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Young At Heart - Intergenerational Tap Dance Classes

I've started on a dream for Dancing For Change and created a website, www.tapdancing4change.org. The vision and mission are largely inspired by and follow the model of Playing For Change, modeling again what everyone can do, doing whatever we love, whatever lifts our hearts for Change.

In this context Change means:
Clean government and media. Fair trade and economic system. Peaceful conflict resolution. Restoration of the Natural Earth. Reparation of war torn countries. Whole food, Whole health care--for A World That Works For All. This calls for an end to corruption--power politics, media, and economics. An end to racism, sexism and elitism of all kinds.

Here is an article that expresses my philosophy of tap dancing. I have more to add and I will, and this is a great start. -Lynnette

Thanks to Dr. Russ:
Tap Dance: Metaphor for Many Moments of Optimism

Dr. Russ spent last week at the “2009 Tap City,” The New York City Tap Festival, “featuring an extensive adult tap training program, a week of dynamic performances, innovative, pre-professional, and youth training programs, annual awards and numerous tap talks, tap films, and tap jams throughout Manhattan.” (ATDF)

Each summer since 2001, hundreds of tap dancers have gathered from around the world “to experience, teach, study, perform, collaborate, and explore” a truly American dance form that makes its own music, “a quintessential celebration of our American heritage.”

Eight years later, “Tap City” is experiencing a “blossoming moment” of optimism as tap choreography has gone well beyond traditional vaudeville routines incorporating aspects of ballet, modern and even ballroom dance such as rumba and swing.

Whether your craft is scrap booking, restoring classic cars, or playing banjo, Dr. Russ believes there is nothing greater for restoring and living optimism than getting together with a bunch of enthusiasts--beginners to highly skilled--to share your stuff, learn from each other “jamming” out many “memorable moments” of optimism.

For Dr. Russ Buss, tap dance is a perfect metaphor for “living life optimistically.” Over the course of the coming week he will explore this metaphor in some depth. Today, Dr. Russ wants to help expand your “repertoire” of optimistic moments by describing and sharing several “shining moments” of optimism that he experienced at “Tap City” last week.

Tap as metaphor...

A moment of optimism is experienced each time the dancer strikes the hard surface floor making a percussive sound. A routine of percussive sounds is made with rapid-fire combinations of toe and heel strikes, shuffles and weight changes. Melody and rhythm can be created. The tap dancer, as a percussive musician, now creates a continuous sequence of optimistic moments; "The Optimistic Beat" – if you will. The optimism of these moments is enhanced by the multi-sensory experience of tap dancing; auditory (heard), visual (seen), tactile (felt each time foot strikes floor), vestibular (keen sense of balance and weight shift that is required).

In today’s Dr. Russ Bussters, Dr. Russ explores a few qualitatively different moments of optimism using the “tap metaphor.” In fact, he introduces the idea that in order to really learn to be an “optimist” one must not only learn how to increase the number or “quantity” of optimistic moments, but also acquire mastery in the ability to experience diversity in the type or “quality” of optimistic moments.

A few Dr. Russ Bussters as "Moments of Optimism"

Masterful Moment: perception that a goal has been accomplished through effort - Finally did a “time step” accurately three times in a row at full speed.

Micro-Mini-Moment: something that happens in a fraction of a second - Fun sound of a toe or heel tap or flap (brush-toe).

Purposeful Moment: clearly thinking about the goal you are working towards without distraction - “OK focus – the step is “jump-shuffle-brush-toe.”

Riveting Moment: a moment in which one is spellbound or in a trance-like state - Watching two master tap dancers in a face-off "challenge-tap-dance" in which they take turns trying to “outdo” or “outperform” the other.

Automatic Moment: a moment when a thought or action is experienced without conscious awareness - A “shuffle-ball-change" occurs during an improvisation without planning or forethought.

Panic Moment: a moment when fear is overwhelming - just before going on stage when one thinks to herself, “oh no, I don’t remember a thing.”

Anchoring Moment: a moment that helps correct the panic moment with a stabilizing and comforting thought - "OK – just focus on the first three or four steps.”

Lynnette Allen, MA  8-25-2009     
www.youngatheart-tapdance.com
lynallen4chg@yahoo.com
360-714-9305