Tap Dancing Update

Ok readers, I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated about  my tap dancing progress. With only a few more dance practices until the dance show, I don’t think I’m doing too shabby. I am certainly not at the level of everyone else as of yet, but I’m working on it.

Shirley Temple was pretty good at tapping in all of her movies. Note the slight jealousy. (courtesy of Britannica.com)

My choreographers were nice enough to email us a list of time steps that we are to perform at the beginning of the routine. I’ve had some time on my hands with Easter break and all, so I’ve managed to practice a bit. I now see where I am messing up and therefore where I have some questions. I do have some worries about performing still, but there is still time to fix problem areas.

Mario and Tap Dancing!

This video is incredible! Supposedly this man dances on Broadway, and I can see why. This just goes to show how significant the dancer’s movement itself is in the tap genre.

I am literally envious of this man’s talent. Additionally, this type of number also allows his personality to shine through. I suspect that he has played hours of Mario Brothers in order to get that familiar with the song.

Tap Take Two

Here's a payless children's tap shoe. Definitely a bargain! (photo courtesy of Payless.com)

So today was my second tap practice with the dance team. It was helpful going into practice with the mindset that I will most likely mess up. Somehow lower expectations for my technique helped me pay more attention to the choreographers rather than being distracted by the fact that I’m certainly less than an expert at this genre.

The hardest part of re-learning tap at my school, however, deals with the fact that we are not allowed to wear tap shoes in the dance studios so as to not ruin the floors. Unfortunately, I can’t entirely hear my output as much as I would like to. I tried wearing sneakers once to better hear my combinations, but I think since my sounds didn’t match what I heard around me, it only confused me more.

On a side note, one of my classmates asked which genres I would be dancing in this year. When I said tap, she immediately began asking me about tap shoe prices and such for her little cousin, who is beginning tap lessons soon. I’ve danced in a few different genres since the age of three, so my knowledge of where to find inexpensive tap shoes for children came naturally.

For any readers that need to purchase either jazz shoes or boots, tap shoes or flat ballet shoes, I urge you to check out the Payless website. The shoes are all under 25 dollars, which is very helpful for children around that annoying growth spurt time. I remember when I was 9 years old, I definitely had to buy all new dance shoes at least twice during the school year. I only wish Payless had this stuff back then!

Olympics Opening Ceremony Dances the Night Away

The torches at the opening ceremony (courtesy of http://static.stuff.co.nz)

During President’s Day weekend I managed to scrounge up the time to watch the Olympics opening ceremony for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. I must admit that it was AMAZING.

Besides experiencing the unique dances of the Candian Aborigines, the opening ceremony brought viewers to more contemporary styles of dance. The high-performance projectors allowed for modern dancers to perform in a setting that looked like an open, green field.

It was brilliant to see all of the modern performers in various costumes that mainly typified the average person. At some segments dancers were exhibiting different routines including all different types of turns and leaps, while at other points of the song they were all dancing in unison. It is certainly difficult to come up varied choreography for one song, never mind various routines that all lead up to the same steps.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the opening ceremony (for a dancer at least) was the tap dancing. I’m not sure words can entirely express what was portrayed to viewers through the television. Dancers performed a combination of tap dancing and what looked like Irish step dancing. This second type of dance looked very similiar to Irish step, but slightly differed at certain points, which brings me to believe that Canada has its own form of step dancing.

The best part: tap shoes that shot out flames from behind. These dancers demonstrated that they possess the utmost accuracy, speed and overall technique through completing their routine in FLAMING tap shoes. I am utterly envious of these dancers’ talent.

Oh, Tap Dancing!

For the past three years, I have been involved in my University’s dance team. This team is composed of over 100 dancers, and the best part is that all dancers who audition are automatically placed in at least one dance.

In past years I have been involved in only two genres: hip hop and jazz. The team’s typical hip hop choreography utilizes less technique than most other dance genres, so it was an easy choice considering the fact that during high school I chose to take a break from dance.

For this semester I decided to audition for jazz (my safety net), lyrical and tap. Lo and behold, the exectutive board placed me in both lyrical and tap, but not jazz. I believe my audition for tap went well, and I began to possess more confidence in my tap ability…until I actually attended our first practice.

The number we will be performing is from the opening scene of the play “42nd Street.” This number requires speed and accuracy, two skills I currently lack in this genre. Below I included a YouTube video that shows a variation of the “42nd Street” opener called “Audition Piece.” Needless to say, at the first practice I did a whole lot of stepping on my own ankles.