Buying your first pair of tap shoes can be a bewildering experience. First of all, find yourself a good dancewear supplier with staff who know what they are talking about! (Bristol based tappers, try Dancewell on Cotham Hill).
The following tips should help…
Canvas or leather?
These are the most basic and economical shoes you can buy. If money is an issue, or where children are concerned (as they grow out of shoes so quickly), then canvas is a good beginner’s choice. Leather shoes are more comfortable and hard wearing, but are going to be more expensive. Buy the best you can afford – serious tap dancers will always go for a top quality leather shoe.
Open instep, or ‘Oxford’ style?
The open instep shoe is a more old fashioned style – some people still like to replace the laces with ribbbons! This style also tends to be cheaper than the alternative ‘Oxford’. The Oxford is like an ordinary lace up shoe, more masculine in appearance, but very supportive and hardwearing. If you are a keen tapper and want your shoes to last a long time and give you good support, then go for the Oxford.
High, (Cuban) heel or low heel?
In tap, as well making a noise with your heel you also need to keep it clear of the floor if you don’t want a heel sound. The higher the heel, the harder it is to keep it off the floor when you need to. If you are a beginner, you may prefer a lower heel because of this. In the end it comes down to comfort, looks and personal preference! With a lower heel, the actual tap is larger, which produces a richer sound.
Screw-on taps or riveted taps?
In the UK, some manufacturers produce a basic shoe with riveted, curved taps. These can’t really be loosened and produce a very ‘dull’ sound, so they are not ideal. These taps can be replaced with American style taps, which are flatter and are fixed onto the shoe with screws. If possible, try to buy tap shoes with American taps already fitted to the toes and the heels.
The screw driver – a tap dancer’s best friend. As your new tap shoes wear in, the taps can be finely ‘tuned’ to give a lively sound, without too much ringing or rattling. Taps that are too loose will rattle around so that you lose some clarity of beating – also, loose screws are likely to gouge out large chunks of your dancefloor! So keep your screw driver with you at all times and tune up regularly!
Do I need heel taps? – The short answer is – Yes! Otherwise it would be like having a drum kit without the bass drum! For more information on shoes, see www.dancewell.com