Tap Dancing for Fun and Exercise

My infatuation with tap dancing goes back a long way. As a child, I would sit entranced in front of the television set on a Saturday afternoon watching Shirley Temple sing and dance across the TV screen. Not only did I envy her curly hair, I envied her talent to make those wonderful, rhythmic sounds with her shoes. As much as I tried with my Sunday best Mary Jane shoes, I couldn't reproduce those sounds. I begged my parents to take dance lessons but there just wasn't enough money.

My love for dance grew as I got older. I got married and thought I had a dance partner for life. Alas, my husband does not like to dance. The compromise we made was that I would satisfy my dance desires through dance classes. I finally got to take dance lessons. At first I tried ballet classes but all the turns made me dizzy. One night at dinner with some friends, one of my friends told me about a dance studio that offered beginning, adult tap classes. That was nine years ago and I'm still tapping and loving it.

Although tap is the oldest form of dance that started in America, it has influences from other countries. There is the English, Irish influence of folk dancing. In Africa dances were used as a form of communication. In the West Indies drums determined rhythms and tempo. These have all greatly influenced American tap.

There are different styles of American tap. Fred Astaire had an elegant, ballroom style of tapping. Often, but not always, he would dance with a partner. Gene Kelly's style reflected his ballet training. He often used ballet techniques in his dances; and he, too, danced solo and with a partner. The tap dancers that most readily come to mind currently are actually called hoofers. Some well known hoofers include Sammy Davis Jr., Gregory Hines and the most popular, Savion Glover. Savion Glover was responsible for the choreography in "Happy Feet" a film about a penguin who tapped danced. According to the Wikipedia website hoofers "are tap dancers who dance primarily with their legs, making a louder, more grounded sound." I was fortunate enough to find a teacher familiar with all the various styles of tap. She has incorporated all the different styles into her choreography, which makes it interesting for her students.

After I registered for class I needed to buy tap shoes. I couldn't wait to purchase the shoes and tap around my kitchen floor. Just as there are different styles of tap dancers, there are different types of tap shoes. It was recommended that I choose the low heel, Oxford style shoe. More theatrical, Broadway style shoes have a high heel and are more difficult for beginners to use. Good taps are even more important. A better quality tap will produce a richer sound. Taps can be purchased online and put on a pair of shoes already in one's possession.

Like most people, I was already familiar with the term shuffle-ball-change and was hoping that my lessons would include more than just that. There was no need to worry; I never realized just how many tap steps there are. Flap, cramp roll, scuffs, time steps, pull backs, Maxi Ford, brushes, spanks are just a few. The list goes on and the combination of any of these steps is endless.

Putting the steps together, pairing the steps with music and remembering the combinations make tap dancing not only good physical exercise but also great mental activity. For that hour of tap class, there is nothing else on your mind. You have to give it your full attention. Whether or not you have a lifetime dance partner, I would recommend tap dancing.

Reference: Wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap Dance