Episodes
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Episode Notes:
GFADAF EP18 - Logical Fallacies in Tap Dance
Some errors in reasoning are so common that they have their own names. These logical fallacies, when practiced, give one a built in B.S. (Chorus) - O - Meter that enables one to spot poor arguments. Insults, popularity, outrageous misunderstandings, strawmen, red herrings and more are covered in this episode of GASPS, complete with real world examples from tap dance.
Chapters:
00:00-1:11 Intro and Theme Song 18
01:12-09:42 Introduction to Logical Fallacies/Fallacies of Relevance/The Red Herring
09:43-11:58 Argumentum ad populum/Argument from the Populace
11:59-16:59 Argumentum ad metum/Appeal to Pity and/or Guilt
17:00-19:43 Argumentum ad baculum/Argument from Force
19:44-26:35 Strawman Argument
26:36-31:40 Argumentum ad hominem/Argument to the Person
31:41-42:59 Logical Fallacies Review
43:00-45:12 Conclusion
45:13-55:30 Tap Dance Podcast Roundup (YeeHaw!)
And then there is nothing else...
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.Link to the Patreon here:https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one-time donation to our tip jar!
Gasps From A Dying Art Form is part of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network.
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Episode Notes
GFADAF EP 17 - Learning To Die Daily; Tap Dance and Bipolar Disorder
Sometimes people say the most reprehensible things, but is what they say really what they mean? When it comes to conversations in text, it can be very difficult to ascertain a person's true intention. There could be a lot going on in their life, including mental illness like bipolar disorder. On tap dance social media groups, there is the occasional controversy sparked by individuals spouting racist, misogynist and violent rhetoric, often for no reason, seemingly only to upset people. These words may be masking a deeper issue, and in this episode of Gasps, host Tristan Bruns attempts to shine some light on why some tap dancers say terrible things online and what we can do about it.
Chapters:
00:00-00:49 Intro and Theme Song 17
00:50-03:56 Paideia and Learning How To Die
03:47-06:30 What are the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?
06:31-11:45 The Problem with Discerning Intent on Social Media
11:46-15:52 The Story of A.
15:53-20:18 Did I Learn My Lesson?/The Story of D.
20:19-26:23 The Question Everybody Everybody Asks Next
26:24-30:47 A Real Life Example
30:48-33:59 What Can We Do?/Conclusion
34:00-40:00 The Tap Dance Podcast Roundup (YeeHaw!)
Special thanks to Khallid Hill, Bril Barrett, Mrs. A., my wife who is a certified counselor and Dance Movement Therapist, my own therapist, Rodney Walker, and D., and the Gasps Patreon supporters, Junior Laniyan, Lori Williams, Brian Zimmer (whose name I got wrong in the podcast, my apologies!) and Gasps #1 fan, John Nasko.
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago’s historic South Side.Link to our Patreon here:https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Gasps From A Dying Art Form is part of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
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Missing episodes?
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Episode Notes
GFADAF EP16 - The Origin(s) of Whiteness / Books From A Dying Art Form: David Roediger and the “Wages of Whiteness”
Sure, we're all aware of the various harmful stereotypes placed upon non-white people, but what about white stereotypes? Where do they come from and how have they been instrumental in forming "white culture"? "Wages of Whiteness" by David Roediger is a monumental text that shows how, through language, labor competition and blackface minstrelsy (where much of the style of tap dance was developed) white folk created distinctions that separated themselves from non-white people in order to gain a financial and psychological advantage—the repercussions of which we still experience today! If you study the histories of U.S. labor, the formation of racial stereotypes and blackface, this book is referenced all the time. Get in on the ground floor of contemporary scholarship through this introduction to "Wages of Whiteness."
