The Buck and Wing (or Buck-and-Wing) was one of the forerunners of modern dance. It had its origins in a number of places: the sailor's hornpipe, Irish step dancing and clog dancing. In the 19th century, it was a staple of Vaudeville performers, such as Jimmy Doyle and Harland Dixon. The buck and wing also included the pigeon wing. Read this elearn tap the buck and wing yourself.
Instructions
1. Play music that's 2/4 time to dance the buck and wing. The original music that was played was a like a syncopated march.
2. Wear wooden shoes.
3. Push the ball of the foot across the floor and drop the heel. This you can do with some weight or less, depending on the sound you wish to make.
4. Make syncopated rhythms on the down beat of the music.
5. Add the pigeon wing aspect of the buck and wing by shaking one of your legs in the air as you're tap dancing.
6. Leap forward, kick your leg up high, and throw back your shoulders as you hold out your arms. Tap the back of the other calf with your foot after kicking, or kick the front of the leg in variation.
7. Hop on one foot and kick out the other foot.
8. Jump up from one leg, and use careful timing to make some taps with that foot before coming down with the other, non-tapping foot. Practice moving the non-tapping foot up and down, swinging it like a pendulum, and more.
9. Work on bringing up your speed as you do all of the above steps and add some steps of your own. The dance was known as a "fast and flashy dance usually done in wooden-soled shoes and combining Irish clogging styles, high kicks, and complex African rhythms and steps", so wild and have fun.
