Sound Of Dance

Katie Derham explores the world of tap with leading lady Clare Halse and resident choreographer Simon Adkins from the smash hit musical 42nd Street. From its roots as a mixture of clog dancing, soft shoe and African-influenced dance, tap as we know it started to emerge in the 1920s. Some Vaudeville and night club performers successfully made the transition into film when the talkies were invented, culminating a golden age of Hollywood with dancers like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Katie looks at the history and development of the dance form, and talks to Clare Halse and Simon Adkins about how the rhythm of tap becomes part of a musical score. Producer - Ellie Mant