Maud Arnold: 10 Reasons I Love Tap

1. Tap is by the people, for the people.
Anyone can tap: young, old, skinny, fat, tall, short. There’s no discrimination.

2. Being a tapper means I get to work with my sister, Chloé!
Creating the D.C. Tap Festival has been a dream come true for both of us.

3. Tap is so much fun to teach.
I love sharing my stories and obstacles with young people in hopes of inspiring the next generation of tap dancers.

4. To tap-dance is to be powerful.
Tap has given me self-esteem and confidence. It has taught me the value of persistence and hard work—and how to be eloquently spontaneous.

5. Tappers cherish, regard and honor our elders.
I have learned so many life lessons from tap masters, including Harold Cromer, Dianne Walker, Jimmy Slyde and Buster Brown.

6. The tap family spans the globe.
I have friends all over the world who share my passion. Even if we don’t speak the same language, we can connect on the dance floor.

7. Tap is boundless.
There’s always a new step, a new rhythm, a new story to be explored.

(courtesy Maud Arnold)

8. Tap lets me be a musician.
A blind person can enjoy a tap show just as much as—perhaps more than—someone who can see. To be both a musician and a dancer is awesome.

9. People get excited when I tell them I’m a tap dancer.
The world loves tap and needs more of it!

10. Tap lets me live my dream.
I wake up every day as a professional tap dancer. I wouldn’t have it any other way.