The 'Step Heel Flap Hop' Tap Dance Move

Series Summary

The rhythmic foot stomping we call tap dancing emerged in the 1830’s from a blend of cultures in Manhattan’s original melting pot, the Five Points neighborhood (recently depicted in Scorsese’s film Gangs of New York.) Essentially a blend of African shuffle and Irish jig, tap dance became extremely popular in the first half of the 20th century. The metal plates attached to the bottom of the dancer’s shoes create a percussive rhythm which could either accompany music, or be used as an instrument itself. This popular form of entertainment soon found its way from amateur street performances, to Vaudeville, Broadway, and eventually film and television, where millions were inspired by the moves of Sammy Davis, Jr., Gregory Hines, Fred Astaire, and Gene Kelly.

A recent resurgence of tap enthusiasm came in the 90’s with the infusion of new dancers, such as Savion Glover, who began to incorporate a more personal style into their performances, and essentially made tap dancing “cool” again.

In this free video dance class, learn how to tap dance as an absolute beginner. Our expert tap dancer will walk you through the most basic steps you need to know to get started. Lessons include steps like the shuffle move and the ball change, as well as basic toe techniques, tap dancing postures, and a practice routine. These are some great easy tips on how to get started in this great form of dance.

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Emily Larew, and we are going to do a beginning tap combination. So we're going to start with counts one through eight; we're going to start back and we're going to come forward. So what you're going to do is - actually, let me turn around towards you so you can see my feet - we're going to do a step, heel, flap, hop, step, heel, flap, hop, step, heel, flap, hop. So one more time, five, six, seven, and step, heel, flap, hop, step, heel, flap, hop, step, heel, flap, hop, and you're going to stomp right, left, your hands are going to come out right, left, with it, and with a little flair you're going to chug it together, eight, and you're going to push your hands down. So good. Try it again. Five, six, seven, and step, heel, flap, hop, step, heel, flap, hop, step, heel, flap, hop, right, left, tap. Good. That was your first eight-count for your tap beginning combo."