Tap Dance

Although the quick movements and loud noises make tap dances seem complicated, routines are often comprised of a few basic steps, with some added flair if the performer is a seasoned dancer. Below...

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...

A shuffle is a forward and then backward brush of the ball of the foot against the floor. However, a shuffle can be done as a quick treble, which it is in the treble hop (which also includes a...

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...

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,...

Pullbacks require air time, which means that the dancer is going to spring into the air and at one point neither foot is on the ground. Having strong legs, knees and ankles will help propel you...

A pullback is generally done on one foot. The pullback can land on the foot that is pulling back, or it can land on the opposite foot. In this dance step, the dancer is going to pull back on both...

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 "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" step in tap dancing debuted in a Buffalo, New York theater called Shea's many years ago. It was created as an exit step or a way for the dancer to get off stage while...

The Irish pullback toe flap is an advanced step. It is a variation of the basic Irish step, which consists of a shuffle hop and then a step to the back or to the front, depending on if you are...

In the shuffle pullback heel combination you will do a pullback, which is sometimes called a pick-up. You must do a spank (which is a back brush) on the foot that is bearing your weight. This is...

In the step riff brush heel combination, the dancer does a riff. It is preceded by a step and followed by a forward brush, which isn't the traditional follow-up step to a riff. A heel drop is also...

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...

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...

This step is called a Treadmill because it approximates the movements a person makes when on a treadmill. In the Treadmill, you will do a pullback switch, which is also known as a pick-up change,...

The Rise is a flashy tap dancing combination and requires that the dancer stand on her toe--for a second. The combination includes a back brush, also known as a spank, a toe dig, a step--the easy...

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...

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...

The spat is done very quickly, and is a jazzy-looking tap-dancing step. However, getting the hang of balancing on the tip of your toe, even momentarily, will take some practice. All dancers learn...

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...

The Tucker step in tap dancing is named for dancer Amanda Tucker. The step is a bit unusual in that the dancer executes a single pull-back and lands on both feet. Generally, a pull-back is done on...

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...

All tap dancers must learn how to do a shuffle--there is no getting around it. The shuffle is used in numerous tap combinations and is one of the core steps in tap dancing. In this dance step, the...

This tap dancing break is named for dancer Bill Bartlett. It is a complex and lengthy combination, and involves a lot of close footwork---a six-tap riff, for example, as well as heel drops, heel...

The shuffle pull-back in tap dancing is also called the shuffle pull-up. This particular combination is named for dancer Mark Hatfield. When a dancer is required to do a pull-back change, swap or...

A forward pull-back: Isn't that an oxymoron? How can a dancer pull back and move forward? The name is a bit misleading. The dancer is brushing to the front and not to the back. She isn't required...

The spots step in tap dancing consists of various basic tap steps including a spank (which is a back brush on the ball of your foot), a hop, a toe jab and a step; however, it looks and sounds a...

When a dancer is instructed to do alternating double picks-ups this means that she will first do the combination starting on her right foot and then do the combination starting on her left foot....

When doing a five-tap traveling cramproll, the dancer will do a reverse cramproll, which means that the order of the heel drops is reversed. In a standard traveling cramproll, the dancer would...

This is yet another variation of the time step, which has so many configurations that it might take a dancer a lifetime to learn them all. This combination includes a toe jab, or toe tip, to the...

When a tap step is called a traveling step that means that the dancer is going to move in one direction or another. She could be moving to the front or to the back or to the side. In this...

The Irish step in tap dancing has its roots in Irish reels and jigs and was introduced to America when Irish immigrants arrived in this country during the 19th century. The Irish always consists...

A buzz or paddle turn in tap dancing can be done to the inside, which would be to the right if you started the step on your right and, of course, to the left if the step were started on your left...

Clog dancing is considered country tap dancing or a form of dance originating in mountainous areas. The dancers wore wooden-soled shoes without taps. The clog dance is also associated with...

There are a variety of time-step variations in tap dancing. The time step generally occurs at the beginning of a routine and sets the tempo for it. This particular time step is considered a triple...

The cramproll with heel dig is not done on alternating feet. The dancer continues to do it starting on the right foot. The dancer can, however, travel backward on the step, which begins with a...

Just when you think you've mastered most of the time steps that have been tossed at you, along comes a double triple pull-back time step. In this combination, note that when you spring up and...

In this combination, the dancer does a forward riff followed by a backward riff. All of the steps are done on one foot. Once the dancer becomes accomplished at doing the forward/backward riff and...

This dance combination is considered a double because the dancer does shuffles (but doesn't step down, which would create a third tap and turn the combination into a triple), as well as flaps...

The essence is the integral step in the soft shoe. The soft shoe, when first introduced, was done while the dancers wore soft-soled shoes and the dance was executed on a sandy surface, which...

This dance combination is called a triple because the dancer does a shuffle step which makes three sounds/taps and turns a step into a triple. If the dancer had done a step, it would be a single...

A pull-back in tap dancing can be done as a single (executed on one foot) or as a double (with both feet engaged.) Sometimes a pull-back becomes a swap or change, because the dancer must brush...

A riffle in tap dancing is the combination of a two-count riff (front brush and heel scuff to the front) followed by a back brush, which is often referred to as a spank. The dancer makes three...

A grab-off is another name for the pull-back, which requires the dancer to brush her foot to the back and then land on that foot. The reason this dance step is called a fake is because the dancer...

The "stopping the traffic" step in tap dancing is one of those intricate footwork combinations that you come across in tap dancing. You will learn the more intricate steps as you progress from a...

A tap-dance riff can be as effortless as a two-step riff--brush and scuff to the front--or as complicated as a 24-tap combination, in which the dancer creates 24 sounds. The dancer must maintain...

A back rip in tap dancing is a syncopated pull-back. The dancer springs into the air and brushes to the back on the first foot and then follows suit, immediately, on the second foot, landing on...

The Irish Washerwoman step in tap dancing is a moving step. The dancer will move to one side or another, depending on which foot the combination is started on. The movement is done on the flap,...

The main component in the heel grind time step is a swiveling step, which is sometimes called a Suzi Q. The dancer swivels on her heel, turning her toes inward and then outward and this is coupled...