By Rebekah Hanson
When Samantha Newman came to BYU last year, she couldn''t take a tap dance class to keep up her 16-year tap training. So she restarted the Tap Dance Club to provide an opportunity for tap dancers to continue tapping.
'I couldn''t get into any of the advance tap classes as a freshman, so I started Tap Dance Club back up as an outlet where we could share tap steps and increase our dance technique,' Newman said.
Unfortunately, BYU doesn''t have any more classes for tap dancers to take after advance tap. They don''t have a tap company or anything like it for tap dancers to continue improving their tap technique, she said.
'We thought we''d start the Tap Dance Club where students could continue with their tap dancing,' said Colleen West, the Tap Dance Club''s full-time faculty advisor. 'They share steps with each other and choreograph a dance. Last year they had about seven to eight members and they performed at the end of the tap workshop we had last spring.'
West used to have a tap dance company that met on Saturdays and performed in the community, but she doesn''t have the time to do that again.
'I''m excited to go to the Tap Dance Club, because I wasn''t able to fit tap dance classes into my schedule,' said Erin Johnson, a junior from Henderson, Nev. 'It''s nice to be able to tap dance without having to be in a class.'
Even though the Tap Dance Club doesn''t provide many performing opportunities, it does allow tap dancers to get together to work on tap steps and improve their technique.
Tap dance consists of two kinds of styles, West said. The Broadway style is easier with many dancers performing. The steps are all choreographed along with the arms, she said.
Rhythm tap is harder and more into the ground, she said. Steps and arms aren''t choreographed, and dancers use more improvisation while dancing. It''s a lot harder to get more dancers doing the rhythm style on stage, because is not a choreographed style, she said.
' we usually do rhythm tap dancing, because it''s harder and your mind really has to think about the steps,' Newman said. 'I like rhythm style better, because it''s more relaxed and into the ground. Broadway tap is just too perky and not very hard.'
The club is sponsored by the Dance Department, but Newman hopes the club will become a BYUSA club so they can perform more and advertise more around campus.
The club meets Thursdays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. It''s free to join and the skill level ranges from intermediate to advanced.