why tap dance is for ALL dancers

If you believe that tap class is a powerful tool for every dancer, then I am right there with you! When I was growing up, tap class was the only option offered to the preschoolers at the studio I attended. Ballet and jazz were reserved for ages 6 & up, but we could begin tap at 3 years old. It was the first class I took, and it is the style of dance I have loved ever since.

Looking back, it is easy to see all the benefits that tap had on my training, and how tap informed everything I did as a dancer. Tap taught me to:

• think in patterns
• remember sequences of movement
• move in a musical way
• be specific and clear
• understand dynamics

Did I know any of that, at 3 years old (or even 13 years old, for that matter)? Nope. But I did know this ---

Tap dance made me feel good. Tap dance was something I could feel with my body, see with my eyes, and hear with my ears all at the same time.
​
In 25 years of teaching, tap has always been on my roster and I have had the pleasure of seeing how tap class has positively affected my students of all ages, in every style of dance that they take. Here are the benefits I've seen, in action!

For preschool age dancers, tap class provides:

• ​engagement and focus
• instant feedback through feeling and hearing the result of a movement
• wonder and joy at the power of making sound with their bodies
• opportunities to meet developmental milestones (like all those mentioned in the Tap Targets series)

For elementary age dancers, tap class:

• builds memory and recall
• teaches patterns (which translates to school skills too)
• emphasizes understanding the downbeat, and how to move with it
• challenges coordination
• provides a basis for varied rhythms and feels

For middle school and high school dancers, tap class:

• increases the sense of precision and accuracy
• teaches dynamic changes and a fuller understanding of rhythmic structure
• provides a forum for individuality and artistic growth, through improvisation
• builds speed and clarity in movement
• grows stick-to-it skills and perseverance

Not everyone is going to love tap the way you do (and that's ok!). But I am on the pro-tap bandwagon, because in the same way that classical styles of dance train the body to move well across all dance forms, tap dance has the same power to positively transform the whole dancer (and the whole person, for that matter)!

I am sharing link to the Benefits of Tap poster with you, so that you may share it and spread the love and benefits of tap in your own community. Hang it in your studio or post it on your social media to help promote the benefits of tap!

Downloadable Benefits of Tap Poster

Benefits of Tap Social Media Graphic

​Visit my shop for more dance resources that support a creative, positive, and imaginative dance classroom. Keep in touch by signing up for my weekly tap newsletter, and join me on Facebook at dance dance HOORAY or follow me on Instagram @dancedancehooray!