Tap Dance

The Maxie Ford dancing maneuver, in tap dance, is an intricate dancing step that requires a tap dancer to use proper technique. Learn to perform the Maxie Ford dance step from a tap dancing...

The Maxie Ford is a very useful tap dancing step when you want to switch lines in your choreography. Learn about the Maxie Ford tap dancing maneuver and tap dance from a tap dancing instructor in...

The Maxie Ford with pickup tap dance maneuver is an excellent move to include in your tap dancing routine. Learn to perform the Maxie Ford with pickup tap dance maneuver from a tap dancing...

Ball change, in tap dance, refers to when a tap dancer switches their weight from one ball of the foot to the other. Learn more about ball change and tap dance from a tap dancing instructor in...

It's important, in tap dance, to stay on the balls of your feet when performing the Irish. Learn more about the Irish and tap dance from a tap dancing instructor in this free dancing video.

The riff walk, in tap dance, occurs when a tap dancer strikes the bottom part of their hell on the floor and then performs the same task after switching feet. Learn to perform the riff walk from a...

The double riff walk, in tap dance, is a very simple step that can be used for traveling. Learn more about the double riff walk and tap dance from a tap dancing instructor in this free dancing video.

The triple riff walk is a great tap dancing maneuver to add to your dancing move arsenal. Learn the triple riff walk from a tap dancing instructor in this free dancing video.

It can be difficult to balance, in tap dance, while performing the single buffalo dance maneuver. Learn more about the single buffalo and tap dance from a tap dancing instructor in this free...

Performing the double buffalo, in tap dance, involves picking up one foot, striking the flat part of the tap on the floor and then landing on one foot. Learn to perform the double buffalo tap...

The triple buffalo tap dance maneuver is an excellent move to include in your tap dancing routine. Learn to perform the triple buffalo tap dance maneuver from a tap dancing instructor in this free...

The Maxi Ford, in tap dance, involves stepping on one foot, shuffling with the opposing foot, hopping and then switching feet. Learn more about the Maxie Ford dance step and tap dance from a tap...

The shuffle is one of the most basic components of tap dancing. Learn the tap dance shuffle from a tap dancing instructor in this free dancing video.

When performing the toe tap, in tap dancing, it's important to strike the flat part of the tap dancing shoe to the floor. Learn more about the toe tap and tap dancing from a tap dancing instructor...

The brush, in tap dance, is when you hit the flat part of your tap shoe on the floor, while moving it across the floor in order to get that brushing sound. learn to perform the brushing tap dance...

The flap is a tap dancing maneuver that can be used when traveling, standing in place or as a combination of a more complex dance step. Learn to perform the flap move in tap dance from a tap...

It's important to only hit the bottom part of the heel tap on the floor when performing the heel dig tap dancing maneuver. Learn more about the heel dig and tap dance from a tap dancing instructor...

The toe pick, in tap dance, is used as a component of a more complex step in tap dancing. Learn more about the toe pick and tap dance from a tap dancing instructor in this free dancing video.

The scuff, in tap dance, uses only the heel part of the tap dancing shoe. Learn more about scuffing and tap dance from a tap dancing instructor in this free dancing video.

The shuffle is one of the integral steps in tap dancing. A dancer must learn how to execute it early in her dance class experience. The shuffle pops up in time steps as well as in Shuffle Off to...

The Bombershay step is derived from a social dance, most likely the Suzi-Q, which was a popular dance step in the 1930s. In time, the Bombershay became a jazz step. Later on, tap dancers began...

In this combination, the dancer puts together a brush (done diagonally) with heel and ball drops, but she does it while she is making a full turn, either to the left or to the right, depending on...

The "essence" is the basic step in the soft shoe. If you were doing a single back essence you would do a spank, which is a back brush, on your starting foot. Then step down on your opposite foot,...

The around-the-world cramp roll is sometimes referred to as the trading cramp roll or alternating cramp roll. A basic cramp roll consists of two steps followed by two heel drops. Of course, the...

The regular Cincinnati is derived from a very old dance step called Back to the Woods. The only difference between these two steps is that the dancer does a heel drop in the Cincinnati, whereas...

