An entry · Work · Life
Tap Dancer
A dancer who is also the drummer, writing rhythm on the floor with two feet.
From curious to committed
Your first steps.
A first visit can be enough. It can also be the beginning.
Meet the craft
A beginner class will lend or point you to shoes and have you making real sounds within the first hour.
Explore experiences →Give it another afternoon
Notice what you want to come back to. Ask the teacher what regular practice would look like, and what support you would need.
Keep a note for next time →See the working day
Tappers usually start in studio classes, drilling time steps and technique from beginner grades upward.
Explore ways into the work →These are starting points. A workshop is not a professional qualification. Entry requirements and recognised training depend on the work and the country.
Before you walk in
A few things worth asking the host before you book.
- Is this session suitable for someone who has never tried it?
- What should I bring, wear or prepare?
- What is included, and are there any extra costs?
- Can you accommodate my access needs?
- What could I try next if I enjoy it?
Teach this craft? Share what beginners ask you →
Work it
Do the work.
Jobs, apprenticeships, and training that put a person in the room.
Places to begin
- Certification
American Tap Dance Foundation
Tap Teacher Training Certificate
United States
Experienced dancers can train in the Copasetic Canon and earn a respected certificate that prepares them to teach rhythm tap well.
- Certification
Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
ISTD Tap Dance Examinations and Qualifications
United Kingdom
The UK's Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing sets the internationally recognised Tap syllabus, examinations, and teaching qualifications for tap dancers.
- Training
Steps on Broadway
Pre-Professional Division
New York, NY
An auditioned pathway for young dancers that includes weekly tap training, ensemble work and performance.
- Training
Broadway Dance Center
Independent Training Program
322 W 45th St, New York, NY
Structured training for adults, with ten to twelve classes a week, advising and faculty mentorship. Beginners are welcome; two years of studio experience are recommended.
Ways in
- Course
Train in a dance studio
Tappers usually start in studio classes, drilling time steps and technique from beginner grades upward.
- Route in
Learn from the hoofers
Much of tap passes hand to hand at workshops, festivals, and jams, where older dancers share steps and styles directly.
- Company
Shows, companies, and teaching
Working tap dancers perform in musicals and tap companies, busk and gig, and teach the classes coming up behind them.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasLive it
Live the hour.
Experiences, classes, and places where the presence is the whole point.
Places to begin
- Class
American Tap Dance Foundation
Tap Classes for All Ages
New York City
Drop into year round tap classes for every age and level and learn America's own rhythm art in a warm supportive studio.
- Class
Broadway Dance Center
Drop-In Tap Classes
New York, New York · Daily drop-in classes
Show up any day and join a tap class among working dancers in the heart of the theater district, with no membership needed.
- Workshop
Chicago Human Rhythm Project
Rhythm World Tap Festival
Chicago, Illinois · Annual, summer
Spend a week studying with living masters of American tap at the oldest and largest festival of its kind.
Ways in
- Class
Put on tap shoes
A beginner class will lend or point you to shoes and have you making real sounds within the first hour.
- Gathering
Catch a tap jam
Look for a tap festival or a show where dancers trade rhythms with live musicians, and listen as much as you look.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasWhy the human is the point
A tap dancer is a musician who plays the floor. The metal plates on the toe and heel turn every step into a note, so the body becomes both the melody and the beat at once. It looks loose and easy, a grin and a shuffle, but under it is years of practice getting each sound clean and each rhythm exactly on time. In a jam, tappers and a band trade phrases back and forth, feet answering horns, everyone listening hard and pushing each other on. The joy of it is that you hear the dancing as much as you see it, made right there on the boards by a person having the time of their life. Heel, toe, brush, and the whole room grinning along.
Kept nearby
