Tap Dance

What Is Tap Dance?

Tap dance is an American art form developed through the fusion of West African rhythmic stepping traditions and Irish and Scottish clog and step dancing in the nineteenth century — recent research points to mixed urban neighbourhoods like New York's Five Points as much as Southern plantations as the melting pot where this fusion happened. Dancer William Henry Lane, known as "Master Juba", is widely credited as the "father of tap" for blending Black vernacular dance with Irish jigs and clogging; the modern metal tap plate, fixed to the heel and toe of the shoe, emerged around the 1920s.

The style encompasses Broadway tap — theatrical, energetic and story-driven, closely tied to ballet and jazz — as well as rhythm tap, which prioritises musicality and improvisation, with practitioners considering themselves part of the jazz tradition more than the theatrical one.

Tap has a rich tradition in musical theatre and film, with iconic performers from Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly to Gregory Hines and Savion Glover shaping its evolution. In London specifically, tap is almost never taught as a standalone specialty — it lives inside broader ballet and musical theatre training programmes, sitting alongside jazz and classical technique rather than as its own dedicated school.

Tap Dance vs Jazz Dance

Tap and jazz dance are both foundational to musical theatre training in London and are frequently taught by the same schools side by side, but they train fundamentally different things.

Benefits of Tap Dance

Who Is Tap Dance Suitable For?

Learning Tap Dance in London

Tap dance has a long tradition in London's theatre community and is widely taught across the city's performing arts schools and dance academies — but almost always as part of a broader curriculum rather than a standalone specialty; no London studio in our directory lists tap as its primary focus.

Theative Performing Arts teaches tap in graded age bands from preschool combo classes through to Grade 4+ for 11-16 year olds, under director Miss Amy, who holds ISTD, RAD and DDE tap qualifications, alongside a dedicated "Triple Threat Musical Theatre" programme. Gillham School of Performing Arts, founded in 2007 by Laura Gillham, runs an annual IDTA Tap exam alongside ISTD Ballet and IDTA Jazz, with a combined ballet-tap-jazz class for preschoolers. ECD — European College of Dance and D&B Academy of Performing Arts both fold tap into vocational-level training — full-time diploma and musical theatre programmes respectively — alongside ballet, jazz and contemporary technique.

Tap dance classes in London are available at all levels and most performing arts studios. Beginners are introduced to basic steps — flap, ball-change, shuffle and time step — before progressing to more complex combinations.

The style is suitable for children and adults alike and is often offered as part of a broader theatrical dance curriculum.

Tap Dance FAQ

• Are there dance schools in London dedicated only to tap? +
  No — tap is almost always taught as part of a broader ballet or musical theatre programme in London rather than as a standalone specialty, so look for it within a wider performing arts school's curriculum.
• Do I need ballet experience before starting tap? +
  No, though the two are frequently taught together in the same schools and complement each other well — you can start tap with no dance background at all.
• Do I need to buy tap shoes for my first class? +
  Check with the studio first — some lend shoes for an initial trial class, but you'll need a proper pair of metal-plated tap shoes fairly early on, since the style doesn't really work without them.
• What age can children start tap dance? +
  Many London schools offer combined preschool classes (ballet, tap and jazz together) from around age 3-4, with formal graded tap syllabi typically beginning a little later.
• Can adults start tap dance with no experience? +
  Yes — adult beginner tap classes teach the fundamental steps from scratch, and it's a popular recreational choice regardless of prior dance background.
• What's the difference between Broadway tap and rhythm tap, and which is taught in London? +
  Broadway tap is theatrical and story-driven, closely tied to musical theatre; rhythm tap prioritises musicality and improvisation within the jazz tradition. Most London schools teach a Broadway-leaning style given how closely tap is integrated with musical theatre training here.
• Are there tap exams or qualifications I can work towards? +
  Yes — ISTD and IDTA both run graded tap exam syllabi, widely used by London schools as a structured route from beginner through to advanced level.
• How much do tap classes cost in London? +
  Pricing usually follows the wider performing arts school's structure — typically £6.50-£20 per class depending on age group, duration and studio.