Any instructor, studio owner, or dancer will tell you that taking tap classes is about more than just learning to shuffle-ball-change. While you could probably argue that it's the kids in tap classes that get the most well-rounded education at the studio, I think that what follows applies to all my dancers.
When you're in dance classes, you're learning a lot about:
1. Time Management - Whether you're a teen on the competitive track or an adult tap dancer who is taking classes one evening a week, figuring out how to juggle it all is tough. I have a busy full-time regular job, take care of my kids... and teach and take dance. Heck, even my 10-year-old has to figure out how to do her homework and fit in piano practice every day before dance - not to mention still stay connected with friends in between competitions and shows. To make dance a part of your life, you definitely have to get - and then stay - organized.
2. Dedication - Dance is fun, but speaking from experience, living the dance life isn't all fun and games. Sometimes classes, rehearsals, shows, and competitions get in the way of having a social life. Some days in the studio are harder than others. We've all had that klutzy day when it feels like you're the only one not getting it. Corrections can be hard to take, but you take them because you love the art form.
3. Determination - Tap dancing (and ballet and hip hop and every other genre of dance) comes naturally to some and not to others. And even when it does come naturally, there still may be a lot of practice necessary to get to the next level and then the level after that. Dancers who really feel driven to expand and evolve their skills have to work hard and not get discouraged when the going gets tough.
4. Discipline - Dance itself is a discipline. Dancers have to follow rules in the studio and on stage. Yes, even the tap dancers! We all can get silly sometimes, but when you take dance classes you quickly get a sense of when it's okay to be silly and when it's time to get down to work.
5. Creativity - Not all dance studios or instructors encourage students to make up their own dances or to tap improv, but I think it's an important part of learning to dance. Not all dancers will want to become choreographers, but knowing how to express your inner thoughts and feelings through dance brings you closer to the art form. It also gives you something wacky to do at parties!
6. Precision - When your instructor yells out 5,6,7,8 you know that it's time to hit those marks. You might not do every run through perfectly every time - very few of us do - but you give it your all every time.
7. Courage - Getting up on stage in front of an audience can be a nerve-wracking experience. I've been doing it for years and I still get the jitters! I have a lot of students in my adult tap classes who don't want to be in the recital, but the ones that do aren't always the most confident. They're just the ones who are willing to push through their fears to have some fun.
8. Coping with Failure - There's a great quote: "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." It takes most of us a long time to learn that truth, but I think dancers learn it faster. When you don't get the part or you place third - or eighth - in a competition or you don't get moved to the next level class, it hurts. Some people take that as a sign that they should quit. Dancers just keep on dancing.
9. Teamwork - Whether or not you are a competitive dancer, you are part of a squad. When you take dance classes, whether it's tap classes in childhood or adult tap classes, you form special bonds with your fellow dancers. You want to lift your team members up and help them shine, and they want to do the same for you. In group dances, you all are working toward the same goals.
10. Self Confidence - The more you grow as a dancer, the more confident you'll start to feel in all parts of your life. No kidding! Whether it's because you know that you can get up on stage and kill it in front of a packed audience or because you are proud of yourself for learning something new, the confidence you gain in the dance studio will follow you wherever you go.
Where am I going with this? I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're on the fence about putting your kids into tap classes or taking an adult tap class yourself because you're thinking "When will they (or I) ever use this?", then know that you will use what you learn in the dance studio more than you'd expect!
Want to tap dance? Christa Terry teaches kid tap classes, teen tap classes, and adult tap classes at Dance Enthusiasm in Salem, MA! More info on the upcoming summer schedule: http://www.danceenthusiasm.org/summer/ Whether you've never put on a pair of tap shoes or you want to get back into tap dancing, whether you're 8 or 80, tap instructor Christa knows you can do it!
When you're in dance classes, you're learning a lot about:
1. Time Management - Whether you're a teen on the competitive track or an adult tap dancer who is taking classes one evening a week, figuring out how to juggle it all is tough. I have a busy full-time regular job, take care of my kids... and teach and take dance. Heck, even my 10-year-old has to figure out how to do her homework and fit in piano practice every day before dance - not to mention still stay connected with friends in between competitions and shows. To make dance a part of your life, you definitely have to get - and then stay - organized.
2. Dedication - Dance is fun, but speaking from experience, living the dance life isn't all fun and games. Sometimes classes, rehearsals, shows, and competitions get in the way of having a social life. Some days in the studio are harder than others. We've all had that klutzy day when it feels like you're the only one not getting it. Corrections can be hard to take, but you take them because you love the art form.
3. Determination - Tap dancing (and ballet and hip hop and every other genre of dance) comes naturally to some and not to others. And even when it does come naturally, there still may be a lot of practice necessary to get to the next level and then the level after that. Dancers who really feel driven to expand and evolve their skills have to work hard and not get discouraged when the going gets tough.
4. Discipline - Dance itself is a discipline. Dancers have to follow rules in the studio and on stage. Yes, even the tap dancers! We all can get silly sometimes, but when you take dance classes you quickly get a sense of when it's okay to be silly and when it's time to get down to work.
5. Creativity - Not all dance studios or instructors encourage students to make up their own dances or to tap improv, but I think it's an important part of learning to dance. Not all dancers will want to become choreographers, but knowing how to express your inner thoughts and feelings through dance brings you closer to the art form. It also gives you something wacky to do at parties!
6. Precision - When your instructor yells out 5,6,7,8 you know that it's time to hit those marks. You might not do every run through perfectly every time - very few of us do - but you give it your all every time.
7. Courage - Getting up on stage in front of an audience can be a nerve-wracking experience. I've been doing it for years and I still get the jitters! I have a lot of students in my adult tap classes who don't want to be in the recital, but the ones that do aren't always the most confident. They're just the ones who are willing to push through their fears to have some fun.
8. Coping with Failure - There's a great quote: "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." It takes most of us a long time to learn that truth, but I think dancers learn it faster. When you don't get the part or you place third - or eighth - in a competition or you don't get moved to the next level class, it hurts. Some people take that as a sign that they should quit. Dancers just keep on dancing.
9. Teamwork - Whether or not you are a competitive dancer, you are part of a squad. When you take dance classes, whether it's tap classes in childhood or adult tap classes, you form special bonds with your fellow dancers. You want to lift your team members up and help them shine, and they want to do the same for you. In group dances, you all are working toward the same goals.
10. Self Confidence - The more you grow as a dancer, the more confident you'll start to feel in all parts of your life. No kidding! Whether it's because you know that you can get up on stage and kill it in front of a packed audience or because you are proud of yourself for learning something new, the confidence you gain in the dance studio will follow you wherever you go.
Where am I going with this? I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're on the fence about putting your kids into tap classes or taking an adult tap class yourself because you're thinking "When will they (or I) ever use this?", then know that you will use what you learn in the dance studio more than you'd expect!
Happy tapping!
Want to tap dance? Christa Terry teaches kid tap classes, teen tap classes, and adult tap classes at Dance Enthusiasm in Salem, MA! More info on the upcoming summer schedule: http://www.danceenthusiasm.org/summer/ Whether you've never put on a pair of tap shoes or you want to get back into tap dancing, whether you're 8 or 80, tap instructor Christa knows you can do it!
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