Tap dance vocabulary
Tap Terminology
Ad Lib: This is another word for “improvise” which means to dance freely outside the bounds of choreography.
Ball Beat: A basic dropping of the ball of the foot.
Dig Heel: A hard strike of the heel in any direction.
Flat Step: Strike down the flat foot.
Heel Beat: balance on the heel then drop it to the floor.
Shuffle: A forward brush then a back in any direction done fast in a 16th note rhythm.
Toe Back (or “toe tap”): To strike the point of the toe behind the standing foot then immediately raising the foot from the floor.
Vamp: A musical introduction, or musical phrase which can be repeated indefinitely.