Happy National Tap Dance Day!

Today is National Tap Dance Day! If you're not a tapper, or even if you are, you might not know what that means. As documented in the records of the Library of Congress, May 25, 1989 was designated as National Tap Dance Day.

May 25, 1989
The Committee on Post Office and Civil Service discharged; considered
and passed
JOINT RESOLUTION
To designate May 25, 1989, as `National Tap Dance Day'.
Whereas the multifaceted art form of tap dancing is a manifestation of
the cultural heritage of our Nation, reflecting the fusion of African and
European cultures into an exemplification of the American spirit, that
should be, through documentation, and archival and performance support,
transmitted to succeeding generations;
Whereas tap dancing has had a historic and continuing influence on other
genres of American art, including music, vaudeville, Broadway musical theater,
and film, as well as other dance forms;
Whereas tap dancing is perceived by the world as a uniquely American art form;
Whereas tap dancing is a joyful and powerful aesthetic force providing a
source of enjoyment and an outlet for creativity and self-expression for
Americans on both the professional and amateur level;
Whereas it is in the best interest of the people of our Nation to preserve,
promote, and celebrate this uniquely American art form;
Whereas Bill `Bojangles' Robinson made an outstanding contribution to the
art of tap dancing on both stage and film through the unification of diverse
stylistic and racial elements; and
Whereas May 25, as the anniversary of the birth of Bill `Bojangles' Robinson,
is an appropriate day on which to refocus the attention of the Nation on
American tap dancing: Now, therefore, be it
  Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of
  America in Congress assembled, That May 25, 1989, is designated `National
  Tap Dance Day'. The President is authorized and requested to issue a
  proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe such
  a day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Why May 25th? It was chosen to commemorate the birth of Bill `Bojangles' Robinson and his contribution to the art of tap dancing.

Bill Robinson
(May 25, 1878 - Nov. 25, 1949)

In 1987, Bill Robinson was inducted into the National Museum of Dance of Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney’s Hall of Fame.

You can read more about Bill Robinson here.

Read more about the history of tap dancing and other famous tap dancers provided by the Library Congress here.

For me, National Tap Dance Day not only commemorates the history of the art form, it reminds me of a passion that started when I was very young and has continued to last a lifetime. I shared it with my daughters and hundreds of students throughout my teaching career. I never imagined that someday I would become a children's author and my love for tap dancing would spill over into my writing career. So many of my fiction stories include the element of dance in some way, shape or form. Whether it's a leaf twirling to the ground, a shadow dancer bumping his head, a floor-shaking dinosaur, or the tip-tap-pitter-patter-swish from a Peg Leg Bates biography, dancing is not just in my feet. It's in my heart and soul and for that I'm grateful to Bill Robinson and many of the other tap-dancing greats who created many of the steps that are still used today.

Happy National Tap Dance Day!