Students must be 5 or 6 years old by October 1 to enroll in Sparkle Tap.
Your child will be thrilled with their very own tap shoes. There are few joys in life like making music with your feet!
Because five and six-year-olds easily relate to the world of pretend play, technique is often introduced through imaginative storylines.
Sparkle Tappers often enjoy “planting a garden” as the warm-up portion of their class. From toe-tapping seeds into the ground to pretending to be a Silly Sally Caterpillar crawling through the garden to heel digging up their crops, there’s not much a pair of tap shoes can’t become!
Teachers trained and certified in the proven Leap 'N Learn method intentionally nurture the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of typical five- and six-year-olds in every class using professionally designed, developmentally- and education-based lesson plans.
- Physically, tapping improves balance, agility, and gross motor development. Students learn primary tap technique, including a wide variety of compound steps that they will continue to build on in later years.
- Socially, Dancer Manners are an essential part of Sparkle Tap. Dancers are recognized as Star Students when they show respect to others by taking turns, keeping quiet when necessary (including tap shoes!), and listening to and following directions.
- Emotional awareness is developed through Improvisation, a fundamental tap skill. Improvisation games based on imaginative storylines help students let loose and get creative with their tapping. "Tapping" into emotions as a vehicle for improv games enhances children's ability to identify and express emotions. This is a vital part of developing emotional intelligence.
- Cognitive benefits of tap include building memorization and recall abilities. Tappers have to think fast as they remember, recall, and execute specific patterns that make up each step. Tap steps move fast, so the brain has to be a couple of steps ahead at all times. Learning the names of steps is another brain-building activity. Plus, kids often get a kick out of the names of a step. Silly Sally and Perididdle are two favorites.
- Musical awareness is an essential tap concept. Tap is all about creating rhythms with our feet! Students learn to start dancing on the count of "1," how to count, clap, and tap basic rhythms, and begin to demonstrate an understanding and ability to execute steps in time with the music.
The use of engaging props fosters musicality and movement concepts.
Students may wear old tap shoes on their hands and “clap” and tap the floor with them to various rhythms.
Props such as ribbon rings also provide a deeper understanding and incorporation of movement concepts presented in class, such as tempo. Students can demonstrate, visualize, and feel tempo as they move ribbon rings adagio (slow), moderate (medium), or allegro (fast).
Weekly coloring sheets display a central component of the day’s lesson plan, such as “Toe Taps.”
They are a perfect conversation starter that allows parents to further facilitate their child's understanding and retentionof class content.
Dress Code
Every class has a required dress code.
Please see the Dress Code page for details.
One uniform is INCLUDED annually!
Class Info
- Class size | 5-12 students
- Frequency | Once a week for 60 minutes
- Performance | Students enrolled by the deadline for the 40-week season perform in December and January. All costumes are INCLUDED :).
Pricing & Inclusions
You'll find information on pricing and discover everything that is included(!) on the Super Simple Pricing page.
What’s Next?
During the Spring Awards Ceremony, Sparkle 6 students graduate from the Sparkle Program and join the Ripple Program.
In Ripple 1 Tap, dancers be ready for more complex physical and cognitive challenges.
Enroll Here
