Well, I’m a bit late, but that’s not unusual for me when it comes to wishing friends and family birthday and anniversary wishes. So why should it be any different for national tap dance day?
Anyway…Yesterday, May 25th, was National Tap Day! So, hurray for tapping!
I can still remember Julian when he was just nine or 10 years old going to play with a friend. I’d just dropped him off and was sitting in the car watching until he got into the house. Julian had rung the bell and was waiting for his friend to open the door. As he stood there, he did a tap dance.
Julian has always loved tap dancing. He doesn’t do as much of it any more, although he and I both wish he did. His focus is on ballet these days–and this blog tends to focus more on ballet than other styles of dance, since ballet forms the foundation of most dance styles. When we are in New York for the ABT Summer Intensive Julian actually does a lot of tapping, especially with Michelle Dorrance if she is around. Last summer he also had a private lesson with Jason Samuels Smith, which was awesome. I have videos of the warm up…OMG. I didn’t think he’d survive the lesson based just on the warm up.
Tap is a wonderful art form. The dancers feet become instruments. Julian has tapped with some of the best…and they are a delight to watch and listen to. I understand that it is much more difficult to make a living as a tapper than in some other areas of dance. (I’ve been trying to get a tapper to write a post for me, but I’ve had no luck yet. I’ll keep trying.)
If you are thinking about getting your son involved in dance and aren’t sure how to start him out, sign him up for a tap class. Boys love tap! It’s all about making noise –well, music –with their feet, and they think that’s cool. They can be loud! They think that’s cool, too. Plus, they don’t have to wear any special dance clothes. More studios have boys’ tap classes than any other types of all-boy dance classes to boot.
Here’s a great article on how tap got a national day of it’s own. Enjoy!
By the way, the photo is of Miller and Ben tap shoes. They are great! That’s what Julian wears (the Jazz Tap model in black). You can get fitted for them by Avi Miller or Ofer Ben at Broadway Dance Center in New York, where they teach. Take class from them if you can; it’s like a comedy act. They hold mikes, play the piano…lots of fun.
Tap is how my son got started. He started with an all boy tap class when he was six and now he takes classes in all styles.
We will be in NYC for the ABT YDSW this summer so we are definitely going to stop by the Broadway Dance Center to get a fitting for those tap shoes. Thanks for the tip!