How to step dance for kids

Introduction to Irish Step Dance for Kids (Fall 2022) (In Person)

Details

$171 general / $138 members (inclusive of $6 service fee)

Date(s)

Sep 20, 2022 – Nov 8, 2022

4:30pm

Contact

Box Office

888-616-0274
[email protected]

Phone hours:
10am-6pm, Monday-Friday

In person:
Opens 60 minutes before the performance on show days

Location

This class will be conducted in-person at the new Irish Arts Center, located at 726 11th Avenue in NYC, between 51st and 52nd Streets. Please note that in accordance with New York City protocols, all attendees of in-person classes will be required to show identification and proof of vaccination on entry and masks must be worn in throughout the building.

Overview

Niall O’Leary, Tuesdays, 4:30pm–5:30pm

8 weekly sessions beginning September 20

This class will be held in person in the Studio classroom.

Ages 4+

Join Niall O’Leary for an exciting class in the traditional Irish form of step dancing. Dancers are taught technique, form and style as well as dances such as the reel and the jig. Note: This is a soft-shoe dance class as Irish dancers start with soft shoes before moving onto hard shoe technique.

Students in all dance classes should wear comfortable clothes to move in, such as shorts or workout pants and a t-shirt. For footwear, sneakers, ballet shoes, or ghillies are best.

Niall O'Leary Niall O'Leary

Niall O’Leary, TCRG, ADCRG, and a former All-Ireland and World Champion, is from Dublin, Ireland. His Irish dance teachers included Kevin Massey, proclaimed by Michael Flatley to be the greatest Irish dancer ever, Rory O’Connor, the first man to do Irish dancing on the radio, and Rory’s daughters Breda and Ann. O’Leary qualified as an Irish dance instructor in 1994. In 1996, he put together and choreographed the first-ever multi-national team to compete in the World Irish Dance Championships, including dancers from Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, Botswana, the USA and Ireland. He is the Director of the New York City Irish Dance Festival presented by the Irish Arts Center in May each year and also runs an Irish Dancing Feis in New York City.

O’Leary performs regularly as a solo artist, in duet with Darrah Carr, and with various acts such as Natalie MacMaster, Cherish The Ladies, The Prodigals, The Andy Cooney Band, and Mick Moloney’s Green Fields of America, as well as with his company The Niall O’Leary Irish Dance Troupe. He is in constant demand as a performer, choreographer and master instructor and conducts regular workshops and master classes around the US, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Japan and Thailand.

He has made an instructional video in Irish step dancing entitled ‘Cuts from the Kitchen’. He is the founding chairman of Ull Mor CCE, the Manhattan branch of Comhaltas, a feis musician, playing accordion and keyboards, and also practices as an architect. O’Leary was honored in 2004 by Irish America Magazine as one of the Top 100 Irish-Americans of the Year.

Our Supporters

Irish Arts Center programs are supported, in part, by government, foundation, and corporate partners including Culture Ireland, the agency for the promotion of Irish arts worldwide; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office and the New York City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; Howard Gilman Foundation; Jerome L. Greene Foundation; the Charina Endowment Fund; the Ireland Funds; the Shubert Foundation, Inc.; the Irish Institute of New York; the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, New York; the Charles Lawrence Keith & Clara Miller Foundation; Northern Ireland Bureau; the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Consulate of Ireland in New York; British Council; Morgan Stanley; Tourism Ireland; and thousands of generous donors like you.

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The Next Step Dance Studio – Dance classes for kids in Bloomington, IL

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What We Believe

We believe in providing fun and educational classes for all ages and levels.
We believe each child should be given personalized attention and proper instruction.
We believe in providing a nurturing environment for children to grow.
We believe every child is different, which means they have different goals.
We believe in family and unconditional support for everyone who chooses to call our studio home.