Photo Info: American political cartoon by Thomas Nast titled "The Usual Irish Way of Doing Things", depicting a drunken Irishman sitting on a barrel of gunpowder while lighting a powder keg and swinging a bottle in the air. Published September 2, 1871 in Harper's Weekly (Wikipedia)
Time Codes:
00:00-00:51 Theme Song 16
00:52-13:44 A Brief(ish) Preface
13:45-14:47 Biography of David Roediger
14:48-23:00 The Language of White Supremacy
23:01-35:32 Blackface and the formation of white stereotypes
35:33-39:22 A Marxist Interpretation of Blackface
39:23-51:33 How the Irish Became White
51:34-54:28 Race/Labor Relations After the Civil War
54:29-56:49 Dance as a Unifying Element
56:50-57:33 A Plea to my Fellow Paper-Imitators
57:34-1:02:00 Epilogue: Is This Episodes Anti-White?
1:02:00-1:09:10 The Tap Dance Podcast Roundup
No need to stick around. Nothing else to see here!
A very special thank you to the Gasps' Patreon supporters Junior Laniyan and Lori Williams—Love you guys!
Support this program by subscribing on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Gasps From A Dying Art Form is part of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network, Producer Bril Barrett
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Episode Notes
GFADAF EP 15 - Belated 4th of July Spectacular!
According to many, the United States' greatest strength is that we are a proud nation of immigrants. So why do so many people demonize immigrants? Every patriot is no doubt familiar with the famous lines "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" but don't seem to understand it. In this episode, host Tristan Bruns breaks down the monumental poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus—the same poem inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty—which spells out what ostensibly separates the U.S.A. from Europe and why we should be making life easier for immigrants, not harder. If you're a true patriot, then give this episode of Gasps a listen...and then go read a book (of poetry)!
Chapters:
0:00-1:50 Theme 15
1:51-4:46 Reading of "The New Colossus" and why it matters to tap dancers
4:47-7:17 Biography of Emma Lazarus
7:18-9:43 Poem Breakdown: The Colossus of Rhodes
9:44-10:31 The Statue of Liberty Speaks!
10:32-11:45 The Famous Line
11:46-20:24 "The Wretched Refuse" and Poverty/Crime Statistics
20:25-22:42 Solutions
22:43-27:18 Tap Dance Patriots
27:19-33:45 The Tap Dance Podcast Roundup
And that's it! Nothing else to hear here, so don't stick around.
A very special thank you to the Gasps' Patreon supporters Junior Laniyan and Lori Williams—Love you guys!
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Gasps From A Dying Art Form is part of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
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--Episode Notes
GFADAF EP 14 - Books From A Dying Art Form: "Five Points" by Tyler Anbinder
Imagine living in a room no larger than a walk-in closet, sleeping shoulder to shoulder with strangers, it's pitch black, no windows, no ventilation, you might miss a stair step in the inky darkness and tumble to your doom... This would give you an idea what it's like to be a resident of the Five Points neighborhood in New York City before, during and after the Civil War. Yet this is one of the places credited with the formation of the art form we now call tap dance. Is that true? Were Black and Irish residents dancing all "hugemsnug" together in underground hooch joints? Check out this episode of the Gasps podcast to learn those answers...and more!
Special thanks to Jane Goldberg, Rachel Germond and the Changing Times Tap Dance Initiative Grant and to the Illinois Arts Council for supporting this episode as part of the larger project, "What It's Like To Be Human," a long-form work of tap dance based on research for this episode and more to come.
Chapters
0:00-0:54 Theme 14
0:55-1:28 Introduction
1:29-2:25 Tyler Anbinder Author's CV
2:26-5:35 Five Points Referenced in Beverly Fletcher's "Tapworks"
5:36-11:20 Origin of the Five Points Neighborhood
11:21-18:34 Race Riots
18:25-21:04 Origin of "The Irish Were Slaves, Too!"
21:05-22:11 Black Flight from Five Points
22:12-25:28 History Repeated/George Santayana is Rolling in his Grave
25:59-27:12 "Hey, Where's the Tap Dance, Bro?"
27:13-30:08 Description of Almack's/Pete William's Place
30:09-31:05 Modern Day Five Points
31:06-33:17 Were Fletcher and "Tapworks" Correct? Well...Yes and No.
33:18-36:05 Conclusion
36:06-43:02 Tap Dance Podcast Roundup
And that's it! Nothing left to see here. Move along, folks!
