![]() ![]() Check out “How to Tap Dance” to learn a range of tap dance moves. Whether you're a future ballerina or have two left feet, tap dancing is a fun activity that everyone can enjoy.Make your own homemade tap shoes, grab a pair of dress shoes, or just slip on a pair of old sneakers. If today's Wonder of the Day got your toes tapping, get up and get your groove on! You don't need special tap shoes to learn some basic tap dance moves.They say there’s nothing like making and dancing to your own music at the same time!Īre you ready to tap dance? Find a friend or family member to help you check out the following activities: He choreographed and danced for the movie Happy Feet, which told the story of a tap dancing penguin.ĭo you know how to tap dance? Or would you be interested in learning? Tap dancing is an art form that many people enjoy. In fact, Savion Glover recently helped to bring tap dancing back into the mainstream. Modern tap dancers include Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. Traditional tap dance is once again starting to become popular. Although they were similar in the past, tap dance and jazz dance are considered separate forms of dance today. A new form of dance- jazz dance-eventually grew out of tap dance. With the birth of rock-and-roll, tap dance dropped in popularity. A few more big names in tap dancing are Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers. Have you ever heard of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson? How about Josephine Baker or Rita Hayworth? These were all well-known tap dancers. You may recognize the names of some famous tap dancers. Many tap dancers even appeared in movies and eventually television. It was also a large part of the Harlem Renaissance. It was common in Vaudeville shows and on Broadway. ![]() Tap dancing was quite popular in America in the early 1900s. Would you believe you can even tap dance without music? Just like singing without music, tap dancing can be “ a cappella.” Instead of dancing to music, tap dancers instead make their own rhythms using a variety of special steps. That means they use an irregular rhythm to place stresses or accents where they usually wouldn’t occur. That means they make up their moves and beats as they go along. The product was the tap dancing we know today. Over time, this practice blended with Irish clogging. They made music with their feet through percussive dancing. When enslavers denied them drums and other percussion instruments, enslaved people got creative. When people were kidnapped from Africa and brought to America to be enslaved, they brought their music and dancing traditions with them. Where did tap dancing come from? We can trace its roots to Africa and the English Isles. However, the sounds such shoes make is not the same as true tap shoes. It’s also possible to tap dance in shoes that have a hard, solid sole. They tape quarters or (with the help of an adult) screw metal plates to the bottom of a pair of shoes. Sometimes, people make their own tap shoes. Since each shoe has a tap plate near the toe and one on the heel, they are sometimes called “two shoes and four taps.” The screws that attach the taps to the shoes can be tightened or loosened. Many companies make special tap shoes that have tap plates attached to the bottom of the shoes with screws. As tap dancers move across the floor, they make music while they dance! ![]() When they’re tapped against a solid surface, such as a wooden floor, the plates create a unique sound. How can you tell if someone is tap dancing? Just listen for the tapping sounds created by metal plates on the bottom of a dancer’s shoes. ![]() Tap dancing mixes two beautiful arts- dancing and making music-into one act. Registration by a minimum of 4 students is needed by the Friday prior to the start of class, but students may register through the Thursday before class begins if the minimum requirement is met in advance.What do you get when you combine fun music, fast feet, and a good sense of rhythm? The clickety-clack and tappity-tap of tap dancing, that’s what! How to Register: Email the instructor at with “Absolute Beginner Tap Dance (Friday mornings)” in the subject line.Class Size: 4 students required to run class no more than 12 students enrolled.Cost: $65/single session $125/two sessions.Spring 1: January 6 – FebruCancelled due to low enrollment.Alissa’s classes are Musical Theater style tap, and will focus on short combinations, traveling across the floor, and learning simple choreography. Beginner level tap class is for anyone who has taken the Absolute Beginner Tap class or who has a basic knowledge of tap dancing and would like to master basic tap steps at a slower pace. ![]()
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