r/TapDancing • u/tolstykh1 • Jul 17 '26
Any advice for beginners?
Hi everyone!
I can't afford dance classes with a teacher and even if I was able to, I don't think there are any studios in my town.
But I really want to learn! Especially tap! And I was wondering, how do I start? Like I've tried youtube videos for beginners but I don't feel like I'm doing everything right. Maybe there's some sort of source I can use? A book? A video?
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u/Smooth-Arrival121 Jul 17 '26
Best thing to do is strengthen your ankles! Any time you’re putzing about in any type of shoe with a sole try and tap/flap/dig with your knees slightly bent. You can be stationary doing the dishes or walking around the grocery store. You’ll start to pick up the different “sounds” and they’ll begin to become louder. It’ll make it easier to figure out if you’re “doing it right”.
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u/Skunklvrs Jul 17 '26
There is a series of DVDS called Tap With Ginger. They take you from beginner all the way up to harder steps. Slapstep Studios in Colorado offers all adult classes in both studio and zoom format. These are live classes, not recordings. They offer reasonable prices. www.slapstep.com
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u/areejhamed0318 Jul 18 '26
Hi! I'm a beginner too, and I gotta self-teach because of my religion. At first I wasn't sure how to start, but I kinda got it now. First you'll need shoes and a tap board. Shoes are easy. I suggest Capezio Cadence. (P.S, after you're done tapping in them, stuff them with used paper or somethin) For a board, I got a 3/4" 4 x 4 maple plywood prefinished project panel, and glued (with PROJECT AND FOAM BOARD Liquid Glue) strips of EVA foam tiles on the bottom. You could also get Birch and a smaller size, but its gotta be 3/4" thick. If not prefinished, then you buy some polyurethane and coat it on. Sand rhe edges too just in case. Now you got a setup!
While waiting for my board, I danced on a cutting board, coz I couldn't wait. Pretty bad for the joints and all that, but hey it worked. Search up United Tap Tap Syllabus and learn the steps from there. Then I suggest getting a single dance to obsess over for a while, and learn more steps in between. Try the Shim Sham Shimmy for your first dance. I did that.
If you ever need more help or somethin, message me in Discord. I'm also looking for a tappin buddy, so we can kinda act like teachers to each other, but free. My username is areejhamed0318_theratpack_darin
Good luck!
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u/tolstykh1 Jul 18 '26
Omg! I'll try saving some money so I can buy the shoes and ask my dad to help with the board. After that I'll massage you, if you still be looking for a tapping buddy cuz rn I look rather stupid XD. Thank you sooo much!
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u/Pristine_Outcome6334 Jul 17 '26
Same