Tap dancing is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. The sounds are made by shoes that have a metal "tap" on the heel and toe and there are different brands of shoes which sometimes differ in the way they sound.
Tap dancing has its roots from Western countries. When introduced to Vietnam, the style of entertainment changed and tap dancers created both modern and familiar rhythms by tapping their feet to traditional music.
At present, the Frist Tapdance is known as the only one of its kind in Vietnam which was founded by Nguyen Tat Long.
Nguyen Tat Long, who was born in 1979, has been a part of this dance style since 2001. He was taught by pantomime artist Phuc Di from the Youth Theatre who was considered one of the first Vietnamese of tap dancers. Tat Long is a painter but he is also keen on tap dancing so he had to learn by himself from CDs, videos and clips on the internet. He even sells his paintings to get money to buy the original CDs of learning tap dancing which are rather expensive.
Thanks to practicing hard and with the knowledge of a painter and the logical thinking of space and body movements, he dances very well and is considered equal to the world’s best tap dancers.
At present, the Frist Tapdance is known as the only one of its kind in Vietnam which was founded by Nguyen Tat Long.
Nguyen Tat Long, who was born in 1979, has been a part of this dance style since 2001. He was taught by pantomime artist Phuc Di from the Youth Theatre who was considered one of the first Vietnamese of tap dancers. Tat Long is a painter but he is also keen on tap dancing so he had to learn by himself from CDs, videos and clips on the internet. He even sells his paintings to get money to buy the original CDs of learning tap dancing which are rather expensive.
Thanks to practicing hard and with the knowledge of a painter and the logical thinking of space and body movements, he dances very well and is considered equal to the world’s best tap dancers.
 Tap dancing fascinates the audience by moves of body and sounds of shoes striking on the floor. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP  Rhythms generated by tapping of the feet to the music. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP  Shoes for tap dancers are designed with a metal "tap" on the heel and toe. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP  Tapping two shoes on the floor to create sounds. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP  The characteristic feature of tap dancing is the harmonious combination between movements of the body and tapping of the feet on the floor to create sounds. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP |
Tat Long said that tap dancing belongs to contemporary art. With flexible dance steps, dancers can generate different dances to music from the bass and saxophone.
In Vietnam, the dance is not very popular and there is only “The Frist Tapdance” band that consists of six members. Although the band was established only some years ago, the band has performed at many cultural events, such as the “Vietnam Intelligence”, “Dialogue 07” and “Culture Itinerary”, leaving a long lasting impression on the audience./.
Story: Vinh Hung - Photos: Tran Thanh Giang
