Hello friends and fellow tap dancers,

Bill here, from Just TAP (which, if you missed the email last year, is now part of our new brand, Taptopia!).

Happy New Year! 🎉

I hope 2023 is off to a great start for you. I find New Years both tremendously exciting, and honestly a little overwhelming. All the possibilities of what the coming year may bring, along with reflection, resolution, and often a pledge to change, or embrace something new. It's a lot to think about.

Well today friends, I’m writing to make the case for choosing Tap dance in 2023.

...to unashamedly encourage you to:

a) Add Tap to your life.
b) Re-add Tap to your life.

and/or

c) Embrace a new phase of your Tap journey.

Okay, why?

Fair question. What’s actually so special about this art-form? I mean…bopping up and down on the spot making noise with your feet? It’s quite bizarre, when you think about it.

Seriously, why Tap?

I’m glad you asked.

Sidenote: Okay, obviously I’m biased here. Tap dance is clearly something I’m, you know, slightly fond of.

Here’s my honest take on what makes Tap such an amazing and special art-form, and why it's worth exploring. As you'll see, I've included 8 reasons to choose Tap in 2023, and (to keep things balanced) 4 reasons not to.

Sidenote: Today's email is a big one (a 5ish minute read). But with a New Year upon us, I think it's worth getting started on the right foot (there's a tap joke to be made there, but I'm not going to do it). Stick with me - we cover a lot of great, super-useful stuff 👍

Let’s dive in!

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- 8 Reasons to Choose Tap in 2023 -

1. Tap merges two of the most joyful human experiences: Dance and Music.

Sure, there are some other art-forms that do this, but none as exquisitely as Tap.

…and then there’s the feeling of Tap. Of actually doing it.

Those who Tap know of the feeling I speak: it's like the feeling of having been on a long plane flight, seated for hours on end, and you finally stand up, stretch your arms and start walking. Ahhhh. Bliss. Take a moment to think about it: How good does it feel to move? Dance, to me, is the natural, logical and unavoidable next phase from movement (try listening to this track and keeping your feet still). Eleanor Powell said ‘I’d rather dance than eat’. I agree, 100%.

And then, music.

Yes, Tap ‘dancers’ are also Tap ‘musicians’. But that really only scratches the surface.

A while back, when trying to answer the question of why I tap dance, I wrote:

For me, it’s all about the music.
Dance is how you feel the music.
Tap is how you become the music.

There’s simply nothing like the feeling of Tap. It’s one that I wish for literally everybody.
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2. Tap is so freakin’ good for you.

Cardio? Of course!

Strength? Mobility? Yes!

Connection? Fun? Absolutely.

There are so many benefits to doing and sharing this art-form, well beyond the scope of this email. But suffice to say that the cardiovascular, muscular-skeletal, neurological, mental and social benefits of Tap are vast, and borderline-overwhelming.

Sidenote: Keen to dive deeper? Check out this paper by Dr. Patricia T. Alpert, titled ‘The Health Benefits of Dance’ - one of many similar examples.

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3. Tap is flexible, adaptable and available to all.

What do I mean by that?

I mean: whatever you’re hoping to achieve through Tap - enjoyment, fun, fitness, community, adventure, or even a professional pathway - it’s available.

Want to ascend to the realm of the ‘tap athlete’ or ‘tap master’? Sure! There’s a path available in Tap. It would take two lifetimes to explore.

Sidenote: Here are two amazing tap dancers who are on this path and are doing it particularly well 👌🏻 Check out Sean Kaminski (USA) and Anastasia Pavlishina (Ukraine) on Instagram.

Want a fun and non-exertive way to connect with a few like-minded humans? Heck yeah. There’s a path for that too. Tap is beautiful done softly or gently, and can be done with minimal exertion. I routinely hear of people dancing well into old age. Here’s one I’m particularly fond of: 99 year old Shirley Goodman, a.k.a. ‘The Dancing Nana’.

If I make it to 99, then this will be me.

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If you're new to Tap, some more good news: It can be done with a very small amount of space, and requires minimal investment to begin. More about getting started at home here.

Oh, and video learning works particularly well for Tap. Win 🙌

4. Tap is amazing and impressive and very very cool.

Not an objective argument, I admit. But if you’re reading this then there’s more than a good chance you agree with me.
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5. Tap dancers are the actual best humans.

Perhaps, it’s got something to do with the fact that the art of tap is comparatively small and in some circumstances, even marginalized from the wider dance or arts communities on the whole. But Tap dancers are wonderful, warm, welcoming people, and they exist all over the world.

I’ve met so many Tap dancers all over the world, and continue to do so every day. From first-timers to the rock-stars of the art-form, I can tell you that the community is made up of amazing people of all ages, locations and levels.

Gregory Hines said: ‘If you’ve got a pair of tap shoes, you’re in. No dues to pay. If you want it, then we want you’.

Awww yeah. That’s the kind of art-form I can get on board with.
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6. Tap is INFINITE.

I said above that one could spend two lifetimes exploring the rabbit-hole of tap dance, but in reality, we’d only be scratching the surface. It’s like the 12 notes of music - they’ve given us every single song, every piece of music we’ve ever heard or ever will hear.

