Here at York Rhythm Tap we run adult tap dance
class lessons at 4 different levels on a
Wednesday night at Belfrey Hall in York.
Classes are suitable for adult tap dancers who
are complete beginners through to those who are
seasoned tap dancers.
In the classes we will dance together to
traditional swing music, 90’s Indie, current
pop music, musicals and everythig inbetween!
If you have a favorite track then let me
know as I’m always looking out for new music ideas.
We also do theme weeks which are always great fun. It might be songs
based on a topic - pancakes, Riverdance, Rock
Anthems... It might be the season - Haloween,
Christmas, Easter... You might even get to
learn the dances straight out of the films -
Easter Parade, Singing in the Rain etc.
For more information or to book a class please
email on info@yrtap.co.uk
These classes are suitable for people who have never tapped before, or those with a bit of tap experience. The main requirement at this level is to enjoy the experience of learning to tap dance and to impress yourself with what you can actually do!
These classes are suitable for people who have done some tap before on a regular basis. You no longer need to break the fundamental tap steps down and go over them each week, but you still like to do them at a steady pace. You will encounter tap that is a bit faster and with some more intricate rythms than beginners, but there will still be a lot of explanation and build up of the steps.
This is for a tap dancer with a good knowledge and understanding of the fundamental tap steps and maybe a few more difficult ones. You are happy to tap at a moderate to fast pace, and you are used to (or have been used to) learning choreography in a tap class. It is a more explanatory class than the advanced, and more time is taken learning the material we will cover. You enjoy learning new things at a reasonable pace.
This is for a tap dancer with a high
knowledge and understanding of
fundamental tap steps, and you will
have more difficult ones in your back
pocket. Speed doesn’t phase you
(too much!), you can pick up new
choreography quickly, and you enjoy
learning new things and trying out
new tricky steps and combinations.
These are non-syllabus classes, so each class is
different. There will be a mixture of warm-up,
techncial exercises, classical and modern tap rep,
routines.
The exact mix will differ week to week. Classes
are stand alone, so you will not miss out on
choreography or content if you miss a week. There is
also no need to remember choreography from one week
to the next.
The classes are graded to different levels of
difficulty, so everyone will be able to find the correct
level for them. If you are not quite sure which
level is best, you can always try two levels at
a discount to find out! Some people choose to do
2 classes every week, one as a warm up and one
as a bit of a challenge and the classes are designed
specifically for this.
Classes run most weeks of the year, we do not stop
for school holidays. Please check on the website /
social media / WhatsApp group that the class is
running before attending.
We will have a warm up at the begining then do some
technical exercises to focus on a specific part of
tap dancing. This could be a step, a rhythm a
technique, working on speed etc. We will also
learn a longer piece of choreography. This might
be some traditional rep, modern rep, a dance inspired by someone
I’ve taken class with or something I’ve made up.
In theme weeks we will do a longer dance, so we
may not do the technical exercise that week.
We do not follow a syllabus, so each class is unique.
I try to have a mix of music, there will be some pop tunes in there both new and old, tunes from musicals and some more traditional jazz tunes. If we are learning rep, then we will use the traditional muic wherever possible. This does mean that you are stuck with my music taste! So, if you have any requests, or tunes you would like to hear let me know and we can use them.
Anyone over the age of 16. There is no upper age limit as people tap dance well into their 80’s and 90’s.
If you have tap shoes, then I would start with those! If you want to try the class before buying tap shoes, then wear a hard soled shoe like Dr Martens. Try to avoid trainers as you will stick to the floor and make some intersting squeeky noises, but if that’s all you have then just be ready for the funny noises!
If you want to buy tap shoes then get a hard soled shoe with a
low heel. There are many different brands to choose from and not
one that is ‘perfect’ as the best shoe for you depends on your
foot size, foot shape, foot width, what design you want and your
budget. Any hard soled tap shoe will do the job nicely.
Common brands found in class are Bloch (e.g.
timestep if you like open shoes, jazztap if you like closed shoes,
charleston or Chloe and Maud if you’re feeling fancy!), Capezio
(e.g. tic tap toe, Cadence), So Dancia etc.
These shoes fit in the same size as your street shoes and
can be easily purchased from dance shops in person
and online, or from ebay and vinted.
If you want to make an
investment in your tap shoes, then have a chat with me
and check out shoes like Miller and Ben, Reuben Sanchez,
Jason Samuel Smith (Bloch), Roxy (Capezio) etc. I can
show you and chat to you about the differences
between these shoes and what might work for you.
Something that you find comfortable and can freely move in. Exercise clothes, loose or stretch jeans, skirts, shorts etc. Lots of people turn up to class in what they’ve worn for work and lots of people change into excersice clothes. Go with what makes you feel comfortable.
No problem at all, we are a friendly bunch and dance classes
are the place to make friends.
My closest friends nearly all come from dancing, two lovelies I
met when I started dancing at four, and another one I
met when I was twenty one! The rhythm tap world is a really
lovely and friendly place to be, I've got a lof of
friends from attending classes or festivals.
There are several ways to book a class, or
find out more information.
You can send me an email info@yrtap.co.uk
Follow York Rhythm Tap on Instagram and send me a DM.
The link is at the bottom of the page.
Follow York Rhytm Tap on Facebook and send me a DM.
The link is at the bottom of the page.