If you want to learn how to tap dance, it is a great idea to do tap dancing classes. Tap dancing classes will allow your mind to get a mental break and enable you to destress. In addition, they provide a good workout that has benefits for the mind and body. Not to mention, they are a great way to meet new people and make friends. The good news is there are tons of tap dancing classes currently available for a variety of levels and age groups.
What Is Tap Dancing?
Tap dancing is a unique style of dance whereby the dancer makes music with their feet. From its beginnings in percussive dance styles including Irish and African dance, down through the years of Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, the Nicholas Brothers, Eleanor Powell, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and not forgetting Shirley Temple, to today’s fresh beats of Savion Glover, La La Land, 42nd Street and Sarah Reich with Post Modern Jukebox, tap has always been able to bring about joy and excitement both to dancers and their audiences. Tap was once known as the poor man’s dance because anyone could do it. It was danced in jazz clubs and on street corners, where tap dancers would swap and steal steps in tap battles.
History of Tap Dancing
Tap dance originated in the United States in the early 19th Century at the crossroads of Irish American and African dance forms. When slave owners took away traditional African percussion instruments, slaves turned to percussive dancing to express themselves and retain their cultural identities. These styles of dance connected with clog dancing from the British Isles, creating a unique form of rhythm and movement. Early tap shoes had wooden soles, sometimes with pennies attached to the heel and toe. Tap gained popularity after the Civil War as a part of traveling minstrel shows, where black and white performers wore blackface and belittled black people by portraying them as dumb, lazy and comical.
Benefits of Tap Dancing
The benefits of tap dancing include increasing cardiovascular conditioning, strength, coordination and flexibility. Tap dance combinations help to build strength in the feet and legs in addition to boosting flexibility in the knees, ankles and hips. Cognitive abilities are also improved as tap dancers must develop both muscle and mental memory to become proficient at tapping,
What Will I Learn?
Tap dancing classes vary depending on the teacher and the level of the classes. However, there are some things you can expect to learn about in any tap dancing classes. Therefore, you can expect to learn the dance of stage and screen, routines and improvisation through creative tap games. You will learn toe and heel taps and how to create different sounds. In addition, you will explore simple tap movements, how to shift your weight, listen and create clear, distinct sounds. You will learn how to combine tap steps too and tap dancing jargon.
If you’re serious about doing tap dancing classes, check out courses near you in the Nightcourses.co.uk national course finder.
