Tap Practice Vlog

Eye of the Tiger!

2009-02-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

Eye of the Tiger is a song by the band Survivor.. and it looks like the beginning tap class IS going to survive! (wow... now THAT is how you do a lead in, folks. My goodness, that was amazing) I'm very happy my friend/sister/pal/not-really-sister has finally been able to make it back to class. Just as much, too, I'm happy that other people have joined - I hope they stick around, because I'm enjoy going over the basics again. I'm not some pro or anything, and I think the fact that I was the only one coming over all of these months, distracted the teacher a little into hoping I was better than I was. Besides, Lu and even the new students will catch up to where I'm at in no time I'm sure... so I'll still have to keep practicing :)

My Greatest Challenge

2009-01-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

In the months that I've been taking lessons, a couple of things have popped up that I still haven't conquered: I still hold my breath, my feet are still filled with lead, and that Buffalo shuffle is my greatest enemy. These challenges are nothing compared to my new foe - spinning.

I have become lightheaded from time to time because of the breath holding, and standing up too quickly, but this is something new. This past Wednesday we started practicing a new step that involves one spin at the end. I just can't do it. I got sick a few years ago, and ever since that time, it seems as if I get dizzy much easier than I ever used to. I know strong illness can cause permanent damage like that, but my body is also a smorgasbord of physical/medical mysteries - so there could be many explanations for my now being prone to dizziness. Back to the dancing, though... I tried. I also tried the dancer's trick of spotting (keeping focus on one object as you spin your body), but still no luck. I've tried practicing at home, but I hate trying to practice spinning now because if I'm not successful (and I haven't been so far), I get a little dizzy and I feel screwy for hours afterward.

I called this my greatest challenge, because while it seems like it will be impossible to conquer - it's still possible, and hence the label of challenge. Haha, this is where tap will stop being fun for a little while - as I try to get a handle on spinning. Stupid inner ear ;)

Hark, What's This?

2008-12-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

There are rumblings of my friend's possible return to the class - I hope it comes true. I know she loves it, and I loved having her in it... so with all of this love abounding, it'd be great to see her join back up.

I Dance Alone

2008-12-03T21:00:00.001-08:00

Haha, well - it finally happened. Since the class started, it's been small, and over time it has fluctuated in attendance - twice dwindling to just me and one other student with the teacher. Tonight, however, it was simply a duo of teacher-student... me and her. A younger Mark, not yet sure of himself or confident in who he was, would've hated it - but it was no big deal. In fact, she graciously stayed the full hour (technically, if there are 2 students or fewer, she only gets paid for 30 mins). It was fun, too - I had a private lesson for far, far less than it would normally cost. There are pros and cons to it, and it was interesting to discover that. Obviously, I'm the only one, so when I screw up or fall behind on something, the teacher adjusts to that. In a group, I can naturally be lost sometimes (although, I've come to be one of the better tappers in the class, simply because of how much time I've put in). Anyone who knows me, knows full well that I'm much more talkative one on one with someone. Once even just one other person shows up, I'm much quieter. I do enjoy the camaraderie of the group, though, so I look forward to their return. The teacher said in January a few others will be joining in permanently (the current roster has ladies who are musicians - which is why they miss class), and that'll be cool.

As far as the tapping goes, I'm ever improving. Speed is still my enemy. I know the steps perfectly, that comes from practice - but up the tempo beyond my limits and all of a sudden a become a retard in rollerskates walking a tightrope. Even still, though... I'm even improving my speed. I can do flaps across the room at a pretty quick speed like nobody's business, which is quite a feat if you've seen the first video I posted ;)

Ever-improving

2008-11-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

I'm doing very well! It's been nearly a couple of months now, and I'm the only one who has showed up for every class - and I think it's showing. Add the fact that I practice a few times a week to keep it fresh, and I'm getting better all the time (can't help but think of the Beatles' song whenever I say that). I've noticed that my speed is really improving. I do much better when I'm on my own because I can set my own tempo, and I'm more relaxed of course, but even in class... it seems that I am doubling my ability every week. Haha, of course, to see how I started, that's not saying too much ;)

In the last class, for the first time, I impressed the teacher. She can obviously tap me under the table tenfold, but I'm dedicating a good amount of time to this, and she noticed. She even said, "Good job, you must practice." So, at least I know it's not my own deluded mind only THINKING that I'm getting better :)

Well, let's not get CRAZY...

