"To dance is to give oneself up to the rhythms of all life” -Dr. Maya V. Patel

Some say tap dancing is a dying art form. If this is true, what a sad day for the dance world. Tap dancing allows the dancer to explore the rhythms and beats of music and dancing that few dance forms actually create.

Suzanne Farrell said it best when she said,
"I liked tap, because I liked hearing the results of my movements."

It can be light, barely brushing the ground like in soft shoe. Cole and Atkins were two of the most brilliant soft shoe tap artists in history. Watch the following video for an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6f6ewUdHcQ

Or it can be more grounded, solid, heavier, creating a completely different sound, like the street dancers in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8g2n2XeAeA

One of my favorite tap videos I have recently found, has a dance battle between the more Jazzy/Street oriented tap dancing and the Folk/River dancing style. Also, to reiterate previous points I have made in my blog, they utilize other forms of dance to execute their tap steps. The one that will probably stand out to those not as familiar with other dance forms starts at about 3:21 when he starts to do turns, (Or Chane's (Sha-neigh's) in Ballet). Given they are more stylized then traditional Chane's but notice how he spots to keep his focus, keeps a solid core, and utilizes several other techniques that are taught in Ballet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwdjPDw6o5I&feature=related

Funny Tap Quote of the Day:

"I would imagine that if you could understand Morse code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy."
-Mitch Hedberg