How to Do Heel and Toe Short Sidesteps in Tap Dancing

Although all the steps are fairly basic, the heel and toe short sidesteps is a long combination. Shuffles, heel drops, leaps, flaps, flats and even a Back Irish (shuffle hop and step to the back) are featured in this dance step. Learn the first step and then the second step, memorize them, and then proceed to the third step and then the forth and so on until you've got the complete step memorized and mastered.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tap shoes

1. Step on your left foot on the count of "1."

2. Shuffle on our right foot on the count of "and 2." You have made two taps/sounds (shuf-fle) on one count, the second count. When a dancer shuffles, she brushes the ball of her foot to the front and then to the back.

3. Execute a ball change. Step down on your right foot to the back for the "ball" and step down on your left foot in place for the "change." The count is "and 3." You have made two taps/sounds (two steps) on one count, count three.

4. Drop your right heel on the count of "and." When you stepped down and did the "ball" in the previous step on your right foot you should have stepped onto the ball of your foot, not onto your entire foot; therefore, your heel is raised and free to drop.

5. Step down on your left foot on the count of "4" and then step down on your right foot on the count of "and."

6. Step down on your left foot on the count of "5."

7. Shuffle on your right foot on the count of "and 6."

8. Leap onto your right foot on the count of "and." After the shuffle, your right foot is raised to the back so it's available to leap onto.

9. Step down on your left foot behind your right foot on the count of "7."

10. Hop in place on your left foot on the count of "8" and then shuffle on your right on the count of "and a."

11. Reverse all of the above steps, starting Step # 1 on your right foot. After completing the entire combination, proceed to the next step.

12. Step on your left foot on the count of "1" and then shuffle on your right foot on the count of "and 2."

13. Leap onto your right foot on the count of "and" followed by stepping down on your left foot behind your right foot on the count of "3."

14. Hop in place on your left foot on the count of "4" and shuffle on your right foot on the count of "and a." Repeat Steps 12 to 14, starting on your right foot.

15. Leap onto your left foot on the count of "1."

16. Flap (brush step) to the front on your right foot on the count of "a 2" and then flap (brush step) to the front on your left foot on the count of "a 3."

17. Execute a Back Irish, which consists of doing a shuffle on your right foot on the count of "and 4," hopping on your left foot on the count of "and" and stepping down and to the back on your right foot on the count of "5."

18. Step to the front on your left foot on the count of "6" and flat (which is a stamp) to the front on your right foot on the count of "7."

Tips & Warnings

• Combine the steps to the heel and toe short sidesteps: Step shuffle ball change, heel drop, step step; step shuffle leap, step, hop, shuffle; repeat all, starting on your right foot; step shuffle leap step hop shuffle; step shuffle leap step hop shuffle, leap flap flap, shuffle hop step back (Back Irish) step flat (stamp). Go to the Resources section below and watch the video demonstration. Emily Larew shows you how to do a shuffle ball change. In the second video, Sarah McLellan demonstrates how to do a heel drop.

Resources

• Tap Dancing Demo Emily Larew
• Tap Dancing Demo by Sarah McLellan