Isabelle's Academy of Tap

Isabelle's Academy of Tap

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Posted 2012-07-30 by Zorro's mistressfollow

Throughout the city, on any given weeknight or Saturday, a secret society meets to practice its craft. The members come from all walks of life. A typical gathering might include teachers, accountants and scientists. They talk about shuffles, cramp rolls, riffs, rattles and Maxie Fords in a language known only to the initiated. I know about this society because I'm a member. We are The Middle-Aged Tap Dancers of Melbourne.

At dance schools and halls all over the suburbs, women (and a few brave men) in their 40s and 50s and beyond are pushing all their wobbly bits into lycra dance pants and hitting the dance floor for a fun and fantastic workout.

Our class meets twice a week at a suburban dance school. A typical class consists of a half hour of exercises designed to sharpen our 'technique'. Then it's on to the routines. Over the course of the year we will learn five routines to a variety of music from Tony Bennett to Lady Gaga. The culmination of all this effort is the Tap Concert. Held in a school theatre in a less salubrious part of Melbourne, all the classes descend for rehearsals and performances over a weekend in December.

Each routine has a different costume, with 'sequin' being the overarching theme. I think of this weekend as a 'tap retreat'. Two days when the whole focus is on glamming up and tapping. It's also the only opportunity many of us have to perform in front of an audience, an experience that can be terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure. But the main purpose of the weekend is to enjoy our dancing, and we certainly do that.


So what keeps a bunch of middle-aged women trekking half way across Melbourne in all weather, through city traffic, when we could be at home in front of the TV with our knitting? I guess everyone has their own reason for being there. It could be the discipline, the performance aspect, the camaraderie or just the chance to get out of the house. I go for the exercise, both physical and mental. I've made enough charitable donations to gyms to know that I'm never going to become a gym junkie but three hours a week of tapping does require and promote a certain fitness level.

It also keeps the mind sharp. Learning and remembering five routines takes a lot of concentrated effort. Tapping can also give you downtime from the worries of the outside world. It's hard to think about work or domestic problems when you're trying to execute a particularly tricky sequence of steps. And if you arrive fuming at your boss or your spouse, you can always belt your frustrations out through your feet. I also enjoy the friendships that have developed and strengthened over the years.

Whenever you mention that you dance, someone says 'I'd love to learn to tap.' Well, you can. Provided you're realistic in your expectations, age shouldn't be a barrier to starting a beginners' class. gives you a chance to buckle up your Capezios and Shuffle Off to Buffalo.

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104322 - 2023-06-12 11:14:17

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