Tap shoes and tattoos: When conventions collide

Tap dancing is as American as baseball and apple pie. The expressive dance form, named and set apart from other forms of expressive arts for the rhythmic sounds created by the performers specific to genre footwear, rose in popularity along with jazz music, another distinct American art. 

The story of tap dancing ebbs and flows along with the history of entertainment, as well as the racial strife, of our country. But through the good, bad and ugly of it all we’ve seen the talents of such performers as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and, my personal favorite, Sammy Davis Jr. extenuated through tap dancing. The art form remains a standard practice for anyone pursuing a hobby in dance or a career on stage, and there are few people in the world that don’t recognize the sound of the metal toe tips and heels of tap shoes clicking against the floor. 

It’s a sound I didn’t fully appreciate until my own daughter started dancing and the noise has been a near-constant soundtrack to my life for nearly eight years, and my only girl child has developed quite a knack for style. 

Like tap dancing, tattoos have a rich history that spans different eras and cultures. From the identifying markings of ancient tribes to inked up characters in early 20^th century side shows, tattoos have been a part of the human experience for as long as humans have formed societies. The permanent skin decorations have been embraced by some cultures, like the native Hawaiians, whose tattoos are a living record of an individual’s life and lineage, while others stigmatized them. In ancient Rome only prisoners and slaves had tattoos, and anyone with such a mark was ostracized from society. 

Now, it’s difficult to find someone without a little ink, visible or hidden away by a sleeve or trouser cuff. Tattoos have become the ultimate form of self-expression and advancements in the tools of the trade have made it where the human body can be the canvas for anything from a cartoonish figure to a landscape that would make Monet shed a tear of joy. 

The worlds of tap dancing and tattoos collided recently in dueling conventions at the Savannah Convention Center. The iconic facility, which seems to always be under construction, simultaneously hosted the Surge Tap Fest and the Villain Arts Tattoo Convention. The massive center, which overlooks River Street from its island in the Savannah River, not only decided the two were a good fit for a late summer weekend but also provided space for the two events adjacent to each other. 

To access the tattoo show, many folks had to go through the tap-dancing crowd. I, for one, thought it was a great juxtaposition and thoroughly enjoyed watching burly, bearded and heavily tattooed artists making their way to the show floor through a crowd of toddler tap dancers. It was a great reminder that we’re all just trying to get by in this world and you must navigate with a little tolerance and understanding. 

My daughter left with a new pair of tap shoes; I left with a new tattoo. It was a great weekend that I hope is already rescheduled for next year.