Besides Jane, Rachel and the IAC, an extra special thank you to the Gasps' Patreon supporters Junior Laniyan and Lori Williams—Love you guys, and didn't I tell you I would be churning these suckers out quicker after taking some time off? Told'ja so!
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Gasps From A Dying Art Form is part of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
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GFADAF EP 13 Paulo Freire and the Pedagogy of the Oppressed Tap Dancer
Who wants an episode on the philosophy of education? Too bad, you're getting one anyways!
On this episode, host Tristan Bruns dives into the philosophy of Paulo Freire, the famed Brazilian educator who taught hundreds of illiterate people in Brazil to read in only 45 days (!) and who influenced such scholars as bell hooks and more. Bruns talks about Freire's method of "problem-posing education," and how it can be applied to tap dance on an individual, macro and super-macro scale. Plus, the Tap Dance Podcast Roundup!
Chapters
00:26 Theme Song 13
00:54 Introduction
04:18 Biography of Paolo Freire
06:52 Introduction to Problem-Posing Education
12:06 Implementing Problem-Posing Education in the Tap Dance Classroom
13:33 The Macro Level: Dance Companies
15:24 Real World Example: The Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project
21:41 Super-Macro Level: Why Don’t You Know About This? (The Ghost of Karl Marx)
25:52 Oppressive Tactics in Tap Dance Research
27:58 Freire Gets Spicy!/Freire’s “Love Philosophy”
30:20 A Simple Syllogism
32:11 “Wittgensteinian”
34:08 Conclusion
36:53 Tap Dance Podcast Roundup
Thank you to Patreon subscribers Junior Laniyan (nice seeing you at the last Tap Dance Research Network UK online event!) and Lori Williams.
If YOU would like to get the script with notes on sources and copies of the materials used in all episodes, consider supporting Gasps on Patreon—Half of all proceeds go to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy in the Bronzeville neighborhood on beautiful and historic South Side of Chicago.
And special thanks to tap dancer Nicholas Van Young who recently mentioned the podcast at an event in Cleveland. Maybe Young—an expert when it comes to all things audio and electronic—will teach Bruns (it's me, I only pretend like someone else writes these) how to get better sound out of his equipment. Who knows! Thanks, Nick, you're the real deal...And that's no B.S. (Chorus).
Thanks to Cleveland-based tap dancer, Torie Gray, for the heads up. You're an official Gasps correspondent!
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Gasps From A Dying Art Form is part of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network
Bril Barrett is Executive Producer of the MRPN. Tristan Bruns and Tapman Productions, LLC are Producer, Writer and Host of the GFADAF Podcast.
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
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If you've read the book "Jazz Dance" then you may have been surprised at one part in particular, the epilogue, which begins with an argument against the emasculation of male dancers. (I know!) Most damning of all is a quote attributed to Gene Kelly, where he claims that the dance industry is "dominated by homosexuals." What did Kelly mean by that? Did he even say it at all? What is the original source? All of these questions are answered and more in this episode.
0:00 - 3:24 Theme Song 12 & Introduction to "Jazz Dance"
3:25 - 6:46 The Epilogue and Kelly Quote
6:47 - 7:13 Anecdotal example of prejudice, boys in dance
7:14 - 8:59 Media example, Lara Spencer, Good Morning America
9:00 - 10:30 Why should male dancers have to be brave?
10:31 - 13:52 The article where the quote originated
13:53 - 15:55 What is masculine? & Kelly quote debunked
15:56 - 19:29 Kelly explains his position (and it's cringe)
19:30 - 19:53 Kelly continues (not cringe!)
19:54 - 22:55 Homosexuality and international law, 1960s
22:56 - 25:30 Origins of Kelly's prejudice
25:31 - 28:06 Is "manliness" okay?
28:07 - 29:48 Conclusion: "Jazz Dance" got this one wrong
29:49 - 36:15 Tap Dance Podcast Roundup
THERE IS NOTHING AFTER THIS, SO DON'T WAIT AROUND! THERE'S JUST DEAD AIR FOR, UM, NO REASON!
