Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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The Maxie Ford tap dance step is a basic combination of steps. Alter or enhance it to make the step more difficult. Tap dancers have relied on the Maxie Ford for generations. Learn the Maxie step with these steps... more »

How to Do the Shuffle Hop Step in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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You've mastered the shuffle step in tap dancing, so why not add a little "hop" to it to make it a combination movement. The "shuffle hop step" is a four-count tap dance step. Use the following steps to learn how to do the "shuffle hop step" in a ... more »

How to Perform Shuffle Steps

By ReganElizabeth

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The shuffle step is one of the most recognized steps in tap dance. The 2-note movement is the most basic shuffle known, but did you know there are 3- and 4-count shuffles? The 2-count shuffle is easiest, and though this may sound weird, the ... more »

How to Tap Dance the Buck and Wing

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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The Buck and Wing (or Buck-and-Wing) was one of the forerunners of modern dance. It had its origins in a number of places: the sailor's hornpipe, Irish step dancing and clog dancing. In the 19th century, it was a staple of Vaudeville performers, ... more »

How to Do Bells in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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In the tap dance step known as "bells," you lift your legs at an angle and click your heels together. Your lower body, from the hips down to his feet, resembles a bell swinging side-to-side. This tap dance move is more about the look than the sound... more »

How to Do Combination Steps in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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A tap dance combination uses multiple steps connected together to make a sequence. Here are some basic combinations you can try in your next rehearsal... more »

How to Pick Tap Dance Shoes

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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You can't tap without the shoes. Picking the right pair of tap shoes can be just as important as the moves you make. With so many different styles and options to choose from, making your selection can be just as difficult as getting the rhythm ... more »

How to Do Pull Backs in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Tap dancers often refer to the pull back move as a "pickup." To execute a proper pull back, you must first know how to do a brush step, also known as a flap step... more »

How to Learn Basic Tap Dance Steps

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Tap dancing appears to be fairly complicated. It all starts with a series of basic steps linked together. Add timing, fluidity and creativity, and it looks masterful... more »

How to Riff in Tap

By ReganElizabeth

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In rhythm tap, sounds and dynamics are key. The riff, a common tap step, mixes the sounds the metal taps make from the heel, the ball of the foot, the tip of the toe, the weight shifted and more. The shifting of the weight is key for melding the ... more »

How to Survive in "The Ghetto" As A White Boy

By Larry Fike, M.Phil.

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So I lived in Harlem - in Manhattan, a borough of New York City - for 7 years. I never got into a tiff with a "black person" (instead, I later married one). I taught at CUNY up on 137th Street & Broadway. I'm as white as they ... more »

How to do a Time Step (in Tap Dance)

By LauraS

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The "Time Step" is one of the most recognizable and common tap combinations. It is often taught in tap dance classes as a basic move for tap students. The Time Step originated as a way for tap dancers in the early 1900's to ... more »

How to Do the Over-the-Top Tap Dance Step

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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An over-the-top tap dance step is a hopping step in which the dancer's legs cross over each other. This step requires concentration and balance. Learn how to go over-the-top within a few hours of practice... more »

How to make tap dancing shoes with pennies

By penny4show

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Ever wanted to tap dance but couldn't afford the shoes. Here is a simple way to make tap dancing shoes by adding pennies on the bottom of the shoes. A good tool to know if your kids are interested in a talent show at school and aren't sure what ... more »

How to Warm Up for Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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To avoid injuries and prepare to tap dance, you have to warm up just as you would for any sport. Use the following steps to learn how to warm up properly for your tap class or performance so you'll be "heel to toe" ready to "hoof it.".. more »

How to Do a Step Change Combination in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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In tap, a step change combination mixes many different steps in combination with the basic step-ball-change. Step change combinations connect two steps together without pause. In tap, the step-ball-change is one of the first steps a dancer learns... more »

How to Do Wings in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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"Wings" is an energizing tap dance step that requires practice and patience to master. Wings combines many steps and connects them to make one fluid movement... more »

How to Tap Dance

By Alex Branning

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You want to learn the basics of tap dance? Here's a quick how-to of an easy step called the "kick-ball-change".. more »

How to Add Glitter to Tap Shoes

By Jillian Downer

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When it comes to performing on stage, traditional rules are often broken. You would never wear makeup to work the way you wear it on stage. In order to achieve that glitz, pop and shine you're looking for, it's necessary to be a little bit gaudy. ... more »

How to Do Double Pull Backs in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Pull backs in tap dancing are a bit of a conundrum. As Dani Rhodes explains, "you have to have all weight on both feet and no weight on no feet at the same time." Confused? Well, this should have you doing double pull backs in no time... more »

How to Do the Falling off the Log Step in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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The falling off the log step in tap dancing is pure fun, and it looks really cool. It has its roots in vaudeville. One can easily imagine Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton desperately struggling to stay on top of a rolling log as they flail their ... more »

How to Do the Pink Panther Tap Dance Step

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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The Pink Panther tap dance step is a combination of steps performed as one fluid sequence. It combines heavy, low taps and lighter taps that sound similar to the Pink Panther theme song... more »

How to Do the Shim Sham Shimmy

By ReganElizabeth

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If you're in New York City, there's a place tappers can join in on stage to do the Shim Sham Shimmy. It is a dance maneuver of 4 different steps, with a coda of a basic tap step. At the beginning, everyone yells, "Shim! Sham! Shim sham shimmy!" ... more »

How to Do the Shuffle in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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The "shuffle" will be one of the very first steps taught in a tap dance class. It is one of the basics and is in almost every single tap dance routine ever choreographed... more »

How to Do the Shuffle Off to Buffalo in Tap Dance

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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After learning basic tap dance steps, focus on putting together combinations and routines. You can do the "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" or just "Buffalo" step traveling to the side or in place to add interest and difficulty to your current set of ... more »

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