Feeling the Music: The Influence of Tempo on Sound and Force Production in Tap Dance / Alice Willett (2025)

Introduction: Tap dance is an under-researched style in the field of biomechanics, and the current available research does not properly account for the percussive elements of the style. Based on this gap in the literature, the present study sought to investigate the influence music tempo has on sound and force production in tap dance. Methods: A quantitative, experimental, repeated-measures design saw six participants, averaging 23 years of age, with an average 13.33 years of tap experience, perform an 8-count combination that included a cramp roll (CR), double wing (DW), grab-off (GO), and pick-up change (PU) at three different music tempos: slow (60 bpm), medium (100 bpm), and fast (140 bpm). Sound production variables were sound frequency (number of sounds), peak amplitude, and average loudness. Force variables were measured across both feet and included average ground reaction force (aGRF), peak GRF (pGRF), and loading rate (LR). A one-way repeated-measures ANOVA with significance set at .05 was used for analysis. Results: Significance was found for sound frequency for the total combination, and average loudness for both the total combo and GOs. Significance was found for aGRFs during the DWs, GOs, and PUs, for the pGRFs during the CRs, DWs, and PUs, and for LR during the CRs. While significance was found between all tempos, the most common difference was seen between the slow and fast tempos for both the sound and force data. Conclusion: On average, as tempo increased, sound frequency decreased, average loudness increased, and aGRFs, pGRFs, and LRs increased as well. An inverse relationship between tempo and force was found for PUs. The results of this study can be used for training and choreography purposes and adds to the limited amount of tap data within dance science by illustrating the impact tempo has on movement. Key Points • Tap dance is an under-researched style in dance science, and previous research has neglected to investigate the musical and percussive elements of the style. • As music tempo increases, volume increases, the number of sounds decreases, and force variables, on average, increase as well. • The findings from this study can be used for training and choreography, as well as act as a jumping-off point for future research on musicality in tap.