Cartier Williams demonstrating a toe stand (Photo Oliver Sarkis) If you think ballerinas are the only dancers who perform on their toes, think again. Tap dancers often do toe stands, which are exactly what they sound like: In the middle of choreography or an improvisation, a tapper will jump up onto her toes, producing a […]
“Let’s kick it off with an eight-bar intro, and then go straight to the chorus. The instruments can solo on the verses—say, four bars each? We’ll throw in some stop-time after the second chorus, right before the bridge. You can trade with the drummer on the last chorus, and then we’ll go back to the […]
Joseph Wiggan. Photo by Kristie Kahns. You’re in tap class and have nailed a combination. Then, your teacher asks everyone to do it double time. You try, but it feels impossible to keep up. The steps you just executed perfectly are now missing sounds, and your rhythms are unclear. Why are your feet no longer […]
Grace. Poise. Style. Sass. And those are just words to describe Elizabeth Burke’s stage presence. Start talking about her precise, clean sounds, her unexpected and sophisticated rhythms, and the way she finishes each movement, from toes to fingertips to smile, and you could go on for days. It’s easy to see why 18-year-old Elizabeth, a […]
“When I was a little girl, I wasn’t a ballerina,” Mara Davi remembers. “But I could tap. I wanted to dance like they did in old Hollywood musicals.” So Davi made it happen: The Broadway veteran has starred in tap-heavy shows including White Christmas. The same was true for Lori Barber, who wanted to be […]
Dancers at the Shim Sham tap jam at The Kitchen in NYC. Photo by Paula Court. You’re at a tap show and have been trying to keep your feet still, but the dancer within you is getting antsy. It’s hard to keep from jumping out of your seat—so at the end of the evening, when […]
You and hundreds of other dancers are waiting to be seen at an open call for a tour of A Chorus Line. Your outfit is perfect and you’re warmed up and ready to go. But you know the first thing the choreographer will ask to see—before you can even show off your jazz chops—is the […]