The art of 'Tap Dancing' evolved under the influence of Jazz Music. The dance form as we know it today is an amalgamation of percussive dance forms from African-American and Irish cultures along with influences from Clogging, Flamenco and others. The African-American slaves created this percussive dance form because their white owners would not allow them to use drums. The owners believed that by communicating with their drums, the slaves could coordinate rebellions between plantations. Later, Irish Step Dancing, Clogging, and Flamenco, as well as other percussive forms, influenced this emerging style. Tap dance also supplemented the need for a percussive instrument in the early days of jazz bands due to the lack of drums. Today, tap styles vary widely, with styles incorporating rhythmic expressions from a large variety of other countries.

Traditionally, actual 'tap education' was passed on through the years by 'word of mouth' (or more accurately, 'word of foot'). Formal tap classes were very rare, and evolved only later on in the 1920's and mainly for white dance schools. For the hoofers, education consisted of young tap dancers watching their predecessors perform and then trying to 'steal' or learn the steps. They would practice these steps on street corners and in clubs, and use them mainly for entertainment purposes. As in jazz music, the art form was led by “masters”. A master would have followers and protégés who would execute his particular steps and routines, thus carrying them on in history. However, the means of archiving and recording these dances were limited and the finances needed to do so were very scarce. This resulted in the fact that many of the great tap dancers of the era perished with no recorded information about their art.

Tap was at its peak during the 'Big Band' era. Many drummers were tap dancers themselves and each big band used to have a 'hoofers line'. With the great depression in the 1930s came hard times, and many of the line dancers lost jobs. Jazz music recuperated from this fall by switching gears towards the small 'rhythm section' bands. Similarly, tap dancers survived only as solo and duo acts. The one commercial aspect of tap dance that survived to be documented from that era is the movie musical featuring such greats as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Anne Miller, and Eleanor Powell, among others. However, great as these dancers were, they represented only a fraction of the tap world at the time. With the rise of rock-and-roll music, tap dance fell out of favor and even the best solos and duos, such as the Nicholas Brothers, had to supplement their incomes with other jobs or completely change their professions.

Racial tensions in the USA only contributed to the lack of funds for this art form. Tap is exclusively a product of American cultural genius and as such is a true American art form. Only Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson (and to a lesser extent the Nicholas Brothers) gained mainstream recognition, chiefly because he danced with Shirley Temple and arranged his style to fit with that of a 10-year-old child. There are dozens of artists who are known to a small community by name but whose work is widely unrecognized or documented. Yet there is very little in the way of official bodies or organizations that adequately archive, preserve, and coordinate the educational information available about this unique art form.

Tradition In Tap, Inc. was created to fill this vacuum and to 'repair' the gaps created by a historic pattern of discrimination, disregard, and lack of respect. We believe that there is a vital need for a Tap Archival and Coordination Organization that will gather memorabilia, footage and documents pertaining to tap dance; a place for Extensive Research about the existing masters and those that have passed away. This needs to be done through the coordination of workshops that should focus on both widely known and unknown material of tap practitioners. Books should be written and academic research and archives should be created in order to preserve this art form and keep the tradition going for future generations. We must do this now. Many of the masters are elderly and for some it is too late.

Tradition In Tap, Inc. is looking for a location for The Tap Dance Museum in New York City, i.e. a place for memorabilia, archives, and educational as well as academic activities - a place for extensive research in the history of tap, a truly American Dance Form!