On stages and screens both big and small, it’s been impossible not to see—and hear—tap dancing thriving and finding new audiences lately, even during the pandemic. Broadway’s forthcoming Funny Girl revival will see choreography from Ayodele Casel. The recently departed Flying Over Sunset featured the work of Michelle Dorrance. Dancer Caleb Teicher captivated audiences alongside […]
You know that pirouette dream, when your placement is so perfect you can keep turning forever? That dream is the reality for highly technical tappers, who benefit from the decreased friction of their shoes. Get the placement right and, with a strong spot, they can pirouette for days. But turning in tap shoes isn’t all […]
Are you looking to improve your tap skills? Barbra Duffy’s new book, Tap into Improv: A Guide to Tap Dance Improvisation may be just the thing to help you take your tap dancing to the next level. This book contains exercises and tips that will help you develop your musicality and artistry. With over two […]
Tap has always depended on one dancer passing her knowledge down to another. So when you watch a famous hoofer perform, you’re also seeing—and hearing—her tap heritage. “In tap, through a teacher or a mentor, you’re not just learning the steps or rhythm,” says Jared Grimes. “You’re learning who you are. And that identity is […]
In “Sunday Candy,” one of Caleb Teicher’s popular “Chance Raps | Caleb Taps” videos, the Bessie Award-winning performer has as much to say with his upper body as he does with his feet. In one section, his hands whack the air in front of him as though he’s at a drum set; in another, they […]
These days, tap dancers can reach huge audiences through social media, where videos from stars like Chloe Arnold and Sarah Reich have gone viral. But in the 1920s and ’30s, the best way for tappers to gain a following was to have an act on the vaudeville circuit, which allowed them to perform in theaters […]
Chloé Arnold (by Matthew Murphy) You walk onstage for your tap routine—click, click, click—and take your opening position for a performance a capella (without music). You begin to dance, each tap breaking the silence in the theater all over again. Clickety-clack, ka-lack click, a-kik-kik-kik-kik clap… Tapping a capella can be exhilarating, but with no beats […]