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 […]
So WHY isn’t there more video evidence of this hidden talent? Chris Evans, the Hollywood star possibly best known as Steve Rogers (aka Captain America), told The New York Times yesterday that he’s really, really into tap. So into it, in fact, that he’s making time to take private lessons twice a week right now—even […]
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 […]
Maud Arnold is one of the busiest tap dancers on the planet. As a member of the Syncopated Ladies, Maud—along with her big sis and fellow tapper Chloé Arnold—is on constantly the road for performances, workshops, and master classes. For the average person, that kind of schedule could lead to a serious derailment of healthy […]
As a tap dancer, you’re a student of history—whether you know it or not. Tap technique today is intimately connected to the great hoofers of the past. “Tap is incredibly personal, because all of these individuals have added to the public domain, the pool of steps you draw from,” says Brian Seibert, dance critic for […]
Shut up and take my money! This summer, we shared that New York City Ballet principal Sara Mearns and dancewear outfitter Só Dança were teaming up for a capsule collection—and we promptly started saving up money to get the goods. (“Puffy coats for your calves” legwarmers? Sign. Us. Up!) We never expected to be #blessed […]
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 […]
Remember that fabulous old-school clip of dancers tapping in pointe shoes that Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo brought to our attention back in March? As we mentioned then, toe-tap dancing was actually super popular back in the 1920s and 30s—which means there are more videos where that one came from. And because #ToeTapTuesday has a nice […]