Tap Dancing Inspiration for #NationalTapDanceDay
Tappers! It’s #NationalTapDanceDay, and today the dance world salutes you, your magical musicality, your impressive respect for the history of your art and your infectious love of movement. Huzzah!
We have a ton of tap stories in our archives (find them all here!) and we love to put beautiful tappers on our cover (Hi Michelle! Hi Gaby!). Since we have so many stories, we thought we’d highlight a few of the best, for tap experts, novices and fans alike. Check it out!
For Non-Tappers:
We can’t all be Anthony Morigerato, tap dancing version of The Flash. So here’s an in-depth story for those of you stepping into your first pair of percussive shoes. The takeaway? In an audition setting, fake it until you make it, then turn around and get to class.
For Beginners:
Ready to master the time step? It’s likely to show up at any Broadway audition that calls for tapping, so make sure you can execute it confidently.
For Experienced Dancers:
Is it time to take your improvisation to the next level? Try your hand (or feet, rather) at a cutting contest, a tap battle where participants are required to stay with a set beat and make up their moves on the spot.
For Experts:
Sometimes dancers get so caught up with amazing feats of technicality that they forget about emotional expressiveness. The same is true for the amazing feets* (sorry) of tap dancers. We investigated ways to use tap dance to tell a story.
For Everyone:
Curious about the term “hoofer”? It has an important place in tap history, and isn’t to be used lightly—just like you wouldn’t call every ballet dancer a ballerina.
To close out our tap love-fest, who better than some of the art form’s leading women? The Syncopated Ladies are doing great things for tap, for female dancers and choreographers, and for each other. And, this tribute performance to Prince is everything:
*Yes, I know that “feets” is not a word. But c’mon, it’s such a good pun!
