NAEP Tap Dance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the name of the tap step where a dancer brushes one foot forward and then pulls it back in a single fluid motion?
- Flap
- Shuffle (Correct answer)
- Cramp roll
- Riff
Correct answer: Shuffle
A shuffle is a two-sound step consisting of a brush forward and a spank back with the ball of the foot.
Question 2: Which tap dancer is credited with popularizing 'rhythm tap' and performing groundbreaking work in the 1930s–1950s?
- Fred Astaire
- Savion Glover
- Baby Laurence (Correct answer)
- Gregory Hines
Correct answer: Baby Laurence
Baby Laurence was a pioneering rhythm tap artist known for intricate, jazz-influenced footwork that treated the feet as percussion instruments.
Question 3: In tap notation, what does 'R' typically stand for?
- Rhythm
- Right foot (Correct answer)
- Rear tap
- Riff step
Correct answer: Right foot
In tap dance notation, 'R' stands for the right foot, while 'L' stands for the left foot.
Question 4: What four sounds make up a 'cramp roll'?
- Two heel drops and two toe taps in sequence
- Two toe taps followed by two heel drops (Correct answer)
- Four shuffles in quick succession
- Two stomps and two flaps
Correct answer: Two toe taps followed by two heel drops
A cramp roll consists of the ball of the right foot, ball of the left foot, heel of the right foot, and heel of the left foot landing in rapid sequence.
Question 5: Which influential tap dancer helped bring tap back into mainstream attention in the 1980s and starred in the film 'White Nights'?
- Sammy Davis Jr.
- Gregory Hines (Correct answer)
- Savion Glover
- Jimmy Slyde
Correct answer: Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines was central to tap's revival in the 1980s, performing in films, on Broadway, and advocating for the art form throughout his career.
Question 6: What does NAEP assess when evaluating student knowledge of performing arts like tap dance?
- Only memorization of dance history dates
- Understanding of artistic elements, creative process, and cultural context (Correct answer)
- The physical ability to execute dance moves
- Preference for one dance style over another
Correct answer: Understanding of artistic elements, creative process, and cultural context
NAEP's arts assessment measures students' knowledge of artistic elements, creative processes, and the cultural and historical context of arts disciplines.
Question 7: Which musical genre most directly influenced the development of rhythm tap in the 1940s?
- Classical orchestral music
- Bebop jazz (Correct answer)
- Country and western
- Gospel choir music
Correct answer: Bebop jazz
Bebop jazz, with its complex rhythms and improvisational nature, directly inspired rhythm tap dancers to create increasingly intricate footwork patterns.
NAEP Tap Dance 3
What is the name of the tap step where a dancer brushes one foot forward and then pulls it back in a single fluid motion?