Tap Dancing Classes in Amarillo
Tap Dance is an artform that demands skill and precision. Achieving the athletic skill, flexibility, and agility that various forms of dance require can be overwhelming. Dance Arts Amarillo teaches the art of dance with patience and kindness. Students not only develop dancing skills, but also increased self-confidence.
Dance Arts Amarillo offers a variety of dance classes including tap dancing. For this class, dancers require special shoes fitted with metal taps applied on the sole of the shoes. Dances are composed of rhythmic toe and heel tapping. Some styles of tap dance include rhythm, classical, Broadway, and post-modern. All use the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. The dancer’s use their feet like drums to create patterns and beats.
To begin each class, dancers will warm up their muscles by stretching. They will then start out learning and practicing a series of basic steps. Some beginning steps include the brush, flap, shuffle, and ball change. As they begin to master steps, more difficult steps and combinations will be added. Instructors will spend time not only teaching these steps and combinations, but also listening for the sounds of extra taps and coaching dancers to produce clean sounds. Tap dance requires aerobic fitness and muscle control.
A tap dancer’s main goal is to produce clear sounds in a variety of tones. Their body weight should be held slightly forward with knees and ankles always relaxed. Most of the dancing is done on the balls of a dancer’s feet. No previous dance experience is required to begin learning tap dancing. It is a fun way to build cardiovascular health, strength, flexibility, and coordination. Dancer’s build leg and foot strength and increase hip, knee, and ankle flexibility. In addition to physical benefits, tap dance also builds a dancer’s cognitive abilities. They must develop mental and muscle memory to become truly proficient tappers. Tap dancers also develop a sense of rhythm and timing.
Whether just beginning dance or an experienced dancer, tap is an option that offers a fun twist along with the many of the traditional benefits of dance. Dancers can perform solo or with others, with music or acapella. At Dance Arts Amarillo, we strive to build not only confident dancers, but also artistically skilled dancers. Beautiful dance comes in a variety of styles. Tap dance is just one option at Dance Arts Amarillo.