Does anyone here Tap Dance?

[Mr Vim]

I took a lesson the other day and thoroughly enjoyed getting my derrier handed to me on a platter.

The instructor said I was a fast learner and that if I practiced at home I would have mastered what she called the "paradiddle"
I think it's also known as the shuffle step. Anyways, I'm at work and i brought my shoes and sure enough I found myself practicing tap for over an hour. Haven't got the shuffle just yet, but I made headway.

So does anyone else tap here? If so, write about it here, what you've learned, and if anyone wants to give me pointers I would be pleased to hear from you.

Chin Chin

 

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

I think after the 'Taping Finale" in 'The Artist' Tap schools around the world will be inundated with new pupils.

 

[kamikat]

I took it for about 10 years as a child. Glad you're enjoying it.

 

[Emily the Storyteller]

I've been tap dancing since the age of about 9, and I'm now 17. I also take ballet, jazz and contemporary, and I find tap by far the hardest. Not to put you off or anything

My favourite part of tap is the names of all the steps, they're so cute! My favourite is shim-sham-shimmy

Right now I'm working on perfecting a one-footed pickup, which everyone in my class apart from me seems to be able to do Three things in tap that I find really help are keeping you weight forwards over your toes, keeping you knees bent and really trying to use your ankle instead of your knee to perform the steps (if that makes any sense) - it keeps it looking neater.

Some serious tap inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnUfY-URXzA

 

[MikeBravo]

I tried it once but I kept falling in the sink


(sorry)

 

[Mr Vim]

Mike that was priceless,

Emily I have to say the Shorty George is my favorite name for anything in dance ever. And I know I have a LONG way to go before I'm any good. It's just nice to have a new hobby.

 

[MikeBravo]

Mike that was priceless,

Emily I have to say the Shorty George is my favorite name for anything in dance ever. And I know I have a LONG way to go before I'm any good. It's just nice to have a new hobby.

I admire anyone who can tap dance. I find it very difficult, even the basic ones in the Shim Sham have me pretty much beat.

My favourite dance move is the "messaround". I love watching it, doing it and saying it

 

[Touchofevil]

I tap danced once upon a time for five years. I was a very shy kid. Always the shortest in class amongst boys and girls. I was told by my instructor that I excelled at tap. Whether this was true or not, he put me at the forefront and this was a boost to a shy kid's ego.

 

[Yeps]

I have for years (more than half my life). The last three years I haven't, but I just got back into it, and am in the advanced class at my school. It is a rough time building the muscles and coordination back up, but definitely a lot of fun.

 

[fortworthgal]

I used to teach Irish step, but not tap. I hope you enjoy it! Dance is a blast.

 

[skyvue]

I took one year of tap dance in fifth grade and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I lived in constant fear of being "found out" and teased by my friends, so I gave it up.

One of my great regrets in life.

 

[Touchofevil]

I too felt some fear at being discovered and ridiculed. And then it happened while dancing at the local fair, but instead of ridicule, i was praised by a couple of the " popular" girls from school and everything was okie- doke from thereon.

 

[Mr Vim]

Sky,
did you ever think about taking tap up again?

 

[skyvue]

Sky,
did you ever think about taking tap up again?

Idly, yes, but not seriously, alas.

 

[Caroline H]

Our daughter and I are working on a tap duet to "Mairzy Doats" for our church's USO show Veteran's Day weekend. She takes tap classes, I took many years of tap too, but that was a long time ago so when one of the other moms found out I used to dance and suggested this duet I wasn't sure I could do it. I haven't forgotten as much as I thought I had so I think it is going to be a lot of fun!

 

[Touchofevil]

My dad used to sing that song to me and my sisters when we were little children. I haven't heard that song in thirty plus years.

 

[Yeps]

My teacher and I invented a new trick step last week.

For the non dancers: I took a standard step, and added in an extra to tap while in mid air (very tough to do), to make an extra sound and mostly to show off that I can.

For the dancers: It is a 3beat single pickup. Whereas in a standard pickup, there are two sounds (tap-land), I managed to add in an extra tap while in the air, so that there are now two before I land, making a rhythm close to that of a wing, but with a tap instead of a scrape for the first sound.

 

[Emily the Storyteller]

My teacher and I invented a new trick step last week.

For the non dancers: I took a standard step, and added in an extra to tap while in mid air (very tough to do), to make an extra sound and mostly to show off that I can.

For the dancers: It is a 3beat single pickup. Whereas in a standard pickup, there are two sounds (tap-land), I managed to add in an extra tap while in the air, so that there are now two before I land, making a rhythm close to that of a wing, but with a tap instead of a scrape for the first sound.

:eusa_clap Very impressive. I actually just went and got my tap shoes so I could try that, and failed completely! But then, it took me forever to learn how to do a normal pickup anyway, I've only just got the hang of that

 

[Mr Vim]

I'm getting everything but the extra tap, where is that extra tap? Want to be bold and post a video of it? I'm not cracking wise I just really want to see this!

 

[Emily the Storyteller]

I'm getting everything but the extra tap, where is that extra tap? Want to be bold and post a video of it? I'm not cracking wise I just really want to see this!

Correct me if I'm wrong Yeps, but I think it's like this: from a flat foot, the toe comes off the ground, then as the heel comes off the toe comes down and taps, not once (as in a normal pickup), but twice, before the whole foot comes down again. (That's in major slow motion though!)

That's a bit confusing, but I can't think of how to describe it in any other way :s I second a video please!