This Week in Tap Class

Published on November 21st 2019 by Hillary-Marie

In case you’re looking for some inspiration for your classes this week, iTapOnline™ Community members took the time to share what they’re working on with their students. The list included:

• Riffs of all kinds (Jessica F.)
• Transferring weight on rhythm turns for clean heel and toe drop sounds (Erika A.)
• Military and LA Timesteps. Clean paraddidles/paddles. Riffs and Choreography” (Sarah H.) This inspired some interesting discussion about, what is an LA timestep? 
• Condos rudiments (Christina C.)
• Paradiddle in my lower levels and triplets and pick ups in my higher levels (iTap Teacher Stephanie V.)
• Pullbacks (Jen T.)
• COUNTING! (Denise C.)
• Holiday show choreography (iTap Teacher, Lori P.)
• Swing vs. Straight grooves. Timing and staying with the tempo. Pick ups. The concept of fast and clean, and not letting your body sink (iTap Teacher, Michelle M.)
• Rolling shuffles (Heidi S.) Check out a video of the combo she shared in the iTapOnline™ Community Facebook Group
• Smooth weight transfers while traveling, relaxed ankle technique in shuffles, flaps and thirds, and holding down solid swinging eighth notes for 8 bars (Carole P.)
• Flaps and Essences (Nicole D.)
• Historical dances, including Laura, The Walkaround, the BS Chorus and the Shim Sham (iTap Teacher, Hannah J.) Interested in learning these dances? Check out my breakdown videos in the iTapOnline™ Member Center!

At the time of recording this podcast, I am preparing to leave the country for two weeks. I’ll be traveling to Brazil to teach at the Brazil International Tap Festival, so I’m wrapping up one of the teaching concepts I was working on with my students. We were working on an extended three and a break that includes some rolling and slides, to a song by Sting called Soul Cake. I first heard this song when Nic Garreiss played the song during a live-streamed online performance of it. A beautiful song, and Nic is a beautiful percussive dancer. He pulls from multiple percussive dance technique including flat-footing, and I personally find his dancing to be clean, honest, and entrancing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1gRK8hwqkY

youtube.com/watch?v=AOC45Ps6wUg

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