Swing In Seconds Ep. 3 | Master Juba | Tap Dance History

[@StevenSmith-nq5xe]

What a remarkable story. Thanks for sharing such an enticing version of it, and encouraging me to find out more!

[@time.2swing]

We're so glad you enjoyed it, thank you! He had so much to offer the world.

[@Mr-Tibbster]

Juba also learned British Clogging and Sean Nos steps from John Diamond too. Sean Nos is the oldest style of Irish dance, also known as Irish Flatfooting, and predates the modern upright Step Dance style everyone knows (Sean Nos is like tap dance, but with normal shoes, and is lower to the ground). Whilst British Clogging was the first form of "tap" in Europe going a ways back, but with wooden clog shoes, this concept was shared with Master Juba from John, leading to the idea of Tap dance with metal tap shoes, rather than wooden clogs. The British clog steps, and Sean Nos steps, were combined with African rhythms and acrobatics (and the rest is explained in the video). Many of those same British and Irish who remained in the US became the Appalachian people, and today their clogging has survived and is known as "Appalachian Clogging", or "Bluegrass Clogging", along with Southern Flatfooting (or "Appalachian Flatfooting") from the Sean Nos roots.

[@time.2swing]

YES! We love this extra history here, thank you. We looked up Sean Nos, we had no idea. Thanks! 🙌🏼🤘🏼