Happy Parents and Dancers

This is our first year with The Next Step Dance Studio. Our three-year-old Wynne is in Miss Sarah‘s Tappin' Tutus class on Thursday mornings. It's the highlight of her week! She absolutely loves all of her new friends and learning how to tap dance!
Bridget V
My daughter had her first class in Bitty Ballerinas last night with Miss Samantha. SHE LOVED IT!!!!! She is simply delighted with the class. I was so happy to see her having a ton of fun and learning dance fundamentals. Thank you!!!
Grace M
Our former studio had zero communication so it’s nice to know exactly what to expect from schedules to fees. Quincy has grown so much in the last 2 years. She has learned more these 2 years then 5 years at her previous studio. She loves Next Step and her Studio 4 teammates are her real friends. Looking forward to a great season and grateful for Studio 4. Thanks for all you do.
Brandi W
My daughter Bristol loves going to dance here! It’s easy for me to be able to find a class that will work around my work schedule. Her instructors have all been great! I have been very pleased with how things have been ran during Covid as well! It has not been an easy year but Bristol was able to continue with dance through it all!
Hayley T
Everyone is wonderful to work with. My child has fun while learning. She gets very excited to go to class. As an adult taking class again after several years, I felt welcomed, encouraged, and worked with at my level. We really enjoy being with The Next Step Dance Studio
Bethany T
My daughter Lily LOVES Miss Melissa and the Bitsy Ballerina class! The class size is small (only 4 dancers), so she gets lots of individualized attention and interaction with her classmates. The Next Step Dance Studio has been very helpful and welcoming to our family and we're looking forward to the many fun years of dance ahead!
Julie N

The Next Step Dance Studio
1 Auto Row Dr #400
Bloomington, IL 61704

(309) 585-1370

How to learn to tap dance

Home Male and female Teaching How to learn to tap dance

Content of the article:

1 Fundamentals of the execution of the leaks
2 Success Secret
3 The main elements in the dance
4 Rhythms of leaks

The basis for the execution of the leaks

Chemisting is the main foundation for which the steps are considered to be tucked up by gender. Simply put, it is music played with the feet. Each time the celebrity of this dance only increases. It is compared with the Irish jig, because the tap-dancing rhythm is also of paramount importance there. nine0024 In order to start tap dancing, you need to buy special comfortable shoes for this. It should be in the form of shoes with metal heels. It is also important that the flooring is solid. This is necessary for a clearer sound of heels.
Tap dance shoes can be purchased at a specialty store or made to order at any shoe repair shop. It is important that the shoes fit well enough on the foot. Very tight shoes will rub the foot, causing discomfort, and also further lead to foot deformity. Too loose shoes can lead to injury. nine0024 For such a dance, it is better to choose a place to practice in advance. It is best to dance outdoors on a special platform. It is important that there are no foreign objects nearby. This will improve the quality of classes, because swings and turns require a lot of space. It is advisable to tap dance under the guidance of an experienced master who can teach correctly and point out shortcomings. You can also learn to tap dance on your own. You should not engage in tap dancing in a multi-storey building, because it will cause negativity among the neighbors. It is best to do this in a special sports club. Suitable for any hard surface floor. Linoleum or carpet should be avoided, such coatings interfere with sound. nine0024 After the theory is mastered, you can move on to practice. If the classes will be held at school, then for clarity, a lesson will be shown with step-by-step instructions on how to start tap dancing. Then you need to slowly begin to repeat after the instructor, alternately performing each element of the dance. Performing everything slowly but clearly, you can quickly memorize the main elements of tap dancing.

The secret of success

For a good mastering of the tap dance movements, you need to train every day for half an hour. Additional classes also do not hurt. You can simultaneously master some other dance, for additional physical training. nine0006

The basic elements of the dance

All the basic elements of the dance are formed with the heel, toe and swing. Legs can be crossed, legs are swung, the toe can alternate with the heel. U-turns and jumps also look skillfully, with which leg swings are made. Turns are performed with the help of a sock, which is placed on the heel. And all this is done at a fast pace. The main thing here is that the leg stance must be performed correctly and at a certain slope. Movement must be precise. nine0024 First you need to learn everything separately, each element. The main thing is the rhythmic step. Then there are 4 main movements. To execute the first brush element, you need to hit with your heel, putting your foot forward, and then put your foot back, hitting with your toe. Ball-change consists of performing a kick with one leg and subsequent kicks with the other leg. And so each leg alternates in turn. Flap is done by hitting the heel and toe of one foot, and then the other foot. Shuffle is an element that is executed when stepping forward. All these movements are worked out to automaticity, and then they are easily combined in a dance. nine0006

