Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. travelling on foot.

1641		R. Brome Jovial Crew III i: I am sorely surbated with hoofing already tho’, and so crupper-crampt with out hard lodging.
1936		J.T. Farrell World I Never Made 87: Let’s sit down and gab. I don’t feel much like hoofing.
1967		M. Williams Jazz Masters 65: With no car to transport his bandd [. . .] the gang at the Rhythm Club [. . .] gave him the horse laugh ‘cause he was hoofin’ and no longer on ‘rubber’.

2. (orig. US) dancing; also as adj.

1915		Sun (NY) 14 Nov. 61/1: The enetertainers with their ears to the ground as well as their feet have decided there must be a novel note in the hoofing.
1925		G. Lee ‘Trouper Talk’ in AS I:1 36: A ‘hoofing act’ is entirely made up of step dancing.
1928		J.P. McEvoy Showgirl 13: Sammy Lee didn’t think my hoofing was so hot.
1952		W. Winchell On Broadway 9 Sept. [synd. col.] Gene Kelly dispenses with his big-time hoofing in ‘The Devil Makes Three.’.