Special thanks to our Patreon Supporters, Step Creators Junior Laniyan and Lori Williams, and Tap Aficionado Liz Rancourt-Smith. We're getting closer for our goal of new water fountains at the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy, unless something breaks down that is more important. I will keep you informed, but in the meantime, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Gasps From A Dying Art Form is part of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network
Respect the dance!
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
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Episode Notes
Antisemitism is trending in 2022. I regret that it has reached tap dancers. This episode is about trying to convince this person that what they are doing is in poor taste, and extremely dangerous, and also to provide some tools for listeners to identify antisemitic and other types of propaganda when they encounter it.
A well-known tap dancer mentioned to me a book about conspiracy theories, and says, "I tell you, this book changed my life!" I ask, "Am I going to find anything antisemitic in here?" And... OF COURSE I DID! No matter what I told the person, no matter how much evidence I say I have, they not only ignore my input, but they then put the stinkin' book in a stinkin' inspirational video shared on their social media—to convince YOU to read it!
But I'm here to put the kibosh on this nonsense, and if this doesn't convince everyone—especially this tap dancer in question—then I don't know what will. Any tap dancers interested in sharing and convincing others to partake in hateful propaganda will find the GFADAF ready to push back.
The video made by said tap dancer will be posted on the Gasps From A Dying Art Form Facebook page for reference purposes only.
0:00 - 1:00 Theme Song 11
1:00 - 7:15 Introduction/Overview
7:16 - 14:00 Israel vs. Palestine History
14:01 - 16:19 Antisemitic Trope #1, Erasing Jewish People's Jewishness
16:20 - 19:29 Antisemitic Trope #2, The Downplaying of Antisemitism
19:30 - 23:23 Antisemitic Trope #3, Equating Statistics with Morality
23:24 - 31: 42 Antisemitic Trope #4, Using Confirmed Antisemitic Sources (And Racist, Homophobic...)
31:43 - 35:24 Antisemitic Trope #5, The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion
35:25 - 42:20 Antisemitic Trope #6, Turning Non-Jewish People Into Jewish People
42:21 - 46:04 Meme of Henry Ford
46:05 - 49:13 (In the voice of Peter Falk) Uh, Just One More Thing...
49:14 - 50:15 Ancient Aliens (lol!)
50:16 - 54:29 So What's The Problem?
54: 30 - 57:54 The Goals of This Episode
57:55 - 1:04:30 The Tap Dance Podcast Round Up (yeehaw!)
There is nothing after this so don't bother looking.
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Gasps From A Dying Art Form is part of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
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Tap dance history and philosophy from across the pond! Host Tristan Bruns reviews the book "Teach Yourself Tap Dancing" (2007) by Derek Hartley and compares it to other books in the "Hidden Histories of Tap Dance Histories" series—A meta analysis of syllabus-style, at home, DIY instruction books from 1932-2018 that compares and contrasts the various accounts of the history of tap dance found in these materials.
"Teach Yourself Tap Dancing" is the most modern book that's been covered so far. Hartley writes with a refreshing originality and does it "his way," but there are some recurring trends, good and not so good, that carry over from sentiments of the past. Other topics include some history on tap dancer and choreographer Buddy Bradley, the difference between Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr. and Gene Kelly, musings on the origins of jazz music and we inch ever closer to discovering what exactly about tap dance makes us happy.
You can find a free digital copy of "Teach Yourself Tap Dancing" here: Full book at Archive.org
Some timestamps to help you out:
0:00-3:14 Theme Song/Author Bio
3:15-7:20 The "Anti-Syllabus" Syllabus
7:21-11:55 Style & Teaching/Should tap be taught like ballet?
11:56-15:03 Time Steps/Which kind?
15:04-26:00 Music/The Origins of Jazz/Is "4/4 time" from Africa?
26:01-35:18 Buddy Bradley
35:19-37:35 Advertisement
37:36-57:52 History & Philosophy/The teleological reason for "Why Tap?"/Black settlers/The Triangular Slave Trade
57:53-1:02:09 Color-Blindness
1:01:55-1:09:44 Color-Blind Cultural Racism/Class and Race/What Is A Gaffe?
1:09:45-1:23:13 Philosophy—Do It For Yourself/Aristotle's "Chief Good"/Twist Ending
1:22:59-1:32:25 Tap Dance Podcast Roundup!
