tap-dance
Metal-soled performance
Tap-dance is a style of dance where the performer wears shoes fitted with metal plates that click rhythmically against the floor, creating percussive sounds that serve as both movement and music.
The verb means to perform this dance, but it extends figuratively to describe evasive maneuvering or nimble verbal footwork when someone wants to avoid a direct answer or commitment: The CEO tap-danced around questions about the layoffs.
Also spelled tap dance or tapdance.
Dancing vigorously
- soft-shoeSilent tap dancing
- buck-and-wingVigorous solo tap
- Irish stepCeltic percussive dance
- cloggingObstructing a passage
Randomize by mixing
- flapOne-sided attached cover
- wingsLimbs for flight
- pullbackWithdrawal or reduction
- pickupSmall open-bed truck
buffalo · riff · essence · stomp · brush · over-the-top · trenches · drawback
Dancers, informally
- Shirley TempleNon-alcoholic cherry drink
- Ginger RogersGolden-age Hollywood dancer
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
- BroadwayManhattan theatrical district
Fred Astaire · Gene Kelly · Gregory Hines · minstrel · Jazz Age · Roaring Twenties · swing era · Hollywood
Stressed unexpected beats
- beatRhythmic pulse or strike
- tempoRate of musical performance
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
- timingArt of choosing moments
pulse · swing · polyrhythm · musicality · improvisation · call-and-response · accents · off-beat
hoofing
Dancing vigorously
- soft-shoeSilent tap dancing
- buck-and-wingVigorous solo tap
- Irish stepCeltic percussive dance
shuffle
Randomize by mixing
pickup · buffalo · riff · essence · stomp · brush · over-the-top · trenches · drawback · chug
hoofers
Dancers, informally
- Shirley TempleNon-alcoholic cherry drink
- Ginger RogersGolden-age Hollywood dancer
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
Fred Astaire · Gene Kelly · Gregory Hines · Broadway · minstrel · Jazz Age · Roaring Twenties · swing era · Hollywood · Cotton Club
syncopation
Stressed unexpected beats
timing · pulse · swing · polyrhythm · musicality · improvisation · call-and-response · accents · off-beat · downbeat
audience
Gathered viewers collectively
- applauseCollective hand-clapping approval
- spotlightConcentrated illumination source
- curtain callPost-show audience acknowledgment
encore · costume · theater · finale · ovation · soloist · ensemble · showtime · proscenium · marquee
tap-danceballet
Classical dance on pointe
modern dance · contemporary dance · lyrical dance · interpretive dance · ballroom dance
tap-dancespeak plainly
cut to the chase · tell it like it is · lay it on the line · come clean · get to the point
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