Best Tap Dance Fundamentals For Beginners
Have you ever seen a superb dancer make even the most difficult skills appear effortless? It’s amazing to see an accomplished dancer perform a tap routine. And the same can be said for you if you learn these four tap dancing lessons for beginners, which are simple yet vital components of all tap choreography.
What are the basic tap dancing lessons for beginners?
Tap dance moves are divided into four categories: shuffle ball, ball change, step-heel and heel-step, and single buffalo. Once you’ve mastered these steps, you’ll be tapping and dancing like a pro!
- Shuffle
- Ball change
- Heel step & step heel
- Single buffalo
Shuffle
The shuffle is one of the first tap choreography you should learn. It’s a combination of two even more fundamental moves: the brush and the strike.
- To begin, stand on one leg and bend the other as you lift your foot off the ground.
- Turn both feet out without allowing the lifted foot to touch the ground.
- Then, swing your foot forward to do a brush. Point your standing foot slightly when the ball scrapes against the floor. Allow your heel to never touch the floor.
- Finally, strike it. This is exactly the same technique in reverse, except you, ‘ll swing your foot backward instead of forwards.
Ball Change
There are various ways to switch your weight from one foot to the other in tap, but the ball change is by far the most prevalent. To achieve the desired effect, only your toe tap (the smallest of your shoe’s metal plates) should create any noise.
- To begin, place your feet side by side but not touching.
- Lift your heels so that only your feet’s balls are in contact with the floor.
- Then, with your right foot behind you, rock back onto its ball. As you do so, your left foot should briefly leave the ground.
- Finally, switch feet and repeat the process, swaying your weight from one ball to the next.
Heel-Step and Step-Heel
These two tap dance moves are diametrically opposed, and when performed in a pair of tap shoes, they each generate two separate sounds.
- To begin, try heel-stepping, which simulates the natural process of walking across the floor. The guidelines are simple: as you put one foot in front of the other, put your heel down first. Exaggerating the movement and “stomping” your heel to the floor may help.
- Bring the ball of your foot down as well. Repeat with the other foot.
- Continue until you’ve moved several feet forward.
- Finally, try the step heel, which is the inverse of the previous step. The ball of your foot should land before the heel. If you’re used to wearing high heels, this will come more readily to you.
When doing the step heel, ensure that the ball of each foot makes entire contact with the floor even before the heel reaches it. The higher your arch, the more force you’ll need to complete each step.
Single Buffalo
This styled transition between tap dancing moves consists of a step, shuffle, and little hop.
- Step down onto the ball of your right foot first.
- After that, elevate your left foot behind you and shuffle it forth and back.
- Return to your starting posture and hop onto the ball of your foot, placing it behind your right foot while lifting your right foot into the air in front of you.
- Finally, extend your right knee such that your toe is on the opposite side of your left foot.
These are a few basic tips for more details please visit our website by clicking here.
