Tap Dance

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 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 Maxie Ford dance step is named after Max Ford, who was a buck and wing dancer in vaudeville. The Maxie Ford, in its various incantations, can make between five and 14 sounds, all depending on...

A cramproll is frequently done in military dance routines because the sound of the cramproll approximates the sound of a drum roll. A basic cramproll is defined as two quick steps followed by two...

After a dancer learns the basic steps in tap dancing--such as a shuffle, toe tips, ball changes--that's when it gets really exciting because she can combine these basic steps into more complicated...

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...

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...

The sugar bop is an example of very intricate, close footwork. The dancer must shift her weight at the appropriate times so she can execute this combination. In addition, she must swivel her feet...

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...

Sometimes when you are tap dancing you are required to balance. You might have to balance on one flat-foot or on your heel or heels or on a toe or toes. In the Rorymeister you are required to do a...

On paper, the stamp step toe heel turn sounds a lot easier to execute that it really is. Any time that a dancer is turning, it ups the ante. It helps if a dancer learns to "spot." This means she...

When attempting the Radiohead Step in tap dancing for the first time, hold onto something--a dance barre, the back of a sturdy chair, or put your hand on the wall--to give yourself support and...

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...

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...

The pullback into a toe stand is an advanced move in which the dancer is required to balance on the very tip of her toes. When first attempting the pullback into a toe stand, hold onto the dance...

The spackle step in tap dancing is a crazy looking combination, particularly when it's done quickly. The combination consists of spanks (back brushes) and smacks (slapping the floor with your foot...

Pullbacks are sometimes referred to as pick-ups and grab-offs. The terms are used interchangeably. In this pull-back a swap, or change, is going to occur, which means that the dancer will land on...

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...

The Lancashire clog originated in Lancashire, England, where the clog-wearing factory workers would dance on the cobblestone streets--not only to entertain themselves, but to keep themselves warm...

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...

The steamboat step in tap dancing requires that the dancer execute a half-turn to the right while doing heel drops, and then execute the rest of the turn while doing toe drops. The dancer must...

A Bombershay in tap dancing is very similar to the Suzi-Q tap step. A Bombershay consists of a step and a flap---a flap is a brush to the front or to the side followed by a step--or two flaps...

This dance step, appropriately named, brings to mind the old song "Workin' in a coal mine, doing down, down, down." The combination features the chug, which is a bold step. The chug is a...

Riffs are the epitome of intricate close floor work in tap dancing, particularly when the dancer does five steps in rapid sequence on one foot. The foot gets a workout: The dancer must brush,...

Eleanor Powell was an American film actress and dancer in the 1930s and 1940s. She was considered the world's greatest tap dancer because of her footwork, which was likened to a machine gun....

Sounds can be made in tap dancing that go beyond the one made by a tap when it comes into contact with the floor. Dancers often clip one shoe against the other--sometimes using their toes,...

Even though simple, this little combination could be used to set the tempo and it could be jazzed up with some attitude. The toe flat step requires the dancer to tap the ball of her foot and then...

My name is Rod Howell and I'm going to teach you how to tap dance. You can either buy a pair of tap shoes (Amazon.com or your local dance attire shop) or start in your tennis shoes (tennis shoes...

Tap dancing is a compilation of various dance styles, including the Irish jig, clog dancing and African-American dances. If you've ever seen the Riverdance group perform, you've seen Irish jigging...

In the runs step in tap dancing, the dancer does three forward-running steps. However, before she does that. she is going to do shuffle hops and toe jabs to the back. When you jab your toe, you...

This riff combination is the brainchild of Denise Pennington. Remember that a riff occurs when the dancer brushes her foot to the front--brushing on the ball of her foot--and then scuffs her heel...

The stub toe walk in tap dancing is sometimes referred to as the side traveling clip walk because the dancer is moving to the side. When the dancer steps to the front, she steps not only in front...

Military dance steps in tap dancing make a noise that brings to mind the sounds made by a drum. There are three versions to the basic military tap step and each is described below. The count for...

The going to church step in tap dancing involves a lot of close, floor work, including toe drops and heel digs. When a dancer is instructed to drop her toe it means that she drops the ball of her...

If memory serves, the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz didn't do this step--but she very well could have. It's a little tricky: The combination includes a full turn while the dancer executes a...

The shoe riff requires that the dancer balance, at least momentarily, and long enough to strike her right toe and then her right heel against the left foot on which she is balancing on her heel....

The heel jig is a nifty little combination. The dancer digs her heel and then swivels her toe, which is pointed upward, to the inside and then the outside. The movement is somewhat reminiscent of...

If you can do a shuffle step ball-change then the Paul step should be a breeze for you. A chug is added to spice up this combination. When a dancer executes a chug, she slides forward or backward...

The pacing step in tap dancing begins with the dancer facing stage right and moving to the right; however, as she executes this combination, she turns to the front and then turns to the left. The...

Jive is an expression used to indicate jazz music or dancing to a particular kind of music, such as swing music, that was popular during World War II and after. To this day, people still use the...

The Maxie Ford step in tap dancing is named after the dancer Max Ford. The basic step involves leaping onto your foot, shuffling on the other foot, leaping back onto the original foot and then...

The brush tap down step in tap dancing can be done to the front or to the back. Of course, some modifications must be made when you're changing the direction of a step. A brush requires the dancer...

The duck walk in tap dancing is relatively easy to learn and execute. Young hoofers, in particular, will enjoy doing this step. They can jazz it up with some attitude--shifting their shoulders and...

The toe heel toe kick step in tap dancing will afford the dancer a good cardiovascular workout because there is a lot of hopping involved. A toe jab occurs when the dancer hits the floor with the...

The back tap combination is a six-tap step that incorporates a scuff (heel scuffed against the floor) with a hop and a toe jab. When you toe jab, you jab the toe of your shoe to the back. Remember...

Syncopated steps in tap dancing involve either a beat that's not normally accented or rests (stopping completely) where they aren't normally found in a combination. The syncopated riff step is...

The toe tap standard break in tap-dancing is yet another break that can be used after a time step. The "break" indicates the ending of a series of steps, generally a time-step...

The Karen step in tap dancing is comprised of shuffle steps, chugs and toe jabs. When you execute a chug, you slide the foot forward, or backward, and forcefully drop the heel at the finish. A...

The oompah step in tap dancing consists of stamps and heel digs, toe drops and shuffles. When a band is playing, the “oom” sound is usually made by the tuba and followed by the...