Irish dancing and tap dancing are quite different. That’s obvious to many people, but you don’t realize how different they are until you see the styles side by side.

It’s understandable when someone confuses them. Tap dancing originated in the United States in the 1880s, but its roots are Irish jigs as well as some African tribal dances.

In the video below, River Dancers square off with tap dancers in a dance off and the results are amazing! Not only does it demonstrate the differences between the styles of dance and the accompanying music, but it showcases the amazing talents of all the dancers on that stage! I was truly blown away when they went up on their toes!

Wow! These styles are apples and oranges. And what stamina to dance for 8 minutes like that! That was a terrific competition.

It’s hard to think of tap dancing without remembering the legendary Sammy Davis, Jr. He was the consummate entertainer. He could sing, act, perform comedy and he was an amazing tap dancer. In his early years, Sammy performed with his dad and uncle in the Will Mastin Trio. He was magical when he put on his tap shoes!

In the video below, along with his dad and uncle, Sammy performs at an unbelievable pace. In the last 30 seconds of this routine, Sammy demonstrates more talent than other dancers are able to cram into a lifelong career! You can see these three were breakdancing long before it became a thing in the 1980s and they did it wearing tap shoes!

Certainly, tap dancing is much different than Irish dancing! While they are different, both are very fun to watch.

If you liked that, click here to see The Fitzgerald Family do some impressive Irish step dancing!

Share this if you think these are all dancers are talented!

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