Tips for Tap Dancers

Ever wonder how professional tappers make it look so easy? Fred Astaire, Doris Day, and even the recent winner of So You Think You Can Dance, Gaby Diaz, seem like they could tap all day long, effortlessly and beautifully! Here are a few tips that can help YOU be little bit more like them when you are tappin’ the day away:

1. Stay light on your feet - don’t pound the floor to be loud, you just need to connect with the floor.
   
   
2. Keep your heels up - unless the step specifically calls for your heel to be down, keeping them up will help you move faster and be able to switch feet quickly.
   
   
3. Be able to switch feet often - many tap steps have you constantly changing your weight to the other foot every step; being able to switch effortlessly will give you a ‘foot up’.
   
   
4. When first learning steps, keep your hands on your hips - it will help you keep your balance while you are changing your weight on your feet constantly. You can always change up your arms/hands once you have the step down.
   
   
5. Always land with bent knees - tap can involve a lot of jumps and hops, and if you land on a soft, bent knee, you won’t damage your knee.
   
   
6. Learn the words that go with the step - usually they are broken down to the very basics, so saying them over and over while you are doing the step will help get your brain working with your feet.
   
   
7. Repetition is key - doing a step over and over again so you don’t have to even think about it will get that muscle memory going, and then you can sail through.
   ​
   
8. HAVE FUN - the more fun you have, the more carefree and light you will be on your feet, and it will show!

Written by Kate Raymond, Modern Motion, 2016. Read Kate's bio here.