tap dance is born

Early 1600's on the Caribbean Islands

• IRISH peoples migrated to America, bringing social dance, waltzes, jigs, reels and clogs. They became indentured servants on British owned colonies in the Caribbean.
• AFRICAN peoples also came to America, bringing percussive, grounded and syncopated rhythms. They were brought to British owned colonies in the Caribbean and worked on plantations as slaves.
• Daily life was very tough for these peoples in the Caribbean. One source of expressing sad feelings and finding joy was through the sharing of their social dances when they were not working. It was through this exchange that a new dance form began to emerge: the earliest form of TAP DANCE!