2008-10-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

I was under a false impression. I know, I know, I thought I was perfect too... it's a harsh realization. As I believed, I was taking a beginning tap dance class that lasted for 4 weeks, which could then be followed by an intermediate tap dance class for another 4 week session. I'm taking lessons at an actual dance studio, however I thought this was just a community service they did. As I found out last night, however, this was merely a trial 4 weeks in what would normally be a full year course. So, with my trusty dance partner, I will now be going taking lessons every Wednesday night through June! When I found out that they actually offered a full class, and not just these short trial versions, I was really happy about it. Secretly, I'd been thinking, "Ok, so after I'm doing with these 8 weeks... then what?" I wasn't sure if I'd just practice on my own once a week and hopefully get better, or what I'd do next... but now I know :) It's a little pricey for me now, because I'll be loading up on classes to try and transfer this fall so I won't be working much, but I'll make it happen. I've really enjoyed it, and even though I may have talked about preferring another teacher in my last blog... knowing that I can continue on in a true beginning class for the rest of the year makes me a very happy boy.

And yes... I'm STILL straight ;)

My Right Foot Doesn't Work

2008-10-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

Since I started, this right foot/leg of mine has been a troublemaker, and I have no idea why. At first, when trying to shuffle with my right foot, I often was just hitting the ground once. Haha, with a heavy thud, my foot would go down once, but not hit the second time. After awhile, though, I become so aware of this, that I started pulling back too much, and instead of a loud thud, I wasn't hitting the ground at all. Now, I'm doing both. Sometimes I hit with a single thud and sometimes not at all. Shenanigans, I tell you! I'm working on it, even if it means starting the rhythm slow and then getting up to speed for the sake of my retarded right foot.

Tap Practice 07

2008-10-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided to skip out on doing a video this week... there just wasn't enough difference between last week's lesson and this week's. We added a couple of things to the routine, but its not too bad. My biggest issue is speed. The teacher is really nice, but honestly I liked the substitute we had the first week better. Yes, she was young and attractive, I'll disclose that from the beginning, but when I was on the dance studio's site, I noticed that she generally teaches young kids - so there was a certain simplicity in how she taught. Call me a big kid, but it was a more relaxed learning environment for me. The actual teacher is good, but she does tend to speed through parts. It is good to be pushed a little, but I end up losing pace so often that it's not really too beneficial. Like I said, she's a great gal, but some teachers are better for certain people. Sadly, though, I'm not 8-12 years old or I'd sign up with the substitute next time :)

Regarding my practice time, though, it's been going well. My endurance/stamina is ever improving, and certain steps are really starting to flow better and better. Of course, then there is my enemy... the Buffalo shuffle. I really hate that thing. We learned it last week, and I spent all last week practicing.. and it still eludes me. Haha, and even today, I kicked my shin twice and stepped on my own toes - and with taps, neither of those feel very good. It's just a very awkward thing for me, but I'll get it EVENTUALLY.

Haha, and on a separate note, I've noticed that I shake my hips alot when I'm tapping. Watch the videos, and you'll see me really swiveling at certain points. So, after I master tap, I think I know which dance style I should try next...

Salsa!

Tap Practice 06

2008-10-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I won't talk here too much because I do a fairly lengthy explanation of things in the video. It's all going very well, though, and I still really love it. LOVE IT, I tells ya! I look forward to my tap partner in crime hopefully returning to class next week, too.

FROM MARK TO BABU: I received a wonderful little video from her last week, and after I heard about a small little accident she had, I decided to dedicate this week's entry to her and post a video response. This one's for you, Babu :)

Tap Practice 05

2008-10-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

I've really been improving, and that's made me very happy. I'm still doing it every day, haven't missed one yet - and I can tell. One of the biggest factors I'm aiming to improve is my physical endurance. Haha, Lu made a comment regarding that and my future marital evenings, and that's just as big a reason to improve as it is for tap dancing. But even there, I haven't gone as long as our first class (an hour), but I've been really consistent during my practice time, so like I said in my previous post... it's been just about as physically demanding because I'm not taking any breaks.

One thing I've noticed, especially today since I was a little tired from an early morning and busy day, is that I seem to be scuffing the bottom of my shoes from time to time. Instead of hitting the toe-tap square, it feels and sounds like I'm scraping the non-tap part at the ball of my foot. It could just be that I'm scratching the tap along the ground instead of hitting it directly, but that non-tap part of my shoes are a little white from the garage floor. I'll keep an eye on it when I do my next video and see if I can notice it. Otherwise, though.. it's really going very well!

