Thoughts on the educational side of dance...

 I have been thinking a lot lately about my classes that I teach, and in particular my tap classes. My tap classes are my favourite as my students seem to enjoy these classes above all else and I always receive great feedback from them which leaves me feeling upbeat. 

I have watched more and more videos and gone to different workshops to try and expose myself to different styles so I can try new things with my students and broaden their lessons and see what they enjoy, however, I have been researching the history of tap lately and was shocked to find it originated from slavery!

(I've included a link below that gives a little backstory on this)

I was so surprised that I had never been taught this during my training and when I was younger and taking exams. Has anyone else ever been taught this or have you been left in the dark about where these styles we learn today come from to? 

I think it is important that we learn these things so we can appreciate the style of dance in its entirety, not just for the steps that we learn. 

Any thoughts? Please comment below :) 

https://www.britannica.com/art/tap-dance