to heavy

[Lucy]

i have a problem with the way i tap dance, my teacher is always telling me im dancing to heavy, as much as i try to not do this i always do it again ! any ideas how i can get out of this habbit ?

[Fred Astaire]

Lots of people say that you may be dancing too heavy, but what they sometimes mean is that you are not dancing on your toes enough.

The American tap style is more flat footed than the UK style, but the recent ISTD sylabus change has taken on board some elements of the American style.

It all depends on what the dance is - if you are doing a light and jazzy solo then you want to be light, but if you are doing something similar to "Tap Dogs" then it needs to be heavy.

I guess the best way is to really think about the music and choreography and make sure that you are tapping within the 'style' of dance you are aiming for.

Heavy dancing isn't neccessarrily a bad thing, but it needs to be used at the right time and in the right dance.

Try to tap more on your toes, and not that I want to suggest that you admit defeat, select your dances carefully so that your style of dance compliments the dance that you are doing.

Also, try practicing tap at the barre - just by holding onto the barre can make you lean back slightly which will reduce the weight you use to tap with and it will help with your posture - another important factor in light tapping.

Hope this helps - anyone else got any suggestions for Lucy ?

Fred

[Lucy]

wow! thanks fred, i have never thought of it that way ! all i need to do now is focus on the style of tap im doing

[samantha]

Hello!

I think what Fred said is right. It is not really a bad thing to tap heavy. You just need to learn how and when to use it.
Maybe you have happened to do a lot of tap dances where heavy work has come into it, and now you might have some lighter music which means you need to get use to it.

Listen to your tap beats yourself and try and reduce them where needed. It helps to think about the style of tap in your head. Well this always works for me!

Hope this helps.