You've Got the Basics Down — Now What?
There's a moment in every tapper's journey where the shuffle-ball-change stops feeling like enough. Your feet know the fundamentals, but your brain is craving something messier, faster, more alive. That restless feeling? It's a good sign. It means you're ready to level up.
I remember the first time I watched someone rip through a Time Step at a jam session. The room went quiet for a split second — not because the move was flashy, but because the sound was so locked in. That's what advanced tap does. It turns your feet into instruments, and suddenly you're not just dancing. You're playing.
The Shim Sham: Your New Best Friend
Every tap dancer worth their Capezios has the Shim Sham in their back pocket. It's a classic routine — part history lesson, part full-body workout. The sequence weaves together the Tacky Annie, the Shim Sham step itself, and the Mooche, and it's been passed down through generations of hoofers since the vaudeville days.
Here's the thing most people don't tell you: the Shim Sham looks simple until you try to nail it at tempo with a room full of dancers. The beauty is in the unison. When everyone hits that first break together, you feel it in your chest. Start slow, get the rhythms clean, and don't rush the musicality. It'll come.
Flaps, Buffalos, and the Cramp Roll
Let's talk about three moves that will seriously sharpen your sound.
The Flap is deceptively simple. A quick slide of the ball of the foot — forward, back — but getting that crisp, clean tone takes patience. I've seen dancers practice flaps for twenty minutes straight just to isolate the sound. Boring? Maybe. Worth it? Absolutely.
The Buffalo picks up the pace. It's a sliding, tapping burst that demands both speed and control. You'll use it in fast-tempo routines, and it'll expose any sloppiness in your footwork real quick. Start at half-speed. Seriously. Your future self will thank you.
The Cramp Roll is where things get juicy. Heel-to-toe, rolling through the foot in one fluid motion. It sounds like a drum roll if you do it right, and like someone tripping down stairs if you don't. Strong ankles are non-negotiable here — so is patience.
The Time Step and the Irish: Rhythm Machines
The Time Step is a staple in almost every tap routine I've performed or watched. It's syncopated, punchy, and it builds energy fast. You're working shuffles, ball changes, and heel clicks into one compact phrase. Think of it as the espresso shot of tap — short, intense, and it wakes up the whole room.
The Irious — ahem, the Irish — is a sneaky little move. Quick slide, sharp tap. It pops up in fast choreography all the time, and it's one of those steps that separates the "getting by" dancers from the ones who look effortless. The trick is in the pickup. Don't muscle through it. Let the rhythm carry your foot.
The Shim Sham Shimmy: For When You Want to Show Off
Once you've got the original Shim Sham down cold, the Shim Sham Shimmy adds layers of syncopation and attitude that make it feel like a completely different routine. Extra rhythmic hits, quicker transitions, and a whole lot more personality. It's the kind of thing that makes audiences gasp — and fellow tappers nod in approval.
One Last Thing
Nobody ever got great at tap by thinking about it. You've gotta put in the floor time — the repetitive, unglamorous, slightly sweaty hours where your feet figure things out before your brain does. Pick one move from this list. Drill it for a week. Then come back and pick another.
Your feet are listening. Make them sing.
