How to Do a Shuffle Off in Tap Dancing

The shuffle step in tap dancing is incorporated into all kinds of combinations. It is sometimes called the four, treble or a double ball change. The dancer makes four sounds in a shuffle ball change and three sounds when doing a shuffle step.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tap shoes

1. Leap onto your left foot and flap (brush step) on your right. Do the flap on the left.

2. Shuffle on your right foot and then hop on your left.

3. Step down right behind your left. (Step 3 combined with this step is considered a Back Irish step.) Step down on your left foot in front.

4. Flat (not flap) to the front on your right foot. A flat is comparable to a brush stamp rather than a softer brush step (which is a flap). Put your weight down on the flat.

5. Leap onto your left foot and flap right and left. Shuffle on your right and heel drop your left heel.

6. Step right to the back. Do a ball (left) and change (right).

7. Hop onto your left and shuffle on your right. Leap onto your right followed by a shuffle on your left and a step on your left.

8. Shuffle right, heel drop left, step down on your right behind your left and step down on your left in front of your right. Step down right to the front.

9. Step left and shuffle right, followed with a ball (right) and change (left).

10. Shuffle right and hop left and step down right behind your left foot.

11. Step down left in front of right and step down on your right foot to the front.

12. Step left and flap right, left, right and left. Heels should be clicked together twice.

13. Run left (in place), run right, step on your left foot and click your heels once.

14. Step on your left, shuffle on your right, and ball right and change left.

15. Put the steps together: Leap flap flap shuffle hop step step flat; leap flap flap shuffle heel drop step ball change; hop shuffle leap shuffle step; shuffle heel drop step step step; step shuffle ball change shuffle hop step step step; step flap flap flap flap click heels twice; run run step click heels once; step shuffle ball change.

Tips & Warnings

• It's an exceptionally long combination, so it will take time to memorize the order. The count is "1 a 2 a 3 and 4 and 5, 6, 7; 1 a 2 a 3 and 4 and 5, 6, 7; 1 and a 2 and a 3 and 4 and 5, 6, 7; 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5, 6, 7; 1 a 2 a 3 a 4 a 5, 6, 7; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 and 7."

Resources

• Shuffle Hop Step
• Moving Flaps
• The Tap Dance Blog Store