Traveling Tap Combinations
Use them to add depth and dimension. It helps to remember that tap is not just an auditory art, but is as visual as any other dance form. If you want your choreography to delight the eyes and mind as well as the ears, then use traveling tap combinations to create interesting rhythmic patterns. Use the entire stage as your canvas. Many static combinations can be turned into travelers by adding ball changes, chassés, pas de bourrées, leaps, chugs, toe slides, turns, ANYTHING that moves the dancer across space.
It can be fun to create new travelers by combining combinations.
You can come up with interesting new rhythms by combining the first half of one comb with the second half of another. This can be a good class assignment for your tap students of all ages. Also, demonstrate or have your students demonstrate a short routine in one space compared to the same routine that travels and uses the whole floor. Discuss the choreographic advantages of traveling patterns in a tap routine. Compare musical theater style tap such as a Fred Astaire tap routine to a hoofer style like Savion Glover. Show an example of Gene Kelly who danced with the upper body, theatrical style but added a more athletic delivery. Some dancers are combining styles by presenting amazing hoofer style feet with beautiful upper body control instead of the hunched over body with loose arms and head. Let everyone discuss their preferences. I love all styles of tap dancing including the old soft shoe, precision tap productions, pure theatrical, kick lines, clogging, Irish, and the old and modern hoofers and round robins that were just about the beat. Tap dancing has a rich history to share with students.
To turn your beginning and intermediate traveling combinations into advanced travelers, just add pick ups, draw backs, wings, toe stands, toe turns, cramp rolls, and anything that moves you across the floor. You can encourage and exercise creativity by asking your students to put a few tap steps together in a new way. For example, take a step not normally associated with traveling, such as a traditional timestep, and experiment to see how many ways you can make that step move. To turn your beginning and intermediate traveling combinations into advanced travelers, just add pick ups, draw backs, wings, toe stands, toe turns, cramp rolls, and anything that adds depth, dimension, and sound to your new creation.The class can then analyze the newly fabricated combination for sound quality, and appearance. They can examine the way it fits with different music or without any music. The students can gain a better understanding of different rhythms.
You know the old, and very true adage: the study of ballet will improve a dancer’s performance in all other forms of dance? Well, from my experience, I want to state emphatically¡ And , you may quote me: :-) “The study of tap will improve a dancer’s performance in all other forms of dance.” Tap improves a dancer's perception of rhythm . I would venture to say at least 95% of the students I taught, who studied tap along with other subjects became better at all other forms of dance than my students who didn’t study tap. They were better able to find and embrace the musicality of choreography. Strong feet, ankles, legs and backs plus the enhanced ability to remember difficult and complex choreography are among the many benefits of good tap training. And, there is a special connection to the audience that tap dancers experience. It is a sharing the joy, spreading the sunshine moment when you can see, hear, and feel that the audience not only appreciates your art but has, for a moment, caught some of that happiness and good vibes that you just tapped out.
To get you started, I listed 7 fun and easy traveling steps.
Mix the individual components to make new travelers. Or, add traditional traveling steps like buffaloes, slides, running flaps, Cincinnatis, drawbacks, pullbacks, etc to make you're own.
It can be fun to create new travelers by combining combinations.
You can come up with interesting new rhythms by combining the first half of one comb with the second half of another. This can be a good class assignment for your tap students of all ages. Also, demonstrate or have your students demonstrate a short routine in one space compared to the same routine that travels and uses the whole floor. Discuss the choreographic advantages of traveling patterns in a tap routine. Compare musical theater style tap such as a Fred Astaire tap routine to a hoofer style like Savion Glover. Show an example of Gene Kelly who danced with the upper body, theatrical style but added a more athletic delivery. Some dancers are combining styles by presenting amazing hoofer style feet with beautiful upper body control instead of the hunched over body with loose arms and head. Let everyone discuss their preferences. I love all styles of tap dancing including the old soft shoe, precision tap productions, pure theatrical, kick lines, clogging, Irish, and the old and modern hoofers and round robins that were just about the beat. Tap dancing has a rich history to share with students.
To turn your beginning and intermediate traveling combinations into advanced travelers, just add pick ups, draw backs, wings, toe stands, toe turns, cramp rolls, and anything that moves you across the floor. You can encourage and exercise creativity by asking your students to put a few tap steps together in a new way. For example, take a step not normally associated with traveling, such as a traditional timestep, and experiment to see how many ways you can make that step move. To turn your beginning and intermediate traveling combinations into advanced travelers, just add pick ups, draw backs, wings, toe stands, toe turns, cramp rolls, and anything that adds depth, dimension, and sound to your new creation.The class can then analyze the newly fabricated combination for sound quality, and appearance. They can examine the way it fits with different music or without any music. The students can gain a better understanding of different rhythms.
You know the old, and very true adage: the study of ballet will improve a dancer’s performance in all other forms of dance? Well, from my experience, I want to state emphatically¡ And , you may quote me: :-) “The study of tap will improve a dancer’s performance in all other forms of dance.” Tap improves a dancer's perception of rhythm . I would venture to say at least 95% of the students I taught, who studied tap along with other subjects became better at all other forms of dance than my students who didn’t study tap. They were better able to find and embrace the musicality of choreography. Strong feet, ankles, legs and backs plus the enhanced ability to remember difficult and complex choreography are among the many benefits of good tap training. And, there is a special connection to the audience that tap dancers experience. It is a sharing the joy, spreading the sunshine moment when you can see, hear, and feel that the audience not only appreciates your art but has, for a moment, caught some of that happiness and good vibes that you just tapped out.
To get you started, I listed 7 fun and easy traveling steps.
Mix the individual components to make new travelers. Or, add traditional traveling steps like buffaloes, slides, running flaps, Cincinnatis, drawbacks, pullbacks, etc to make you're own.
- 1 step shuffle ball change, ball change, ball change, step shuffle hop step step. rev
- 2 flap ball change, shuffle hop cross, flap shuffle hop cross step . rev
- 3 flap ball change, ball change, hop shuffle pas de bourrée step, rev
- 4 hop shuffle pas de bourrée, step leap step R,L,R, rev
- 5 flap ball change, shuffle hop cross , flap ball change, step step
- 6 flap ball change, shuffle hop cross , flap ball change, ball change, ball change
- 7 hop shuffle pas de bourrée 2 traveling Maxie Fords with pickup.