Tap Dance Homepage Author's Page
Musings on Dance, Career Change, etc.
I never danced in high school or college. I mostly kept to myself as a shy guy with a few good friends. I took up guitar and played in a few club bands during that time. In college I took flute lessons my freshman year and practiced diligently and was accepted into the music program there playing second chair in the college/community orchestra. (I also majored in Psychology.)
After graduation I entered the work force, played music but still didn't dance. In 1988 I went to an outdoor concert in Phila. with a friend to hear a big band. There was a group of dancers and they announced that the Phila. Swing Dance Society would have their first monthly dance in a few weeks. Each dance included a free introductory lesson in swing dance. In preparation I took a 4-night adult education course and then went to the introductory lesson of that first dance. I had a great time and I was hooked.
I went to workshops and weekends for the next two years with a regular partner. I needed to develop a workshop dance notation to avoid losing steps I had learned. Each person had a note-taking method. Mine involved abbreviations and superscripts with the beats traveling left to right similar to music lead sheets with lyrics. I use the same style notation to keep tap dance combinations straight. There are examples on the Tap Step Page.
Tap Enters the Scene
I split with my swing partner in early 1991 and hadn't danced in a number of months. I saw the movie "Tap" starring Gregory Hines and upon seeing the five guys doing the sideways syncopated combinations in the street scene I said, "I want to learn to do THAT!" The scene only lasted about 20 seconds but it was enough. I started taking tap dance lessons which I found greatly improved my swing dancing when I resumed. Tap made the link between my musical improvisation skills and my dancing. I noticed both tap and swing steps had an undercurrent 'shuffle' beat (1 + uh 2 + uh) rather than an even '1 and 2 and' beat as it was usually taught. These were beat divisions based on triplets. After this realization my dancing really improved. I also found that although I was a runner and jumped rope for exercise tap dance forced me to move more freely and creatively because the muscles need to be loose to tap. One needs to "let go" to create the sounds.
I also found that there is a greater variety in the approaches of tap teachers than I expected. I've had three substantial teachers and single lessons with four replacement teachers. All focused on technique and "clean" taps but worked the dance floor differently. Close work was interspersed with across-the-floor movements. Ballet/stage influenced tap vs. street/challenge tap. A focus on the class as one organism with focus on individual problems. Observing this helped my approach to teaching computer skills. Individual problems can illustrate difficulties that can then be used to develop a step-wise approach to some task.
I went with a group of dancing friends to swing dances as well as country-western and Latin lessons and dances. I even tried clogging briefly. I mention this because my involvement with dancing has opened possibilities and stimulated my creativity.
During this time my employer's business was going under and I decided to pursue a new career. I began volunteering at the monthly swing dances. Then I began volunteering at the Macintosh user group teaching skills at the meeting each month. I followed this by volunteering at my local library and taking computer classes at the community college and Drexel University. It took many months to build skills through volunteering, classes and self-study while investigating the job market but I'm happy to say that my new career is underway. By the way, here's a picture of me at work.
Conclusion
I tried Tango for about a year and a half, but never found the drive to pursue it as others did. I'm currently not dancing but keeping in shape by exercising. I keep in touch with the dance scene by reading, corresponding and working on the Tap Dance Homepage.
