Answering the Q: Why do we gotta learn Tap history ?

Since we turned 3 years old, we all had the question: WHY????? 

It seems to be a part of human nature as we grow. And as educators, it’s important for us to remember that the WHY question doesn’t go away, and it WILL show up in our classes in more ways than one.

In both the Tap Teachers’ Lounge training program & my Roots, Rhythm, Race & Dance course for dance history, I offer a concept called “framing”.

How do we “frame” any lesson or exercise?

To “frame” is to answer the WHY question, before it is even asked. 

❓ What’s the point of this warm-up? 

❓ What’s the point of this drill & repetition?

❓What’s the point of improv? 

And of course…

What's the point of learning dance history? 

If we aren’t able to effectively answer the WHY question, then our students can start to 

- disengage, 

- doubt the value of the lesson,

- doubt the training as a whole, or 

- doubt us as teachers. 

The more effective we are in "framing" our class activities,

the easier it is to get our students & their families “on board” with what we’re offering. 

Some teachers find that dance history lessons can be tricky to frame, especially when matters of race are involved. Tap dance, swing dance, hip-hop, and jazz, all have roots in Black history, so it’s natural that race comes up when discussing the career of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, the origins of Tap dance etc.  

Other teachers struggle to answer, quickly and on-the-spot, why a dance class takes ANY minutes away from dancing to explore history at all. 

So to help come up with general, quick-answer “framing” for Tap dance history or ANY dance style, here are some ideas and perspectives you can share. 

These are ideas you can share on your website, at “open house” days, during class, etc. Providing this information upfront can put everyone's minds at ease. 

💥 Dance history is taught across styles in our program. There's so much to learn in dance - we are truly proud to offer holistic dance education in every style, beyond just the steps.

💥 Dance history is filled with stories of great resilience, resourcefulness, and the power of the human spirit! Wonderful lessons for us all. 

💥 We root our students’ respect & appreciation of dance in every way we can. Teaching the legacy of the dance style is one important way that we do that. Students really like it!

💥 We give age-appropriate, non-partisan, contextual history lessons so that the students can have a deeper understanding and perspective on the origins & evolution of each dance style, and the individual dancers who helped to innovate and evolve the form. Our classes build on this foundation!

BONUS TIP!!!

Speak with an easy confidence. You are the educator whose role it is to expand students' vision of dance. We know that HOW we present ourselves & any of our lessons is so important, because our students and their families SENSE our energy. So if we sound shaky…well, you already know. 😅

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So there you go!

A few quick, simple ideas to inspire you and give you an extra boost of confidence when introducing these valuable topics. Your passion, sincerity and positive energy will go a long way in engaging your students in these deeply important history lessons. 

❤️ Looking for more methods for introducing age-appropriate lessons around race & dance history to your classes? Click here for more info!

❤️ Click here to get more info about my online training program for Tap dance teachers!