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Thank you to Patreon supporters Liz Rancourt-Smith and Junior Laniyan. It took forever to put this one together as I wrote it in conjunction with the next one so that they wouldn't be too far apart, but that involved a lot of reading, so... But, wow!, thanks for sticking in there! I promise to put a shout out in the next episode. Appreciate you!
The Gasps From A Dying Art Form Podcast is a member of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network. Listen to our other podcast, "Either/And with Bril Barrett" here: Either/And Podcast
RespectTheDanceSupport Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
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Episode Notes
Following the U.S. Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and '60s, the language about how we talk about race (and tap dance) changed. In the new era of color-blind speech, one must navigate a slippery slope of semantics to uncover the racial subtext underneath. Host Tristan Bruns takes a look at the book "Tapworks" by Beverly Fletcher—the official tap dance reference manual of the Dance Masters of America—regarded by Bruns as a tap dance history written under the lens of a color-blind racial ideology. Bruns references the work of sociologist Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, historian Tyler Anbinder, linguistic anthropologist Jane H. Hill and others in an attempt to prove why color-blind tap dance history is bad tap dance history.
Hoo-boy! This is a long one, so here are some time stamps to help you navigate this episode:
0:00-5:40 Theme Song/Series Summary/Beverylt Fletcher and "Tapworks" Introductions
5:41-25:55 What is a racially color-blind ideology?
25:56-37:38 "Introduction" of "Tapworks"
37:39-44:20 European Influence and "African Heritage"
44:21-54:34 Notes on the slave trade/_Happy Slave Ship Dancers Theory/_Stono Rebellion
54:35-1:04:00 Five Points/William Henry Lane a.k.a. "Master Juba"
1:04:01-1:10:15 The Appeal of Blackface Minstrelsy
1:10:16-1:13:20 Some good history/Comparison to "The Book of Tap"
1:13:21-1:17:12 Theories about the "Death of Tap Dance"
1:17:13-1:18:53 The final page/Tap Dogs and _Riverdance/_African "steps" and Irish "feel"
1:18:54-1:21:23 Clip from the Either/And Podcast by Bril Barrett about Riverdance
1:21:24-1:24:56 Living in a white habitus/Lee Atwater interview on the "Southern Strategy"
1:24:57-1:28:20 Two anecdotal accounts: Story of "Nick"/Listening to "UTC"
1:28:21-1:31:45 Learning lessons from history/Anonymous testimony about Fletcher
1:31:46-1:35:00 What is "personalism"?
1:35:01-1:35:55 Anecdote #3: Forced happiness in dance competitions
1:35:56-1:42:22 "Tapworks" and the Dance Masters of America
1:42:23-1:47:25 The U.S. dance industry as one large white habitus/Call to Action
1:47:26-1:48:32 Disclaimers and acknowledgements
1:48:33-1:53:25 Tap Dance Podcast Roundup
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Thank you to Patreon supporters Liz Rancourt-Smith, Junior Laniyan and Pamela Heatherington.
The Gasps From A Dying Art Form Podcast is a member of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network. #RespectTheDance
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Episode Notes
What do Kurt Vonnegut, Noam Chomsky and Donald Trump have to do with tap dance? You might be surprised...
On a very special episode, host Tristan Bruns interviews Jim Siegelman, who co-authored 1977s "The Book of Tap" with tap dancer Jerry Ames. If you've read other tap dance history books, then you may be familiar with TBoT, which author Constance Vallis-Hill considers one of the big three of tap dance history books. In the late 1970s, ballet-tap was all the rage and the main source of tap dance histories, besides the Stearns' "Jazz Dance," were short, inconsistent ones found in DIY at-home instruction books. But Jim Siegelman set out to change all of that, and now you can find out how with an detailed look at an important stepping stone in how we view the history and philosophy of tap dance today.
Here is a link to the FREE online version of "The Book of Tap".
https://archive.org/details/bookoftaprecover0000ames/mode/2up?q=Jerry+Ames+tap
Become a Patreon member here: Patreon.com/GFADAF 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy on Chicago's South Side.
