© Beverley Paine

As a kid I watched every Shirley Temple movie at least once! I loved musicals and longed to dance like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, especially the tap dancing. Why this passion didn't translate into dance lessons is a mystery. Perhaps my parents didn't take me seriously, or perhaps I danced in head and kept my love for its energy and exuberance a secret.

Laurel Schmidt, the author of Seven Times Smarter, 50 Activities, Games, and Projects to Develop the Seven Intelligences of Your Child believes the attraction of children to tap dancing is the noise: "Tapping is supremely kinaesthetic. Intense sensations arrive through the joints and muscles, amplified with a range of sharp, scratchy sounds." (page 43)

She suggests a simple way to encourage children to have a go at tap dancing - "happy feet" - is to hand them a pair of old boots or shoes, a few coins, a tube of heavy duty glue and let them work out how to arrange the coins to get the get the best sound. All they need then is a nice hard surface to tap against; the garage floor, playground, old wooden or lino floor that has seen it's best days.

Let them work out their own rhythms or find some suitable music. If the noise is all a bit too much for you, rather than discourage the children, find something to do a long way from those tapping feet! Dancing is probably the easiest and most enjoyable way to stay fit. According to Laurel , the physical gains include "strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, dexterity, coordination, expressiveness, and good reflexes." For children with a tendency to gain weight, dancing is a great way to burn excess calories.

Australia 's Tap Dogs popularised tap dancing, especially for guys, about a decade ago. Riverdance glamorised another form of tap. Both are extremely energetic and a lot of fun.

Theater Review: Tapdogs
Tapdogs Hillary A., Dover , NH . Nine guys from Australia have been showing their
tap dancing talent off for four years now, traveling all over the world ...
www.teenink.com/Past/1998/9955.html

Tap Dance in Films
A Few Movies That Include Tap Dancing (available on video). The titles below are linked to the Internet Movie Database site. .
www. tap dance.org/ tap / tap films.htm

Riverdance - The Tenth Anniversary
The official web site for the Riverdance company. Information on all three touring company's with photos, biographies, tour dates, message board, ...
www. riverdance .com/