I love to get moving at the start of class. Tap dancing is a full body experience and we are going to work this idea through all exercises and drills. This year I have incorporated several concepts right into the warm up I do with the majority of my classes, especially with beginners.

First we begin with the Condos Warm-up (TOUCH, HEEL DROP, TOE TAP, ROCK from heel to toe) in 8s, 4s, 2s, and singles. This gets students counting right away. Sometimes if it’s a music theory week I will change up the rhythm to include a mixture of quarter notes, eighth notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes, or even a rhythm we have been working on in class.

From there I work with just STEP HEEL, being sure to work the entire leg by picking up the foot and knee. I like to over exaggerate so we all know what foot we are on and where our weight should be. We work in straight time first, quarter notes and eighth notes, and then we repeat that in swing time. (My beginners use the pattern 12 34, 12 34; 1& 2& 3& 4&, 1& 2& 3& 4& repeated 4 times or in swing 12 34, 12 34; 1a 2a 3a 4a, 1a 2a 3a 4a). This allows students to get the feeling and hear the difference between the two. Sometimes I will change up the pattern for more advanced students or initiate a call and response section.

Next up is the GRAPEVINE in a 7 3 1 pattern. Depending on the level of the students we will either do this just with STEP, STEP HEEL in straight time, or STEP HEEL in swing time. This forces them to count because they tend to run into each other if they don’t! It also teaches them the common pattern of doing something 7 times, then 3 times, then 1 time (usually switching feet).

Then we are back to straight time using the STEP HEEL pattern from before, but this time using HEEL DIG and TOE DROP, and then repeating it in swing time. This builds body awareness and weight change as well as a challenging technique for beginners.

We hit up the GRAPEVINE once again, just to drive home the 7 3 1 pattern and how to move through the space.

Lastly, I will end with PRESS CRAMP ROLL. Since we have worked with STEP HEEL in the first part of the warm-up I come back to it in a slightly harder form. I have found PRESS CRAMP ROLLS give my advanced students a bit of trouble too, especially when we start working with the opposite heel and changing feet. So instead of developing a separate exercise I put it right in the warm-up so we do it every week. Occasionally I will change the pattern once they catch on- we work in quarter notes first, then will do one in eighth notes and clap the remaining beats of the bar. Then maybe we will try 3 in a row on the same foot, etc…

This warm-up includes not only technique, but a good amount of body awareness and musical theory/concepts. Some of my favorite songs to use are “Just a Gigolo” by Louis Prima, “Mac the Knife” by Ella Fitzgerald, and “Movin On” by Louie Bellson.

**Special thanks to Thelma Goldberg for PRESS CRAMP ROLL ideas** Check out her AMAZING book Thelma’s Tap Notes and read more about her in this great article from Dance Studio Life written by Ryan Casey! Check out her youtube page too!