Tap-dancing rhythms

Every time a heel tap on the floor is done, and then a toe tap. And so there is an alternation between them. Learn sanchal at a slow pace and without music. Once the basics have been learned, you can turn on an easy tempo, and then a fast one.
Knowing the main movements, you can begin to combine them into a dance. Otherwise, you can improvise, showing imagination. After all, such a dance is, first of all, an art. Their elements are added to the basic methods, and a new dance is obtained. Now you can create your own individual dances, with the basics of tap dancing. nine0024 So, to learn how to tap dance you need:

• Enroll in a dance school.
• Buy video tap dance course.
• Find a tap dance choreographer.

It is not always necessary to choose one option for tap dancing. You can enroll in a dance school and buy a course of video lessons. Thus, you can learn to dance not only at one time, at school, but also at home, according to the course of video lessons.

Like many dances, tap dancing is performed to music. If you master the dance technique well, then you can perform tap dance without music. The rhythm that will be performed during the dance will be the melody of the tap dance itself. nine0006

Learning something new, correctly combining movements and improving skills, you can achieve a lot. You can watch video lessons on the Internet, both individually and the complexity of the compositions. It is important not only to remember, but also to be able to exactly repeat the new dance movements.

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Charismatic and free dance step

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In the Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren named after N.K. Krupskaya, admission to the creative association "School of Russian tap dancing and American tap dance (tapdance)" is announced. School-age children and adults are welcome. Classes are taught by laureates and diploma winners of the competition of humor and variety artists (Moscow), finalists of the Minute of Glory project Alexander Novikov and Lyubov Kamysheva. nine0006

The curriculum at the School is aimed at familiarizing with the art of step dance from classical performance to modern improvisation. Depending on the age and personal interest of students, different levels of mastering the program are provided: general cultural and professionally oriented. Students are supposed to participate in city and regional holidays, presentations, festivals.

The program is implemented as part of paid educational services (on an extrabudgetary basis). nine0006

Interesting and important about the step

Foot dance has several names: tap dance, step, jig. Connoisseurs say that the true ancestors of tap dance are Irish jig and African dances with their characteristic syncopated rhythm, sliding and shuffling movements. Tap is a charismatic and free dance. Tap rhythms are very musical and very contagious! Hearing them, I want to jump up and tap something on my own. And this turns out to be difficult. Tapdance is quite complicated. Even simple elements are not obtained immediately. It is not enough to make the movement technically correct. You also need to do it very quickly and so that the heels clearly beat the rhythm. It will take a lot of effort to master it, but the result will pleasantly surprise you! nine0006

Tap dancers are not only dancers, but also musicians, where the musical instrument is the legs. Tapdance is a way of self-expression. Like jazz musicians in improvisation, dancers tap out the rhythm that their mood, heartbeat and rhythms of life tell them.

Step classes are useful for all dancers, regardless of direction. And not for the sake of interest or broadening my horizons, but to replenish my dance base. It can be "shifted" to any modern style: R&B or hip-hop. In tap dance, you can “play” with your feet any rhythm you like. The qualities that a tap dancer needs to have are a good sense of rhythm and coordination of movements. This develops musicality and harmonious plasticity, brings up lightness, ease, naturalness of movements. It is a great way to improve coordination, stimulate the heart and strengthen the whole body as a whole. According to the professionals of the American Center for Physical Exercise, step dancing is completely safe and does not harm the human body, and absolutely everyone, regardless of age, height, weight and physical fitness. Therefore, we can say with confidence that everyone can enjoy tap dancing, enjoy every moment of the dance and not be afraid of unpleasant consequences. Tap dancing is an excellent workout that develops a sense of balance and the ability to keep the balance of the body, control your own movements.