Tap dance has this reputation for being one of the most difficult forms of dance. Or if not the most difficult, only possible to learn if you have a natural talent for it. Or just plain too hard for most dancers to master.
Have you noticed that the tappers on many seasons of So You Think You Can Dance have been required to do a bunch of other forms of dance, but none of the other dancers are required to tap? Apparently the reason is (according to an insider) that you "can't teach a non-tapper a full tap routine in the same amount a time a tapper can learn a non-tap routine."
But here's something to consider: tap IS NOT measurably any harder than any other genres of dance. Is there a lot of weight shifting? Sure, but jazz has that, too. Are the shoes slippery? Yes, but so are character shoes. Is there more footwork? Yes, but who decided that foot isolations are harder than, say, arm isolations? I'd say that for most people, mastering ballet is a lot harder than mastering tap... so how did tap get this reputation for being "too hard"?
My theory is that it all comes back to dance studios and how tap is presented. Tap just simply isn't prioritized at so many of them. There are fewer levels. The tap classes are shorter. The justification is that you're not spending time stretching but there should be a significant warm up, no? Company dancers are required to take everything under the sun but tap. Basically, tap dance is treated like an afterthought - an extra-curricular activity that "real" dancers may or may not to.
And from there, tap earns its reputation in two ways. Tap dancers want to justify their love of what is at many studios a less popular genre, and so they say "Of course there are fewer tap dancers - not everyone is up to the challenge!" And dancers who don't tap, but do everything else explain their choice not to tap by saying that tap is just too difficult a transition for classically trained dancers.
Apparently this has led to some rivalries between tap dancers and ballet, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop dancers that I have been lucky enough NOT to encounter in the studios where I dance. I was in a thread recently where a ballet/jazz/sometimes-tapper said they felt talked down to by "serious tappers" and the tappers said they felt talked down to by classically trained dancers.
Yikes, right?! That's a lot of down talking!
I obviously think more people should be tapping and that tap dance should be taken more seriously at more studios, but I also believe that dancers of all stripes need to just agree that ALL dance is hard when you're talking about mastery. After all, there's a world of difference between taking a weekly adult ballet class and being at the top of your game in the ballet world... between taking a casual adult tap class and tapping competitively or professionally. That's the case in all genres of dance. It's not about the innate talent you have or how quote/unquote hard the form supposedly is.
It's all about the effort a dancer puts into the form - tap included.
Want to learn to tap dance? Tap instructor Christa Terry teaches kid, teen, and adult tap classes at Dance Enthusiasm in Salem, MA! 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, Christa knows you can do it!
And guess what? Christa is now teaching jazz classes for kids and jazz classes for teens at Dance Enthusiasm! Call (978) 741-1900 for info or use the link to register!
Have you noticed that the tappers on many seasons of So You Think You Can Dance have been required to do a bunch of other forms of dance, but none of the other dancers are required to tap? Apparently the reason is (according to an insider) that you "can't teach a non-tapper a full tap routine in the same amount a time a tapper can learn a non-tap routine."
My theory is that it all comes back to dance studios and how tap is presented. Tap just simply isn't prioritized at so many of them. There are fewer levels. The tap classes are shorter. The justification is that you're not spending time stretching but there should be a significant warm up, no? Company dancers are required to take everything under the sun but tap. Basically, tap dance is treated like an afterthought - an extra-curricular activity that "real" dancers may or may not to.
And from there, tap earns its reputation in two ways. Tap dancers want to justify their love of what is at many studios a less popular genre, and so they say "Of course there are fewer tap dancers - not everyone is up to the challenge!" And dancers who don't tap, but do everything else explain their choice not to tap by saying that tap is just too difficult a transition for classically trained dancers.
Apparently this has led to some rivalries between tap dancers and ballet, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop dancers that I have been lucky enough NOT to encounter in the studios where I dance. I was in a thread recently where a ballet/jazz/sometimes-tapper said they felt talked down to by "serious tappers" and the tappers said they felt talked down to by classically trained dancers.
Yikes, right?! That's a lot of down talking!
I obviously think more people should be tapping and that tap dance should be taken more seriously at more studios, but I also believe that dancers of all stripes need to just agree that ALL dance is hard when you're talking about mastery. After all, there's a world of difference between taking a weekly adult ballet class and being at the top of your game in the ballet world... between taking a casual adult tap class and tapping competitively or professionally. That's the case in all genres of dance. It's not about the innate talent you have or how quote/unquote hard the form supposedly is.
It's all about the effort a dancer puts into the form - tap included.
Want to learn to tap dance? Tap instructor Christa Terry teaches kid, teen, and adult tap classes at Dance Enthusiasm in Salem, MA! 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, Christa knows you can do it!
And guess what? Christa is now teaching jazz classes for kids and jazz classes for teens at Dance Enthusiasm! Call (978) 741-1900 for info or use the link to register!
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