NAEP Tap Dance 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the term for the tap technique where both feet strike the floor nearly simultaneously to produce a single loud sound?
- Flap
- Stomp (Correct answer)
- Stamp
- Buck
Correct answer: Stomp
A stomp uses the entire foot to strike the floor with force, producing a loud, weighted sound while weight transfers onto that foot.
Question 2: Which of the following is a key characteristic of 'hoofing' style tap dance?
- Emphasis on arm choreography over footwork
- Percussive, grounded footwork that treats the dancer as a musician (Correct answer)
- Ballet-inspired leaps and aerial movements
- Strict adherence to written musical scores
Correct answer: Percussive, grounded footwork that treats the dancer as a musician
Hoofing is a down-to-earth, percussive style that emphasizes rhythmic complexity and improvisation, treating the dancer primarily as a musical instrument.
Question 3: What does 'improvisation' mean in the context of tap dance performance?
- Repeating a choreographed routine exactly as rehearsed
- Creating and performing movement spontaneously in response to music (Correct answer)
- Practicing steps in slow motion before performing
- Copying another dancer's style precisely
Correct answer: Creating and performing movement spontaneously in response to music
Improvisation in tap means spontaneously creating rhythmic patterns and steps in real time, often in dialogue with live musicians.
Question 4: Which African dance tradition contributed most directly to the percussive footwork elements of tap dance?
- West African communal dance traditions (Correct answer)
- East African ceremonial dances
- North African court dances
- Southern African warrior dances
Correct answer: West African communal dance traditions
West African dance traditions, brought to America through the slave trade, contributed percussive footwork and polyrhythmic patterns foundational to tap dance.
Question 5: In tap dance, what is a 'break'?
- A rest period between performances
- A short rhythmic phrase that departs from the main pattern as punctuation (Correct answer)
- A mistake that interrupts the routine
- A section where only music plays and no dancing occurs
Correct answer: A short rhythmic phrase that departs from the main pattern as punctuation
A break is a brief, often syncopated rhythmic phrase inserted to punctuate or contrast with the main pattern, borrowed from jazz terminology.
Question 6: Which tap step involves striking the floor with the toe tap while the heel remains raised, without transferring weight?
- Stamp
- Tap (or touch) (Correct answer)
- Stomp
- Heel drop
Correct answer: Tap (or touch)
A tap (or touch) is a light strike of the toe tap on the floor without weight transfer, producing a single clean sound.
Question 7: The Broadway show 'Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk' (1995) is significant because it:
- Was the first tap show to use recorded music instead of live musicians
- Used tap dance to narrate African American history from slavery to the present (Correct answer)
- Introduced ballet technique into tap for the first time
- Featured an all-children cast performing classical tap
Correct answer: Used tap dance to narrate African American history from slavery to the present
Choreographed by Savion Glover, the show used rhythm tap to tell the story of African Americans' journey through history, revitalizing interest in tap on Broadway.
NAEP Tap Dance 4
What is the term for the tap technique where both feet strike the floor nearly simultaneously to produce a single loud sound?