“Step”, “tap dance”, “jiga” or, in the American style, “tap” is a dance that everyone knows. It became popular back in the 20s of the last century. He is recognized by the characteristic beat of the heels and the incredibly fast movements of the dancer's legs. Over the years, it has not lost its relevance, and now the tap dancers beat not only to jazz, but also to rap and to R'n'B and other modern music, because, by and large, “tap” is the same music, only it is performed with feet.
It is necessary
- tap-dancing shoes;
- non-slip floor;
- patience.
Instructions
Step 1
Even the simplest elements are not so easy for a beginner tap dancer. But as you know, patience and work - they will grind everything. At the initial stage, training is important. The movements must be brought to automatism, then the dance will seem light, relaxed and even a little imposing. The basic movement of the tap is the step. The peculiarity of the step step is that when it is performed, the dancer puts his foot on his full foot, and, despite the fact that he takes a step, the dancer still remains in place. There are four basic steps in tap dance: ball-change, flap, shuffle, brush. Ball-change is the simplest element of a tap. Hit the floor with your full right foot, and then kick with the toe of your left foot. Then just alternate these two movements: Flap - while standing on one foot, hit with the heel and then with the toe of the other foot and place your foot on the floor. Then do the same with the other leg. It is important here that the heel and toe strikes are not strong and create a feeling of lightness. Shuffle - performed similarly to Flap, however, during the movement, the dancer takes a step forward and leans forward a little Brush - first a heel strike is performed, with the leg forward, then it comes back and the toe kick is performed.
Step 2
Stomp and stamp are also important elements of the step. Take a normal step with your left foot, at the same time lift your right leg to your toes and keep your body weight on the last. And bring your left leg back, i.e. it should, as it were, bounce off the floor. Mastering this element will not be difficult for a beginner. Stamp is the same as stomp, except that when stamping, the foot making the kick does not bounce but stays on the floor. Flap heel or flap hl is very similar to a flap followed by a second heel kick. The Log - slide your right toe across the floor and end the movement with the toe of the same leg. Then do the same with your left foot. Do not forget about the hands: when one leg is laid back, the opposite hand also goes back with it. Despite its simplicity, this element is very original and dynamic. Its performance will beautify any dance, as well as give it dynamism.
Step 3
Then you can move on to learning the chords. The first link: sequential execution of movements stomp, hop, step, flap, step, stomp, hop, step, flap, step. Hop is a simple single hit. To complete it, you just need to jump and land on the same leg. Step - a simple blow to any leg with the transfer of body weight to it, while the heel should not touch the floor. Step can be performed both on the spot and with a step forward - backward or to the side, the second link - hop, shuffle, step, stomp. The elements must be performed in the specified sequence.
Step 4
In order to diversify the dance, two more elements must be studied. The triplet is performed in half a two-quarter measure. Raise your right leg and bend it at the knee. Climb onto the half-toes on your left foot and drop down onto your heel with a kick, counting times. At the same time, any double kick is performed with the right foot. The quad is performed for a whole “two-quarter” measure. The starting position is the same as for the triplet. After you hit with the heel of your left foot, you must flick (glide toe of the right foot forward) and immediately flack (glide kick with the toe of the right foot backward) with your right foot. After that, the leg must be bent at the knee and lower the toe of the right leg with a blow. The heel does not touch the floor. During the execution of the entire element, the body weight remains on the left leg. After the triplet and quadruple with the right leg are mastered and brought to automatism, proceed to the study of the elements with the left leg.
