class

There were many tap dance acts that consisted of two or more participants which usually fell into two categories, Flash Acts and Class Acts. Although some act's had a performance which was some where between the two, the distinctions held true for the majority of acts. There were numerous Flash Acts and Class Acts and they were more common than solo dancers, because solo dancers could only get commissions if they were well know all round performer that could hold an audiences attention. The two, three and four dancer acts performed in unison or allowed for different styles of each member who had their own speciality in the group. It was this mix that was to become very popular in duo partnerships, some groups played out friendly challenges on stage and others performed strict routines. Out of these acts only emerged a select few who's quality and emphasis on style grace and presentation set them apart from all others. It was these acts that were to become known as the class act, as the name suggests.

The Class Acts built up reputations and were more refined than Flash Acts, mainly being more tailored to performing at high class venues mostly. It was very rare to see any gymnastic moves in their performances as it would interrupt the way the dancers carried them selves. One of the unmistakable Class Acts was Coles and Atkins, who carved out a solid reputation for them selves which became a bench mark for others to copy. It was not a case of how fast or how intricate you could tap, but more to do with performing in unison. One of the famous Coles and Atkins dances was a very slow soft shoe type dance.

The Flash Acts were very spectacular because every thing was used in their dances no matter where it came from, gymnastics was always a familiar source for ideas, rivalry between other flash acts was very common. Theatres liked this rivalry and deliberately booked acts because they knew they were certain that the acts would all try their very best to show the audience who were the better dance group. Flash acts would try to out do each other so much and incorporate so many gymnastic and acrobatic moves until the actual tap dancing was no longer the important aspect of the performance. They became so acrobatic that it was more like a gymnastic display and some groups even performed with out taps on there shoes, possibly more to do with needing the extra grip on their feet.

The Nicholas Brothers, who seem to have grown up on the screen, gained great popularity from a young age and through out their career. They were able to encompass the qualities of both Class and Flash acts with smart suits and breath taking acrobatic stunts. It is not hard to see why they were so popular. It is claimed that their high quality performance stopped films as audiences demanded to see a rerun of their act, because the majority of films they appeared in were Hollywood films set against a predominantly white cast and these films when shown in predominantly black areas of America, the audiences were only interested in their fellow black Americans contribution to the film.

For speciality the Condos Brothers, who were the wing kings and also maintained a balance between the two classifications, although were more Class than Flash. They were technicians of tap who concentrated on the wings and could execute them at great speed. However they were not all round showmen and they remained in relative obscurity, even though they appeared in some large movie productions. They were very popular on the club circuits and performed on the stage from time to time. It is generally believed that had they had the ability to sing and act they would have made a much bigger impact.