How to Do Drop Steps in Tap Dancing

Tap dance is a symphony of different sounds. They are made by each individual part of your feet, and sometimes in combination. Fortunately, the tap steps sound very much like their names: a flap sounds just like a flap when you do a flap step, a shuffle sounds like it's name when you do a shuffle step, and a drop steps sounds like a drop when you do the step with your toes and your heels.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Toe Drop Steps

1. Begin drop steps in tap dancing with your feet together.

2. Lift up your right heel, bending your right leg a little, and let your right heel drop with a percussive "thump". As you are hitting with the whole surface of your heel, the sound will be a fuller, less sharp sound than if you were hitting with the side of your heel.

3. Do the same with your left heel when you do a drop step in tap dancing. Lift it up, then let it thump down as you drop it.

4. Start alternating from foot to foot. Lift the right heel and let it drop, lift the left heel and let it drop, and on and on when you do drop steps in tap dancing.

5. Go faster and faster as you do drop steps in tap dancing until it sounds as though you are marching in place.

Heel Drop Steps

6. Begin the toe drop by standing with your feet together.

7. Lift the toe of your right foot, while you bend your right knee a little, and let it fall without lifting your heel. It should sound more thump-like and less sharp than if you were hitting the ground with the tip of your toe tap.

8. Pick up your left toe and let it drop as you do a drop step in tap dancing.

9. Remember to flex your ankles as you do drop steps in tap dancing. You'll find that doing drop steps in tap dancing will be a little more difficult with the toes, and requires more warm-up and practice to do them easily.