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Because tap dancing creates sounds as well as movement through space the instruments (our shoes) used to create those sounds are very important. If you ask a drummer about sticks (wood in its different weights, graphite, nylon-tipped, etc.) or a guitarist about strings (steel in its different gauges, silk-and-steel, flat wound, bronze, nylon, etc.) you will get vigorous opinions on the best tools to get their "sound." So it is with tap dancers. Tappers have choices in shoes and taps. One can choose street shoes (possibly with an additional overlaid sole) or specialty dance shoes and a range of taps that can be used with each. In order to have screws hold adequately, leather soles with a thin fiberboard spacer are often used. The spacer is glued and tacked down. Unwanted rubber heels are replaced by stacked leather heels constructed by a cobbler. The "toe box", the shoe area around the toes, can be constructed in a range from light to heavy. Heavy would assist in structural support for specialty moves like toe stands. A "high box" would allow for more toe freedom within the shoe. There are also fiber or metal shanks that add stiffness along the length of the shoe. Balance between heel and toe is also important. The range of shoes can run from a light jazz tap shoe with taps over a suede sole and minimal toe box to a sturdy two-tone "Spectator" shoe with double sole, reinforced toe box and support shank.
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Paola School of Dance * Paola, Kansas * (913) 755-6828 * (913) 731-6372*Email
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