2 feet, 4 taps, a vocabulary of steps, rhythms and movements. The possibilities are truly limitless.
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Adventure awaits 🌅

7. Tap has an incredible (and largely unknown) history.

It’s quite the story. Harrowing, at times, and beginning well before ‘Hollywood’. Jazz in America, slavery and the human need for creative expression; the story of Tap is almost as deep as the art-form itself. Find out more about the history of Tap via the recommended books at the bottom of this nifty page​ of tap resources.
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8. Days are better with Tap.

There are many wonderful things about the process of Tap dance (of doing it, to be clear).

The set-up, the learning, the community, the practice, the challenge, the determination…plus all of the physical and mental benefits mentioned above. But my favorite part of the process actually happens after I’ve finished…

I call it the ‘post-Tap-glow’, or sometimes 'the happy playground'.

You finish a class, practice session or rehearsal with a warm, fulfilled feeling of energized-relaxation. Sure, this happens with most forms of exercise, but with Tap, it's better. My theory is that because Tap works both the mind and body so well - physically and creatively - that both are equally fulfilled. The post-Tap-glow is a real thing, and for me, the day or night that follows is almost always better and happier as a result.

So much so that I made a t-shirt...

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So there you have it. 8 reasons to choose Tap.

Now, let’s balance this fairly and look at...
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- 4 Reasons NOT to Choose Tap in 2023 -

1. Tap can be hard. Really hard.

Tap is an intricate art-form. Like any other, it comes with a learning curve, and a myriad of factors that ultimately determine our individual scope of potential within it.

Some people take to Tap like a duck to water - like they were born to do it - but many don’t. Tap is made up of core fundamentals that are easy to understand, but also may take time to ingest.

The time it takes is the time it takes. For some, the mix of elements is simply too overwhelming, and not quite the barrel-of-fun they’d hoped for.
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Of course, for many (myself included), it’s the opposite. It’s the intricacy and depth of Tap that actually justifies my ongoing exploration of the form.

The truth is: Tap is not for everyone, and in may not be for you.

But in my opinion, it’s worth finding that out than not knowing.

AND, I 100% believe that with realistic expectations and the right balance of motivation, consistency and patience, the joy of Tap is available and achievable for literally anyone.​
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2. Neighbors, Housemates & Avoiding Divorce.

For many, noise is a problem. Though it need not be a deal-breaker.

Carving out a workable practice space is important, and ideally, this would be at home. But if that's simply not feasible, then there are some alternate options to consider:

Numerous types of portable tap floors are available to purchase, or even to make yourself (outdoor practice in the fresh air is rather magical, I can happily confirm ☀️). And, there are a few noise-efficient 'hacks' to consider. When I need to keep the noise down, I use a plastic floor protector on top of two yoga mats. Seriously.

Again, check out the resources page for more ideas.
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3. Finding quality Tap teachers/classes/communities can be a challenge.

Even in cities with thriving arts communities, quality Tap teachers and classes are notoriously difficult to find.

But they're out there. And even if not, online education has changed the game. Thank goodness.

It’s another reason I chose to create the Just TAP video course series, and then the Taptopia Community, with a focus on self-paced, community-powered Tap learning. And I’m not the only one.

For some, it’s a live class or nothing. For some, online learning is a supplemental option (why not do both?). For some, online education is the only available option.

And while online video learning is not perfect, it’s a whole lot better than nothing. And it's improving every day. Video learning comes with a unique set of ‘pros’ that live classes don't: repeat viewings, a pause button, chapter points and speed controls to name a few.

4. Professional Tap work (if that’s what you’re looking for) isn’t exactly thick on the ground.

But there is tremendous opportunity to explore, particularly if you're willing to be creative...

I realized early on that if I wanted to pursue a career in Tap, I couldn’t just wait for the phone to ring or the inbox to chime, I’d need to create my own work.

It happens differently for any professional, of course, and mine is just one experience. But if your reason for pursuing Tap is to ride the wave of stardom, then you may be in the wrong art-form (or the wrong era).

Though not necessarily. The next big thing could well be just around the corner, and the world of Tap is just about due for a shake-up. Maybe, what the world of Tap needs is something that you can offer.

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That's it! We made it to the end 🙌
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Thank you for sticking with me! I'll wrap-up this email swiftly.

But I'm curious...
​What about you? How are you challenged or benefited by Tap? What did I miss? Hit reply and let me know!

In any case, I hope this has helped you move either toward or away from Tap in your mind. Of course, my vote will always be toward, and if that’s your choice, I’ll be cheering, supporting and serving you as best I can 💪🏻

On that note, we're building some exciting things for you in 2023 and I'm anxious to share more with you soon. I've taken enough of your time for now, but be on the lookout for an email in the coming weeks.

That's all for now ☺️

Until soon,
Bill Simpson
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P.S. Did you have a chance to check out the all-levels holiday-themed Tap class I released last month? I've received some great feedback, and a few kind requests for some extra time with the video, so I'll leave it at this link until the end of January. Happy tapping ☺️
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'Just TAP' is now part of our new brand:
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