05/26/2026
National Tap Dance Day isn’t just a celebration, it’s a reminder of what tap is.
Too often, National Tap Dance Day gets reduced to a fun excuse to break out the Shim Sham. But tap isn’t just entertainment, it’s memory you can hear.
When Congress established National Tap Dance Day in 1989, it wasn’t just symbolic. Choosing Robinson’s birthday wasn’t incidental, it was a statement about who helped shape that legacy.
Read the full article here: https://qns.com/2026/05/op-ed-why-national-tap-dance-day-matters/?mc_cid=418aec6329&mc_eid=710d02f2d9
And to connect with that legacy directly, here’s a performance selection curated by Jumaane Taylor that highlights Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s extraordinary artistry: https://youtu.be/NusZgfCQ634?si=gS8Qsw8Dt_TZ4sGJ
National Tap Dance Day is sometimes treated like a charming arts footnote, a pleasant excuse to celebrate speed, style and showmanship. But that understanding