Although tap dancing isn’t simple, it won’t be long before you will be tapping your way through lively routines. Tap dancing requires lots of practice, patience, and determination. Following are four tips to help you improve your tap dancing skills.
Number 1 – Relax your ankles
Have you ever wondered how professional tap dancers make every step look completely clean? The secret lies in relaxing the ankles. try not to overuse your ankles in order to perform your steps more quickly. Make sure you make a conscious effort to relax your ankles. Try using your legs, starting from the hips, limiting movements from the ankles. Allow your legs to do all the work, letting your feet just follow along.
Number 2 – Slow down
Many beginning tap dancers tend to rush through steps, speeding through combinations. Rushing will cause your steps to run together, blending individual tap sounds into one. If you find yourself skipping steps of combinations, slow down. Producing clean tap sounds is much more appealing than sloppy speed tapping.
Number 3 – Lean forward
One of the keys to tap dancing is the placement of your weight. Both of your feet must be capable of being lifted at any moment, so your center of gravity has to stay primarily in the middle. Try holding most of your weight forward when dancing, balancing on the balls of your feet.
Number 4 – Keep the rhythm
When you tap dance, you are doing more than dancing to music…you are making music. Make sure you keep in time with the music you are dancing to, instead of competing for the lead. Try not to get carried away with your own tap sounds. Listen to the music and move in time to the beat. if your tap sounds compliment the rhythm of the music, your audience will be truly mesmerized.
