For an anti-racist tap dance!
As Brazilians, we understand that we are rewriting our history. We carry centuries of complex processes of colonization, miscegenation and narratives that have been partially told. We need courage to face the violence that constituted our country and even more courage to admit how flawed we were and still are. It is with humility and urgency that we, Cia. Pé na Tábua, believe that in the face of emerging social issues such as racism, we need to take an assertive stance, especially when it comes to something that crosses us directly.Cia. Pé na Tábua understands that the origin of the North American tap dance is of black authorship. It dates back to times when black people were enslaved and taken by force to another territory.
Cia. Pé na Tábua understands that tap dance is an american art form that originated with black people.
This statement needs to be made, because in several publications of books dealing with the history of tap dancing, especially the history of tap dancing in Brazil, few have analyzed the impact of racism on its consolidation. Sometimes it was said that tap dancing was a “union” between white and black people, making the historical processes involving racial discrimination superficial. Tap dancing in Brazil, close to other cultural events, is young. The first records of tap teachers around here date back to approximately 1940. IIt's not all about pain. It's also about rooting feet in the ground, striking bones, vibrating sounds, creating music.
If we move forward with the poetics of tap dancing, we also need to sensitize on so many layers that were once made invisible to walk towards a historic repair, which is the same path to a fairer and more honest future.Racism is not a problem for black people to solve. It's a problem for whiteness, like us. Therefore, we invite you to quiet your heart along with some indications that we must do. There are books, videos and other content that made us expand our ideas. We think it might be as important to you as it was to us.We continue in the struggle to sound more voices and feet, in a plural, diverse and fair way with the history of tap dancing.
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