Teachers Talk: Tap Never Went Anywhere
Just what do you construe from the above title? Do you think I mean that tap never quite made its mark in the dance world? Or perhaps that tap is passé, obsolete, behind the times and down right old-fashioned? Well, I actually mean just the opposite of what you are probably thinking. Tap to me is the solid beat that my life dances to.
A few years back, dancers and dance teachers were quoted as saying “Tap is back!” Well, in my opinion, tap never went anywhere; it just took a slow ride for awhile in the backseat of the dance world machine. However, in my own daily studio life, tap never left. Tap was front and center driving Miss Danie to fulfill her dream of being able to convey her tap passion and knowledge on to the next generation of wannabe dancers. In my world, tap went everywhere.
I am a second generation dance teacher and can even recall hearing stories of how I “tapped in my mother’s womb.” My mother was a dance teacher at age eleven, a studio owner at age 13 and a strong proponent of tap from day one. Thus, I am sure that my genes are full of passion for tap as a true American dance form and one that is oh so much fun to do!
Students at the TAP KIDS 2007 Summer Intensive
Photo by David Starr
There are generations of tap dancers and teachers who have certainly contributed to the overall revival of dance today. How many of you remember Bill Robinson dancing with Shirley Temple? What about Gene Kelly? Who has shared the eclectic experience of Henry LeTang teaching a tap class while vamping chords and playing on an old rinky-dink piano with a cigarette in his mouth? What about Jack Stanley who forced you to move your feet so fast you thought they were on fire? Those were just a few of the great tappers who conveyed their passion to us, the tap teachers of today. Yes, they are gone but their expertise lives on in many great tap masters who now look to share their know-how with today’s students and teachers alike. Take them up on the offer. Don’t pass it up.
Let me tell you a true short story so you can then decide for yourself if tap is important for wannabe dancers. About 12 years ago we had a transfer student who, although she struggled in the tap portion, successfully auditioned for our company. She did not want to continue with tap, but following company policy I has set, she was required to take the class. And because I was the tap class teacher she did it every week with a smile on her face! Upon high school graduation she went on to college and majored in dance. No tap classes were offered at the college she chose to attend. This, I am sure, also brought a smile to her face. She was a beautiful dancer who favored lyrical, jazz and modern so she was quite successful throughout her college performing days. Upon graduation, she started on the audition trail which led her to try out for a touring company of “Crazy For You”. Although rusty in tap, she gave it a robust try.
Well, she made it into the cast and had a grand time traveling all over the world for many months. While on tour she sent me a thank you note relating her story. She described how proud she was to make it into the cast and credited her success specifically to me because I made her stay in tap classes. She told me how she stood at the audition watching as one fantastic dancer after another was cut because they could not do tap, not even a basic time step! She profusely thanked me for her achievement as a first-timer on a dance audition call. At the end of her tenure, she went on for a number of years to participate as an experienced contract performer in several successful contemporary dance companies. While performing in one city, she met her special man, married him and is now living the good life. End of story. Or perhaps I should say just the beginning. Her hand-written thank you note has a place of honor in my treasured collection of memorabilia.
Tap is here to stay. It never went anywhere. Tap has made its mark in the world of dance and definitely has a place in my heart and my life. I treasure my first pair of custom made silver tap shoes (which I still have). I am so thrilled that even today I can bend over to tie my beat-up black tap shoes, walk in a studio room and still teach an exhilarating class. Such great fun at any age!
Traditional tap is beautiful and can create a fantastic performance picture. It is the foundation that grounds the tap styles of today. It can go anywhere and do anything. Tap never left. Let’s chat at daniebeck@danceruniverse.com.