: English theatrical ballet dancer. Kirkwhite performed her specialty, a pizzicato waltz in a form of toetapping, in the London production of "The Blue Mazurka", ''Sunny", and "The Andre Charlot 1928 Revue" with Errol Addison. She also danced in the "Moonlight Ballet".Joyce Murry: American ballet and theatrical dancer. Did a toetap number in the movie "Broadway Melody of 1929" listed under cast member as a Specialty Dancer.Margret Turner: Movie and theater star. Toetapped on a wooden dru, on video.Rosie Radiator: American ballet, tap, and toetap dancer who still teaches toetap to her students today at http://www.radtap.com/Gypsy Rose Lee: Flim ,TV, Vaudville and Burlesque star. Singer, ballet dancer, actress, and Specialty Dancer. In a play by the same name [Gypsy], a toetap routine is performed when Gypsy is a little girl. This has been switched to a regular tap dance routine in the modern version of the play.The editing of the article goes to Two very nice lady's: Selly of http://www.danceoutlook.com/And Jill L. my dearest friend