Saturday, November 29, 2014

The Beginning of Tap Dancing

The hop is another important move when people first start learn to tap dance. This involves having one foot on the ground, jumping in the air and landing on the same foot that the dancer was standing on. The main object here is to make a sound when the heel hits the floor after the hop. When hops are executed, people are supposed to land on the balls of their feet only so that the proper sound is made upon landing. It is best if the hop remains low to the ground since the higher one jumps, the more pressure they will be putting on the one foot they will land on.

Next up, there is the shuffle. Another essential for basic tap dance lessons, two distinct sounds are made when this move is executed. It involves the dropping and lifting motion of the leg using the ball of one’s foot. The heel will not touch the floor and the two sounds will be made when one leaves the floor and when the land back. A brushing motion with the foot is required. People may not do the step properly when they first learn tap dancing but with practice, it is easier to execute. 

Thursday, November 27, 2014

The Essentials of Tap Dancing

Tap dancing has seen a sudden rise in the industry as an individual dance form good enough for solo performances. Many people consider it to be great for live performances and displays. More and more people are signing up to learn the art for personal development as well as to pursue it as a fulltime future career. Tap dancing, however, is not the kind of dance form that everyone can master. It requires intense concentration and the ability to merge complex steps into a perfectly rhythmic and synchronized form. In order to learn to tap dance for beginners, one needs to gain control over one’s toes and heels.
One of the first things people learn during tap dance is how to do a simple tap step. This is simply accomplished by striking the floor with the ball of the heel in a whipping motion. It is important to remember that the toes – or any other part of the foot – should not touch the floor. One can simply sneak their foot down without any sound when they are first learning; it is perfectly acceptable at this stage. By properly mastering the step, dancers will be able to learn to of the most important elements of tap dancing; controlling one’s weight and developing rhythm.
During tap dance lessons for learners will also get to know about the touch. This is a step ahead of the basic described above. Basically, one has to do the exact same thing but this time, they are supposed to make a sound with their shoes. In step, one is supposed to put weight on their foot but in a touch, there is no weight and one has to lift the foot back up after it subtly touches the floor (enough to make a sound). Also, a touch will be done with the help of the same foot if one tries to do multiple touches in a row.