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If you are into rhythmic sounds and want to get some exercise at the same time, then tap dancing is the thing for you.

It originated  in the US in the early 19th century when Irish immigrants and African slaves gathered during their leisure time and danced on the streets.

Eventually, like the blues in which the music of Africans and Europeans merged together, a modern form of tap dance began to develop as people mixed the European clog dance with styles of African tribal dance.

According to Rex Chiu Ho-yin, a 25-year-old dancer who  teaches  at the City Contemporary Dance Company, tap dance is  suitable for youngsters as it is a physical activity that is good for relaxation and doesn't involve a lot of muscle work.

'You have to see yourself as a musician or drummer, and you are using your feet to beat out musical sounds,' explains Chiu.

While drummers play with their  sticks, tap dancers use their knee joints, ankle joints and  three areas of their tap shoes - toe, ball and heel - as musical instruments.

The different  parts of the tap shoe can create sounds of different pitches. For example, knocking the floor with your heel will create a base note, while tapping with your ball will result in a  higher-pitched sound. To make sure your feet hit the  required pitch precisely, the basic posture for tap dancers is to have their knees bent, heels  up and body weight forward.

The basic concepts of tap dancing are simple.  They involve movements such as tap (tapping the floor with the ball of your foot), stamp (stamping the floor with your whole foot), brush (grazing the floor with the ball of your foot) and shuffle (a combination of forward and backward tap). However,  combining all these movements together to create an exhilarating sequence  is not easy.

'You must be an unruffled person to do tap dancing,' says Chiu.  'A step sequence of one minute may involve a lot of sounds and you must be very clear  about what they are ... It is a challenge to your mind and concentration.'

There are  various forms of tap dance. Among them are rhythm tap and show tap. In rhythm tap,  dancers use only their lower bodies  to beat out pulsating rhythms,  while  show tap involves upper body movements being choreographed into the routine and is  most likely the kind of tap you will see in a Broadway  musical.

'If you are interested in tap dancing, try your best to pay attention to all the noises in your daily life such as the  sounds from factories and the sound of water dripping,  as well as how your body aligns with these rhythms  around you,' says Chiu.

For more information, call the City Contemporary Dance Company on 2328 9205.



Tap dancing