Based in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, John Egan has been a mathematics teacher at Bishop Stang High School since 2010. John Egan of North Attleboro supports the efforts of his grandkids, who are attending the Laurel Simms School of Dance.
One of the core disciplines taught to young learners at the school is tap dance, which involves using specialized shoes with metal tips and heels to create a percussive element on the floor. One of the primary forms of the art is Broadway tap, a show style popularized in the 1930s through musicals such as Anything Goes and 42nd Street. It also accompanied cinematic releases. The style was memorably reprised in the 2011 French-directed Oscar-winning film The Artist, which took a nostalgic look at the silent film era.
As opposed to the floor-centric rhythm tap dancing style, Broadway tap dancing amplifies arm and body movements. It also features lengthy traverses across the dance floor, often as part of an ensemble. This presentational style is more concerned about the overall aesthetic effect than with the intricacy of sound, which is a central focus of rhythm tap.
One of the Broadway tap dancers of the classic cinematic era was Shirley Temple, who made her Hollywood debut in a tap sequence at the age of six. In addition, Fred Astaire famously combined Broadway and rhythmic tap with the conventions of ballroom dancing, while his partner, Gene Kelly, offered a balletic flair in her solo and ensemble tap work.
