Tap Dance

Tap dancing is a rhythmic kind of dance where dancers tap their feet against a hard surface such as a hardwood floor to create rhythm and sound. People of all ages can enroll in a tap dance lesson.

This type of rhythmic dancing originated in the U.S.A as a result of fusing a number of ethnic percussive dances primarily English, Scottish and Irish clog dances with African tribal dances, jazz and hornpipes.

According to researchers, tap dancing was nurtured in the 19th century in urban environments like the Five Point District in New York City. This was the result of the lifestyle that people in such environments led. People from various ethnic groups lived under crowded conditions and constant contact with syncopations of the machine age and urban rhythms. Dance competitions were a common type of entertainment in the mid to late 1800’s and one of the earliest recorded challenges took place in 1844.

In the decades that followed, tap dancing merged and evolved. Some of the tap dance terms introduced into this kind of dance include buck dancing, soft shoe dancing and buck and wing dancing. The tap dance known today emerged in the 1920s after taps, which were screwed or nailed onto shoe soles at the heels and toes, became popular. The crisp sound produced by dancers’ shoes is what the audience loves. When looking for tap dancing shoes, consider the sound they can produce and how comfortable they are.

There is a lot to gain from enrolling in tap dance lessons. For instance, this form of aerobic dancing helps increase strength, cardiovascular conditioning, coordination and flexibility. It builds strength in the feet and legs and increases flexibility in the knees, ankles and hips. Tap dancing also enhances cognitive abilities because a tap dancer has to develop both muscle and mental memory in order to become proficient at tapping.

Tap dance classes also help dancers develop a great sense of timing and rhythm. At Dance Singapore, we assist students in focusing on music awareness as they perform tap steps or moves. Tap dancing also offers the benefit of helping people lose weight. Everything about it is aerobic and it takes concentration and energy to execute the movements and sounds in time with the songs or music being played.

Tap dance lessons can also help you develop balance. When you start tap dancing, one of the important things you do is balance yourself on the balls of your feet. At first, it is a little tricky to do this while executing other movements but this becomes easier as you gain more dancing experience. These dance lessons also help performers relieve stress by focusing on something else other than what may be bothering them. Tap dancing is also a form of expression and as you continue taking the lessons, you will find that tap steps and their combinations can have ideas and moods associated with them.

Tap dancing works the entire body and also provides dancers with a full cardiovascular workout. A lot of tap dancing revolves around syncopation and you therefore have to focus and think as you dance. This helps you keep up with the choreography even when performing complicated routines and moves. You can burn about 315 calories every hour as you tap dance. When choosing a tap dance lesson, you should be honest with yourself and avoid enrolling in lessons that are too advanced.