Tap Tutorials by Christa Terry

Ready to learn some tap? If you're getting ready to take an adult tap class, it's a good idea to get familiar with a couple of tap steps before your class begins!

Wondering how to do the tap step sometimes called a roller coaster... or an Alexander... or a Broadway or a Shirley Temple? This is a classic tap step that should be in every dancer's toolbox.

Paddle and roll (sometimes called a paradiddle) comes in different flavors! The most basic paddle and roll has four sounds, but you can do a five-count paddle and roll or a six-count paddle and roll, too.

Ready to learn how to do a back essence? It's one of the core classic tap dance steps! It has four sounds and is usually swung.

After you master the single back essence, why not try the double back essence (which has five sounds) and the triple back essence (which has six sounds)?

Remember that unlike ballet, the tap dance lexicon isn't fixed. One studio might call a certain tap combo or step one thing while another studio calls it something completely different!

Want to dance with tap instructor Christa Terry? Check out the Dance Enthusiasm fall season schedule here: http://www.danceenthusiasm.org/classes

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