5 Effective Benefits of Tap Dancing for Your Physical and Mental Health

“Tap dancing is like painting with your feet. You’re creating art in motion, expressing yourself through rhythm and movement.”– Ann Miller.

Tap Dancing emerged in America in the late 17th Century by merging African, English, and Irish dance traditions. African slaves in America were banned from using percussion instruments and, therefore turned to using percussive dance to express themselves musically.

The popularity of Tap Dancing increased through Minstrel shows. William Henry Lane, also known as Master Juba, is credited as one of the earliest tap dancers and performed in minstrel shows. He emphasized leg movements and improvisation, blending Irish jig and clog-dancing with African-American moves like shuffles and slides. Minstrel shows are now considered offensive due to their racist depictions, they were a significant part of the American entertainment industry and influenced the development and popularization of tap dance

The most iconic part of Tap Dancing are the shoes! The first set of tap shoes had wooden soles, often with coins attached to the heel and the toe. Metal taps were then attached later on to get a more concise and crisp percussion sound.

One of the most famous Tap Dancers of all time is Eleanor Powell, best known for her tap dance numbers in movie musicals in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1965 Eleanor was named the ‘World’s Greatest Tap Dancer’. Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire famously starred together in the 1940 film ‘Broadway Melody of 1940′ They performed “Begin the Beguine” in the movie, in which Cole Porter wrote the scene is considered a tap dance masterpiece, you can watch the clip here!

Modern Tap Dancing incorporates other elements of dance styles and music genres. Tap dancing is still extremely common in stage productions. For Example, Anything Goes the Musical has many Tap Dancing numbers including a 12-minute long tap-dancing finale! The tap performances include: endurance and stamina, complex choreography, upper body control and high levels of musicality. Watch an incredible perofamcne of Sutton Foster in ‘Anything Goes’ here.

Can you recognise any Tap Dancing moves?

Here are 5 benefits of Tap Dancing for your Physical and Mental Health…

1. Improved Cognitive Function

Tap dancing has a significant positive impact on cognitive function, particularly through its rhythmic components. Learning and performing Tap Dancing will improve your memory by memorizing routines and recalling the steps and patterns. Tap dancing requires remembering complex patterns to keep the brain, legs, and feet in sync. Regular practice of Tap Dancing can help delay, slow, or potentially prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

2. Strengthening your Mathematical Thinking

Tap dancers constantly engage with numbers by counting beats, measures, and steps. Tap dancing involves mathematical concepts through its rhythmic nature. As Professor Gordon Shaw from UC Irvine stated, “When people learn rhythm, they are learning ratios, fractions, and proportions” Tap dancers often think in proportions when dancing the steps. A shuffle-ball-change pattern can be expressed mathematically as (kvw), where each letter represents a specific movement in a proportional sequence This continuous practice of numerical thinking reinforces basic arithmetic skills and improves mental math abilities.

3. Improved Ankle Mobility

Tap dancing involves various movements that enhance ankle flexibility. Regular practice can improve the range of motion in plantar flexion. A study into a 16-week Tap Dancing training program shows that Tap Dancing can significantly improve ankle Range of Motion, lower extremity functional strength, and static postural stability. The intricate footwork in tap dancing strengthens ankle muscles, ligaments, and tendons, improving overall ankle stability and balance.

4. Spatial Awareness

Tap dancing significantly enhances spatial awareness, a crucial skill for dancers that involves understanding your body’s position and movement to the surrounding environment. The intricate footwork in tap dancing strengthens the connection between body and mind, leading to improved motor skills and physical awareness. Having strong Spatial Awareness during tap dancing will allow you to be adaptable, change direction and work well with other dancers in the space.

5. Musicality

Tap dancing allows dancers to become percussive instruments, creating intricate rhythms with their feet. This direct connection between movement and sound enhances a dancer’s ability to express music physically. The need to interpret and respond to rhythmic cues in tap dancing improves auditory cognitive skills, benefiting overall musical perception and interpretation.

Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC run weekly Keep Dancing classes, suitable for older adults across, Birmingham, Solihull, Walsall, Sandwell and online. Keep Dancing will teach you dances from around the world with no need for a dance partner. Find your nearest Keep Dancing class here.     

Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC also runs classes to support carers in Birmingham thanks to Funding from Forward Carers CIC. Find out more about our Keep Dancing for carers here

If you enjoyed reading 5 Effective Benefits of Tap Dancing for your Physical and Mental Health, you might want to consider reading 5 Effective Benefits of the Disco Dancing for your Physical and Mental Health

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Thank you for taking the time to read 5 Effective Benefits of Disco Dancing for your Physical and Mental Health, we can’t wait to be doing ‘the hustle’ with you in our Keep Dancing classes!

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