The scap is a quirky variation on the basic flap, a step that is frequently done in tap dancing. When a dancer flaps, she brushes to the front on the ball of her foot and then steps down. In the...

The Spiel has been described as a reverse drawback, which is an accurate description; however, unlike in the drawback, the dancer does not move to the back when executing the Spiel, which consists...

The Stephunky is like a drawback step in tap dancing, except a drawback is a backward moving step and the Stephunky stays in place. The drawback was named by a well-known dancer, Jack Stanly. The...

The blur is a tap dancing step that moves from side and side and alternates from foot to foot. It consists of a simple shuffle step and a scuff dig toe series, which is not so typical. When tap...

No, this is not Twister the game, where you twist and contort your body on a mat; however, there is some twisting involved in this dance step. The dancer jumps up and comes down on both feet...

A riffle in tap dancing is a three-sound combination that includes a forward riff followed by a back brush, which is also called a spank. Some dance instructors teach a riffle as a brush to the...

A cramproll is described as a rapid dance movement that combines steps and heels. Sometimes the cramproll is referred to as a cranch or a crunch. The sound that a cramproll makes approximates a...

The pendulum shuffle is a basic shuffle with a twist. The dancer will brush backward and forward diagonally, which results in one foot being crossed in front of the support leg. This step isn't...

The Nicaela Quick tap dancing step includes a three beat riff. A riff occurs when two sounds/taps are made by the dancer, including one tap created by the ball of the foot and the other tap made...

When a dancer does a shuffle, which is one of the first steps that a tap dancing student will learn, she learns to brush the ball of her foot to the front and then to the back. A quirky variation...

Often the key to successfully executing a tap dancing combination is knowing which foot to shift your weight onto and when. Additionally, paying attention to little things---such as keeping your...

A traditional Irish step in tap dancing entails a shuffle hop and a step. The dancer can step down to the front or to the back, which determines if she is traveling to the front or to the back. In...

A riffle in tap dancing makes three sounds and consists of a brush to the front or a tapping of the ball of the foot against the floor followed by a heel dig or scuff and a back brush, which is...

Just when you think you have seen and heard just about everything pertaining to tap dancing steps, someone comes up with a backward cramproll. A cramproll occurs when a dancer does two steps, or...

The shuffle toe dig is a fiery dance combination. When you watch dancer Dani Rhodes do it (via the video found in the Resources section), you can hear how rhythmic and exciting it is. It makes you...

This is one of those really cool-sounding tap dance steps, particularly when you get going fast. The individual steps are relatively simple but when combined the combination of steps comes across...

The shuffle step is one of the fundamental steps in tap dancing, and it can be jazzed up in any number of ways. In this combination, the dancer does a heel dig and a toe dig along with the...

This combination consists of three steps: scuff, heel dig and ball-change. It doesn't appear to be complicated although the dancer, at first attempt, might find the transition from the dig on one...

The dancer can travel to the back as she executes the shuffle heel step heel combination. This is close footwork, where the dancer is required to quickly make several different taps, sometimes on...

The drawback step in tap dancing is a common tap dance step that is frequently used in combinations. The quicker you execute it, the better it looks and sounds. The dancer can stay in place when...

The soft shoe was originally performed by dancers wearing soft shoes. Sometimes the soft shoe was done on a sandy surface. Over the years, the soft shoe step became part of the tap dancer's...

A drawbershay step in tap dancing is a fusion of a bombershay and a drawback. The drawback consists of a back brush (spank), heel drop on the other foot and a flap (brush step). A bombershay...

This time step is considered a quadruple because four taps/sounds (shuf-fle, step, heel) occur following the hop. Determining whether a time step is a single, double, triple or quadruple is based...

The Squiggly Wiggly is one of those bizarrely named tap-dancing combinations; considering just what the step entails, however, it's aptly named. It is indeed a bit wiggly--or perhaps squiggly, in...

In the stamp cramproll turn, the dancer incorporates a stamp (which bears weight), along with two regular steps and a cramproll into a turn, which increases the difficulty factor. The dancer is...