Or, if you liked the episode, leave a one-time tip in the tip jar!
This is a long one, so feel free to skip around (times and topics below).
0:00 Theme song + Introduction of Jim Siegelman.
8:00 The origin of "The Book of Tap".
14:04 Siegelman on Interviewing Famous Dancers.
15:20 Brief discussion of Siegelman's other work—"Snapping," "Holy Terror," "Dark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Wiener, the Father of Cybernetics"— w/ partner Flo Conway.
23:58 A little bit about tap dancer and co-author Jerry Ames and who wrote what in "TBoT".
28:26 Siegelman responds to my critique of "TBoT" from episodes 7.1-7.3.
42:25 Some tap dance gossip!
46:14 On learning about shocking U.S. American (Tap) history (references to GFADAF EP 3 "The Structure of Tap Dance Revolutions," a juxtaposition of the work of scientific philosopher Thomas S. Kuhn with tap dance.
52:30 Discussing reoccurring topics found in tap dance history writing.
52:50 Topic #1—The Ballet Tap Movement from 1950-1980
57:09 Topic #2—The Twin Streams Theory
1:05:06 Topic #3—"The Hoofers" and the Tap Messiah, the next generation and tap prophecy.
1:13:52 Topic #4—The Happy Slave Ship Dancers Theory
1:20:05 Topic #5—The Death of Minstrelsy Theory
1:29:30 Topic #6—If tap dance is a "melting pot" of cultures, why is it often boiled down to Ireland and Africa? Also, the White Nationalist origin of the "Irish Were Slaves, Too" trope.
1:36:45 Tap Philosopy: Is tap dance inherently happy and is that happiness tied to U.S. American idealism?
1:39:19 Noam Chomsky and his theory of "Transformational Grammar".
1:48:10 The connection between Kurt Vonnegut and tap dance. I'm a big Vonnegut fan and these anecdotes nearly knocked me out of my tap shoes. And so it goes. . .
Thank you to our Patreon patrons Liz Rancourt-Smith and Junior Lanyan. Your support is what drives this program.
The Gasps From A Dying Art Form Podcast is part of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network. #RespectTheDance
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Episode Notes
We begin Part 2 of The Hidden History of Tap Dance Histories series with a look at "The Book of Tap" by Jerry Ames and Jim Siegelman. Host Tristan Bruns takes a thorough look "TBoT (minus the instruction part) which covers such topics as the "death" of tap, the tap dance "revival," tap in Hollywood, history, philosophy and the various quotes from famous dancers and instructors scattered throughout the book. Whoo-Hoo! That's, like, what this whole podcast is about. It's like non-denominational, sectarian gift-giving holiday-day has come early this year!
0:00 - General overview of "The Book of Tap," including the sections "Tap Patter" (quotes from famous dancers and instructors), "Hollywood and the Golden Age of Tap," "Lost in the Shuffle" (on the "death" of tap dance), "Tap Comes Back" (on the "revival" of tap dance), and a look into the future (right now!) of tap dance with ""Tap's Next Steps".
25:50 - I look at the history section of the book, the sources used for that history and compare it with other short histories from other instructional-type tap dance books.
56:34 - We get to do some tap dance philosophizing, exploring one of life's most burning questions: "Why Tap?" Many people say that they tap dance because it makes them happy. But what do we mean by "happiness" anyway? And what does the U.S. Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon have to do with it? Find out in the final installment on "The Book of Tap" and stay tuned for Episode 8 where I interview the author of "The Book of Tap," Jim Siegelman himself!
Stay tuned for Episode 9 "Color-Blind Tap Dance: The Hidden Histories of Tap Dance Histories, Part 3"
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Thank you to Patreon supporters Liz Rancourt-Smith and Junior Laniyan.
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Episode Notes
Tap dancers often complain that there is not enough written about tap dance—especially its history. But what if I told you that there is more written down about tap then you may realize. . . and some of it is pretty gross (by today's standards). Host Tristan Bruns takes a look at several instructional tap dance syllabi books published in the U.S.A.—ranging from the Jim Crow-era 1930s to the "color-blind" and egalitarian liberal ideologies of the early 2000s—and take a look at what conventions have been thrown out, but also what conventions have been supported and added to throughout the years.
