February is the beginning of our spring semester, and we are excited to have so many students joining us in the studios! This is the time of year when we begin working on choreography that will eventually be performed in our end of year performance. For many of our classes, this means that dancers will begin to learn new elements like spatial formations, group awareness, and partner steps. Participation in Steppin' Out's year-end performance is optional, but we encourage all students to be a part of it, as it is a fun and exciting experience. We'll be announcing details about the performance in the coming months, so stay tuned.
To our waitlist families, thank you for your interest in taking class at Steppin' Out. We do our best to accommodate as many students who want to dance as possible. During the first three weeks of this month, there might be some students that shift around to different classes, which might open new spaces. So hang in there. If a spot opens up, we will invite students from the waitlist and prorate the tuition accordingly.
STUDIO POLICIES
Please take a moment to take a look at our studio policies regarding dress code, observation, and COVID safety.
QUICK TIP: DONATED SHOES
If your dancer has grown out of their dance shoes and they are still in good shape, please consider donating them to our shoe bin! If you're ready for new shoes, take a look in our shoe bin before buying new. If you find a pair of shoes that fits, you are welcome to take them home and keep them. If they are still in good condition when you grow out of them, please donate them back for the next dancer to use.
LOST AND FOUND
Our lost and found is more full than usual! Can't find your favorite jacket or water bottle? Ask our studio staff to point you to the lost and found.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: TAP DANCE
Tap dance emerged in the United States in the 1700's as a fusion of British and West African step-dance traditions. The Irish jig and West African gioube evolved into a form of dancing called “jigging,” which was taken up by white and black minstrel-show dancers who developed tap into a popular stage entertainment in the 1800's. In the early 1900's, metal plates (or taps) appeared on shoes of dancers on the Broadway musical stage. It was around that time that jazz tap dance developed as a musical form parallel to jazz music. In the late twentieth century, tap dance evolved into a concertized performance on the musical and concert hall stage. In the forties, tap grew to incorporate Latin American and Afro-Caribbean rhythms and in the eighties and nineties, began absorbing hip-hop rhythms as well.
Check out some of our favorite tap videos:
The Nicholas Brothers in "Stormy Weather" (1943)
Chloe Arnold's Syncopated Ladies in their ode to Beyonce's Formation (2018)
MOVEMENT OF THE MONTH: CRAMP ROLL
In tap dance, a cramp roll is where you first step onto one toe then the other, then you drop your heels in succession (toe, toe, heel, heel). You can play with the speed, going from really slow to as fast as you can while still distinguishing between the four sounds.