Adult Tap

Put on your tap shoes and make some noise!

There aren't many forms of dance where you become part of the music.

That is what makes tap different.

Every shuffle, step, heel and beat creates a sound. Put those sounds together with the music and suddenly you're not just dancing to the rhythm – you're making it.

Adult Tap at Lisa Mason School of Dance is a fun, friendly class for adults who want to learn, improve or rediscover tap dancing.

Whether you've tapped before or are wondering whether now might finally be the time to give it a try, we'd love to hear from you.

There's something wonderfully satisfying about tap

At first, you're concentrating on where your feet are supposed to go.

Then you hear the sound you're looking for.

A few steps begin to join together.

And before long you're dancing a combination that would have seemed impossible when you started.

That sense of achievement is one of the things people love about tap.

Classes develop the foundations of tap dancing and gradually bring steps together into combinations and routines.

You'll work on:

• rhythm and timing
• coordination
• footwork and technique
• musicality
• movement and control
• learning and remembering combinations

And, of course, you'll make plenty of noise along the way.

Exercise without staring at the clock

Tap can certainly get you moving.

You're constantly using your feet and legs, transferring your weight, coordinating movements and responding to the music.

Research into tap dancing has found that it can provide worthwhile physical activity, while NHS guidance recognises dance generally as an activity that can contribute to strength and physical fitness.

But that isn't necessarily why people keep coming back.

When you're concentrating on the music and trying to get that next combination right, you can forget you're exercising at all.

It's much more interesting than counting repetitions in a gym.

A workout for your brain as well as your feet

Tap demands concentration.

You have to listen to the rhythm, remember a sequence of steps and get your feet to produce the right sound at the right moment.

Sometimes that's easier said than done!

Research into tap dancing has highlighted the importance of precise timing and coordination, while studies involving older recreational tap dancers have also identified cognitive and social benefits alongside the physical ones.

More importantly, there is the satisfaction of learning something.

You're not simply repeating an exercise.

You're developing a skill.

“But I've never tapped before…”

That's fine.

Everybody who can tap once stood in a pair of tap shoes without knowing what to do with them.

You don't need years of childhood dance training to discover tap as an adult.

Equally, if you tapped years ago and have been thinking about coming back, you may be surprised how quickly some of those familiar steps begin to return.

Speak to Lisa about your previous experience and she can advise you which class would be most suitable.

And don't worry if you don't own tap shoes yet. Contact Lisa before your first class and she can advise you what you'll need.

Serious dancing – without taking ourselves too seriously

Lisa has taught tap for many years and is an Associate Teacher of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD).

So you will be learning proper technique.

But that doesn't mean class has to feel formal or intimidating.

There is plenty of encouragement, plenty of music and, inevitably, plenty of laughter when the feet don't quite do what the brain told them to do.

That's part of learning.

Adult dance should be something you look forward to.

Dance in a proper studio

Adult Tap takes place at LMSD Studios in Haverhill, purpose-built for dancing.

The studios have:

• sprung dance floors
• full-length mirrors
• ballet barres
• air conditioning
• toilets and accessible facilities
• kitchenette
• easy parking

The sprung floor is especially valuable for a class such as tap, giving dancers a proper dance surface rather than tapping on the hard floor of an ordinary community hall.

Why Tap?

Because it's fun.

Because it's challenging.

Because music sounds rather different when you're helping to create the rhythm yourself.

Because learning something new feels good.

And because there is a particular satisfaction in finally producing a clean sequence of sounds after your feet have spent half the lesson refusing to cooperate.

Come for the dancing. Stay for the tapping, the music and the laughs.

Fancy giving it a go?

Whether you're completely new to tap, returning after years away or looking for somewhere to continue dancing, contact Lisa and have a chat about the right class for you.

Adult Tap
Lisa Mason School of Dance
LMSD Studios
Suite 1, Unit 4 Hollands Road
Haverhill
CB9 8PP

Lisa: 07958 788292

No tap experience? Don't let that stop you.