Simply Tap - For the Beginner!

This disc delivers on its mission to teach Tap to the “absolute beginner.” Its pace is reasonable, it covers the usual common ground - paddle and roll, pop step, shim sham, Waltz Clog, etc. - and it introduces and teaches the idea of more “routines” to come…

It’s important to realize in learning Tap that Tap isn’t experienced as numbers, but as sounds. So, when Germaine Salsberg – the “star” of the video – starts with “learning the sounds” it’s because Tap dancers still learn, practice, and dance “by ear” not by “modern” ideas of numbering all the steps. When performers used to say, “It’s goes something like this,” and then knocked out a routine those LISTENING could tell by the sounds what was happening with the feet as if the sounds were Morse code. And, then – like Morse operators - they’d repeat the sounds they heard back to confirm the steps.

We got this disc to refresh our memory of Tap classes we took years ago. Unlike those classes, a DVD allows you to easily repeat every part of the instruction. And, perhaps even better, to slow it down, and, slow it down some more. Germaine says she’s been teaching Tap for fifteen years, and she does – to be fair – say you can rewind as many times as you want. Take it to heart; you will be rewinding and hopefully practicing each bit - a lot - before progressing to the next bit. Tap can seem very hard on the feet and legs. After trying it for a while, go back and listen again to the early part where she talks about how to tap easily… It is easy, but not if you insist on making it hard. Re-lax.

Last, it’s not covered much on the disc, but our experience with Tap is that it’s more fun with real Tap shoes - which can quickly damage most floors... You can also learn and practice using some sturdy “regular” shoes – not as good - but those are also damaging to floors… Just not as much or as quickly... So, get a practice board to learn and practice on. Something from the Big Box Home Store or a Dance Store On-line. It will make the whole experience better – and create fewer traumas for whoever owns the floor(s)...