Pattern Theory

When I first started tap dancing, all my focus was on my feet. Well, all the sound was coming from down there so naturally that’s where my focus was. My teachers would tell me to move my leg in certain ways and strike the floor with my foot in certain ways. To my recollection there [...]

There are many ways to describe a tap dance step. Three key attributes tend to cover the bases. They are: What you are doing, what is sounds like, and where it happens (in time and space). Each of these may be described through language, and today we are going to look at the first, the [...]

Catch me live and in person every week at STEPS on Broadway. My classes are based on the Pattern Theory for Tap Dancer’s process, and feature a progressive warm-up, the Tap Dancer’s Scale with Chords, Pattern Theory Progressions, and a combination that deals with many of the fundamental skill sets we describe here, including one’s [...]

A key element to the understanding of any system is the understanding of that system’s history. This includes how others have related and contributed to the system. The Tap Legacy™ Foundation, Inc., provides a series of online resources and ongoing programming that help to promote the history of tap dance. These include Tribute Websites, the [...]

The Tap Dancer’s Scale is a simple pattern that covers the most basic single-sound movements for the tap dancer. For our first Pattern Theory clip on youtube, we thought it appropriate to put the Tap Dancer’s Scale up there. Check it OUT in full HD!!! If you are experiencing playback issue, try lowering the resolution [...]