NAEP Tap Dance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which part of the tap shoe produces sound when a dancer performs a 'heel drop'?
- The toe tap plate
- The heel tap plate (Correct answer)
- The sole leather
- The ankle strap
Correct answer: The heel tap plate
A heel drop uses the metal heel tap plate striking the floor to create a distinct, low-pitched percussive sound.
Question 2: In tap dance, what does the term 'syncopation' refer to?
- Dancing on every beat of the music
- Placing rhythmic accents on off-beats or between main beats (Correct answer)
- Slowing down to match the tempo
- Stopping completely between phrases
Correct answer: Placing rhythmic accents on off-beats or between main beats
Syncopation means accenting weak or off-beats, creating rhythmic tension and surprise that is central to jazz-influenced tap styles.
Question 3: Which early 20th-century performance venue was most important in developing tap dance as a professional art form?
- Carnegie Hall
- The Apollo Theater and vaudeville circuit theaters (Correct answer)
- Broadway opera houses
- Classical ballet conservatories
Correct answer: The Apollo Theater and vaudeville circuit theaters
Vaudeville theaters and Harlem's Apollo Theater were key venues where tap dancers competed, innovated, and built professional careers.
Question 4: What is a 'time step' in tap dance?
- A pause inserted between routines
- A standardized rhythmic pattern used as a building block or introduction (Correct answer)
- A slow march in 4/4 time
- A turn performed to a metronome click
Correct answer: A standardized rhythmic pattern used as a building block or introduction
A time step is a foundational rhythmic phrase that establishes tempo and serves as a common starting point or transition in tap routines.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes 'Broadway tap' style?
- Purely percussive with no theatrical movement
- Theatrical, expressive dancing that combines tap rhythms with full-body performance (Correct answer)
- A style focused only on footwork with arms held still
- Classical ballet technique applied to tap shoes
Correct answer: Theatrical, expressive dancing that combines tap rhythms with full-body performance
Broadway tap integrates theatrical expression, storytelling, and full-body movement with tap rhythms to serve narrative performance.
Question 6: What is the primary difference between 'soft shoe' and standard tap?
- Soft shoe uses metal taps and is louder
- Soft shoe has no metal taps and produces a softer, shuffling sound (Correct answer)
- Soft shoe is performed barefoot
- Soft shoe uses wooden clogs instead of leather shoes
Correct answer: Soft shoe has no metal taps and produces a softer, shuffling sound
Soft shoe dancing uses shoes without metal taps, relying on the shuffling of the leather or suede sole to create a quieter, gliding sound.
Question 7: During the Harlem Renaissance, tap dance competitions held at ballrooms were commonly called what?
- Tap battles
- Cutting contests (Correct answer)
- Rhythm duels
- Stomp-offs
Correct answer: Cutting contests
Cutting contests were improvised competitive performances where dancers tried to outdo each other in creativity and rhythmic complexity.
NAEP Tap Dance 2
Which part of the tap shoe produces sound when a dancer performs a 'heel drop'?