TIP TOP TAP!

Tired of being teased for having two left feet? It is time to prove everyone wrong and put your foot down HARD on this fallacy, especially when it comes to tap dancing!

As long as you can stand and walk, you can tap dance.Not convinced? Just try this: Standing upright, raise your right foot slightly off the ground. Now bring the ball of your foot down hard onto the floor.

Congratulations! You have just made your first step towards tap dancing!


Turn it on!

Ms Alicia Loo, a dance teacher who has been tap dancing for nearly 25 years, says it is very easy to pick up tap. She reveals that her adult students, many with no dance background, take quickly to this dance.

"It just looks harder than it really is!" Ms Loo says with a laugh. "In fact, when you walk, you are already doing certain steps in tap. Heel, ball, heel, ball, now you just have to put these steps to a rhythm!"

And tap is not just good physical exercise; it can also offer you quite a mental workout.

"You are constantly thinking, keeping your brain in motion as you dance. As students, you have to be alert, watching the teacher, following the steps and co-ordinating the movements with your hands. So students definitely have to think on their feet!" exclaimes Ms Loo (left).

Tap dancing can be done with friends or solo.

Performers like the Australia-based Tap Dogs or Ireland's Riverdance have shown the great impact created when a group taps together.

However, unlike 'social' dances like the Lindy Hop or jazz dancing, a partner is not essential to tap.

Hence you can practise tap everywhere. Standing at the bus stop, sitting down in a meeting or while walking to the pantry to get a cup of coffee, are all opportunities to practise the basic steps of tap, says Ms Loo.

Tap into the attitude

According to Ms Loo, there are two broad styles in tap - Broadway and Rhythm.

She explains that the former looks grander with more hand gestures, as seen in early Hollywood musicals with stars like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Its impact is more visual.

In Rhythm tap, the moves are funkier, with more hand and body clapping. Ms Loo says that while it is thought to be a modern incarnation, tapping probably has its roots in the style of Rhythm tap.

She adds that while Rhythm tap can be done to recent tunes spun in discos, it can also be done acapella.

Practitioners of this style include Savion Glover, Mike Minery and Tap Dogs.

But whatever the style, what is most important in tap dancing is attitude!

Ms Loo recalls a mother who took tap dancing classes with her daughter, and even went on stage to perform together.

"That was a gutsy lady!" she exclaims. "She knew that she was not the best tap dancer and she could not achieve certain steps, given the short rehearsal time, but she was really into the groove!"

"While I feel that rhythm is the main crux of tapping, when you tap dance, it is also important to project the right attitude!"

Sounds good

Also key in tap dancing are the sounds created. It is what distinguishes tap from other dances.

"You want to hear the sounds, the rhythms that come out of tap. What is really exciting is when you hear all these sounds yet the dancer's feet seem to be barely moving!" says Ms Loo.

Mr Melvin Lee, 27 (left), took up tap dancing a year ago and loves it. The full-time private tutor reveals that he has done ballroom dancing and salsa before, but now ranks tap as his favourite.

He explains: "Tap is unique. It combines sight and sound. It is visually attractive, and you are the 'music' personified. In fact, you do not have to tap to music because you provide the rhythm."

"Furthermore, in most other dances there are fixed steps to follow. In tap, it is also about improvisation and being creative. When you tap, do not think so much about the steps to do. Instead, just relax, feel the rhythm and do it!"

Another tap convert is Ms Lou Lian Pei, 30, a homemaker.

She says: "I've done tap for two years and I still find that there is always something new to pick up. And you can tap to all kinds of music - pop, big band, jazz, even rock!"

(Foot) Drumming to a new beat

Jitterbugs Swingapore is a dance school that offers tap dancing classes for adults. According to its Executive Creative Director, Ms Lim Sing Yuen, tap dancing has been around in Singapore for over 30 years.

However it is only in the last few years that tap has gained greater prominence, thanks to exposure in movies like Chicago, Bootmen and Billy Elliott, as well as with performances by international tap dancing troupes.

To meet this growing interest, the school started tap dancing classes for adults four years ago.

"Tap is sometimes known as 'foot drumming'. So if you enjoy rhythms and sounds, you will probably also enjoy tap dancing," says Ms Lim.

Also, do not use age or stiff bones as excuses for not trying tap.

"People always say that they are too old and no longer flexible to try new dances. In tap, you don't need flexibility too much. Your feet just have to be a little more agile. Besides, like any physical activity, what is important is to start off slow and go at your own pace," advises Ms Lim.

Ms Loo agrees. She reveals that she has a student in her 50s, who switched from line dancing to tap dancing. "Even my mother who is 60 wants to do tap now! So obviously age is not an issue," she adds.

But do take care, because once you start tap, more likely than not, you will be hooked.

Says Ms Loo with a chuckle: "In shopping centres or while walking down the street, you can identify 'tappers' easily because they just cannot keep their feet still! They have a rhythm going in their heads and they just have to let it out!"

Tap to it!

Jitterbugs Swingapore offers three levels of tap dancing classes for adults.

The beginners' eight-week course costs $96 (members) and $144 (non-members). Membership per annum costs $50 and $24 (for students and Full-time National Servicemen).

For more information, visit www.swingapore.com.