The goal of this series is to try and trace the origins of some popular tap dance talking points that many people argue over, yet few question where they come from. Were there joyous dance parties aboard slave ships? Is tap dance predominantly Irish? Is tap dance inherently happy? Is tap dance really synonymous with the red, white and blue? All of these questions are addressed, and more, in the multi-part series, "The Hidden Histories of Tap Dance Histories."
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Thank you to Patreon supporters Liz Rancourt-Smith and Junior Laniyan. Two better supporters of a podcast have never before existed. . . until now!
The Gasps From A Dying Art Form Podcast is a member of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network. #RespectTheDance
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
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Episode Notes
A rare Gasps interview with the co-founder and current director of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms dance company and the non-profit Making A Different Dancing Organization—Barrett is also the Executive Producer on the Gasps podcast. Host Tristan Bruns talks with Barrett about the new M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network, Barrett's own upcoming podcast and discuss how important learning the history of tap dance is to becoming a complete tap dance artist. Also, M.A.D.D. Rhythms is celebrating it's 20 year anniversary with a huge fundraising campaign with some truly unique and exciting rewards — check out the M.A.D.D. Rhythms GoFundMe page to make a donation and MaddRhythms.com for reward details.
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Thank you to our Patreon supporter Liz Rancourt-Smith. You're the OG, the VIP, the...what other triple letters can I, oh yeah—you're the MVP of this program!
The Gasps From A Dying Art Form Podcast is a member of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network. #RespectTheDance
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
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Episode Notes
In this episode, host Tristan Bruns reviews Brian Seibert's "What The Eye Hears"—a popular, somewhat controversial history of tap dance—and takes a look at some of the reviews of the book that came out shortly after its publication; also, get some input from the author himself from an interview conducted by Bruns.
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Thank you to Patreon supporters Pamela Heatherington and Liz Rancourt-Smith. Your support means the world to us!
The Gasps From A Dying Art Form Podcast is a member of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network. #RespectTheDance
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
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On episode three of the GFADAF podcast, host Tristan Bruns uses tap dance to understand the revolutionary text The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by scientific philosopher Thomas S. Kuhn. On this episode, find out where the term paradigm shift comes from and what it actually means; also, learn about the natural cycle of normal scientific research promotes discovery, how discovery produces anomalies which lead to a crises and rebirth, all explained through examples of tap dance performance, technique and instruction. Also on the episode: Why some tap dancers, and some scientists and doctors, too, may be resistant to change, even though it is not only good, but inevitable.
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Thank you to Patreon supporters Pamela Heatherington and Liz Rancourt-Smith. Your support means the world to us!
The Gasps From A Dying Art Form Podcast is a member of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network. #RespectTheDance
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
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Episode Notes
A lot of people think that tap dance is related to European dance styles because they look so darn similar, but what if it was really the other way around? Join host Tristan Bruns as he reports on the worse-than-you-thought history of international minstrelsy in England, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and more.
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
Thank you to Patreon supporters Pamela Heatherington and Liz Rancourt-Smith. Your support means the world to us!
The Gasps From A Dying Art Form Podcast is a member of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network. #RespectTheDance
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
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Episode Notes
People often say “you know, tap dance is a dying art form”, but they never mention why it is dying, or from what. Has tap dance been wounded in some way? Poisoned? Could it be…sabatogey! Old cartoon references aside, there are many theories about the decline of tap dance from it’s position as the United States’ most popular dance form in the 1930s to a a relatively niche effort in the 1970s. Host Tristan Bruns goes over the various theories of what ails tap dance and even presents one of his own.
Support this program by joining us on Patreon. 50% of all support goes to the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Chicago's historic South Side.
Link to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GFADAF
Or support this program through a one time donation in our tip jar!
The Gasps From A Dying Art Form Podcast is a member of the M.A.D.D. Rhythms Podcast Network. #RespectTheDance
Support Gasps From A Dying Art Form by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/gasps-from-a-dying-art-form
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