Tap Practice 04

2008-10-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I went out in the garage this evening to do my thing, and it went really well. It's definitely alot nicer on the actual dance floor - I could really tell the difference. I'm actually going to check out Saddleback and see if they have an open dance studio where students can practice (I'm not counting on it, but it's worth a shot). I think I'm going to bypass a video entry for this week, and do one next Thursday. That way I can show what we learned this week on the first half of the video and show what we learned the night before on the second half... that way I can see the improvement after a week of practice.

I practiced for about 35 minutes. I wasn't stopping at all (whereas in the class, we did stop for a minute or two while she showed us something new), so I was starting to breathe pretty hard by the end. I pushed myself a little farther and then called it a day. One of the hardest steps for me last night was ironically the one I did the best in my practice tonight. It was just tricky for me to get used to the sequence of steps, but on my last try with it last night, the teacher walked with me and called out "heel" (because that's the part I was forgetting to do) and I guess it stuck, because I did it without batting an eye tonight. She was filling in for our regular teacher, but I'm kind of hoping she does it regular for us - I liked her. I mean the regular gal could be great too, I just hope we'll go over things in the same way. I responded well to the first night, though it'll be interesting to learn it from another teacher's perspective. Of course, Lu would have you believe I just liked the substitute because I enjoyed looking at her legs, and while she WAS cute that has nothing to do with it - I'm there to dance!

First class!

2008-10-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Haha, how flamboyant I feel using that exclamation point to talk about my tap dance lessons. Forget that, though, I'm just a straight guy who is so happy about having finally taken his first tap dance lesson that he feels it more than necessary to use an exclamation point! Exclamation points for everybody!! Anyways, I wrote a little about tonight on my main blog, and the entry can be found HERE. I'm going to be practicing every day, and possibly even blogging every day or every other... though I'm not sure how often the videos will be put up. It's not hard to shoot them, or even edit them together, but the render/upload time is a little annoying. But hey, I have a loyal audience who deserves it.. so I'll find the time! EXC!!LAMA!!!TION !!!!!!POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem, sorry.

Tap Practice 03

2008-10-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well, today wasn't so smooth. I've been practicing my flaps, and the improvement is evident, but it's really warm today and I think it had an effect. Friday I went out to practice and it was a good one - I even came up with a little rhythm to help get myself used to tapping in time and to stay light on my feet. Friday I did this great - but on the video, you'll see that today I did not. I think I've realized something, though. The big problem with my right leg being longer is more so that I'm just not light on my feet in general. I discovered this today, when I was able to maintain a good continuity of successful taps with my right leg - but as soon as I try shifting back and forth, I'm screwed. Haha, I've always only been able to focus on one thing at a time... I didn't know my left and right legs were involved in that.

Tomorrow night is the first class - very exciting! I'll see how intensive it is. If we cover alot, I may do a video on Thursday (the day after the class) as a "before" and then do a second video on Tuesday (the day before the class) hopefully as an "after" to see some improvement. Otherwise, I'll just do it once a week.

Tap Practice 02

2008-09-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

No video today - I don't think it would be very beneficial to videotape EVERY day - besides... that would make me crazy. I did go down and practice again, though. Still the same issues with my right leg, though the flaps were coming along a little more naturally. I discovered what it feels like yesterday. Lu was right in her inability to describe it, yet when you do it you know. It's very odd - sort of like a spring recoil. Today, I started off well, but it went downhill quick.

Actually, the same kind of things happened when I took a swing dance class - after the first couple of times, I'd be pretty good when I first showed up, but after a short while of dancing, I'd get worse. It's because I don't have the moves down pat yet, so I start strong, but then the inability causes me to get sloppy and that only makes things worse.

I may do a video post per week. The class is on Wednesday nights, starting Oct. 8, and my Thursdays are only filled with a morning class, so after that I may come home and videotape what I learned the previous night. I think this'll be the best setup as I'm beginning - and as I improve, the videos will most likely be spaced out further.

Tap Practice 01

2008-09-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

While this is technically the second day I've put on the shoes and practiced - this is the first video entry of it. Last night Lu showed me a few steps just to get me started, and we practiced a bit in their garage... but this was just me alone trying it out.