About the Year-Round Youth Program
About: ATDF youth programs for children and teens teach students about America’s own indigenous art form – Tap Dance.
What makes our classes different? Our youth program classes offer children and teens a chance to become immersed in tap culture. Classes focus on the fundamentals of rhythm tap, including clean technique, classic and contemporary tap repertory, and improvisation skills. Tap history, films, jazz music, and special guests deepen students’ appreciation of this great American art form. Our teachers bring decades of experience to the studio and create a warm, supportive and fun environment for learning.
The ATDF Youth Program is designed as a nine month program that runs from mid-September through mid-June. Each class builds cumulatively using a specific tap curriculum towards a performance at the end of the year. Please plan to make a full year commitment to your child’s tap class so that she/he has a satisfying learning experience.
About Your Teachers: ATDF teachers and staff bring decades of experience to our programming, wearing many hats as tap educators (many with degrees in Dance Education/Performance), performers, choreographers, and administrators. Please visit www.atdf.org and visit our faculty page to read about our talented roster of faculty and guest teachers.
For more information contact us at shebach@atdf.org or call the ATDF at 646-230-9564
Classes held at: American Tap Dance Center, 154 Christopher Street #2B (between Greenwich & Washington Streets)
Class Descriptions
Young Rhythm Makers
No experience necessary. Our younger dancers concentrate on learning basic tap technique and music concepts through games and exercises.
Tap Fundamentals: levels 1- 3
Tap Fundamentals 1 is the entry level for new students age 6 & up, with no previous tap experience. Students will find the “fun” in fundamental basics! Dancers concentrate on learning the basic vocabulary of tap dance, explore music concepts and beginning improvisation. We learn how to warm up, travel across the floor, and combine different basic steps to make combinations.
Tap Fundamentals 2-3 are for dancers that have had 1 or two previous years of tap experience. All fundamentals are explored and strengthened in these levels.
Shim Sham Crew: levels 1-3
This level is for students who have a established a good beginner vocabulary & skills. Classes continue to build and expand tap technique, more complex ideas, such as time steps and the early classic dances such as the “Shim Sham” and the “Coles Stroll”. Students are placed in specific levels based on ability at the time of evaluation.
Copasetic Club: levels 1- 3
Students at this level have mastered beginning tap skills, time steps and have explored some classic repertory. Students move forward in tap technique, improvisation skills and classic repertory passed down from a rich tap legacy owed to “The Copasetics”. Focus is on learning elements/parts of other traditional Copasetic dances such as the “BS Chorus”, “Soft Shoe”, paddle and roll variations and learning longer form rhythm time steps and traditional tap phrasing. This level is required for participation in TCJE Prep.
Time Steps and Traditions: 1- 2 & 3
Syncopation and swing are the inspiration here, as we focus on further development of technique, learning a myriad of both classic rhythm time steps from the masters such as Bill Robinson, Leon Collins, Cookie Cook, and original time steps to different grooves and music. Students will be given the opportunity to explore creating time steps of their own. The classic dance of this section is the “BS Chorus” which features some flash steps, which means exploring those exciting moves such as “wings”, “over the tops”, and “trenches”! This class is required for TCJE I & II participation.
Hoofers and Hitters: 1-3
Rhythm and style! Students at this level have mastered a variety of times steps, paddle and roll variations, and learned several dances in the Copasetic tradition. This level concentrates on exploring the steps and styles and legacy of dance masters such as Leon Collins, Buster Brown, Eddie Brown, and Carnell Lyons. Students will further explore higher music and improvisation concepts; paddle and roll and clean double time technique, and tapping in a variety of grooves and music styles. This class is suggested for TCYE II & III participation.
HOW TO REGISTER YOUR CHILD in the ATDF YOUTH PROGRAM
New students to our program are placed in classes based on their level of training. Beginners with no experience are placed in either Young Rhythm Makers or Tap Fundamentals 1, based on age of the student. For students with previous experience, we require setting up an assessment with faculty so we can suggest the correct class level for your child. Or, new students can attend a scheduled open house where we can do assessments. Please call our office directly for more information or to set up an assessment: 646-230-9564.