BALL-CHANGE: To shift weight from the ball of one foot to the ball of the other.  Rocking Motion

BOUNCE: To go up and down on two feet at the same time (like a Bunny Rabbit)

BRUSH: Kick foot forward, making a tap sound with the toe only

CHUG: Lift onto toes.  Push feet forward by dropping heels and sliding forward

DIAMOND:  Also called a Jazz Square.  A 4-step crossing of the feet.  Step, Cross foot over, step back, uncross foot

DIG: Bounce heel on ground and immediately lift back up – put no weight on the foot

FLAP: (Pronounced Fa-Lap) To brush toe and then tap the same toe consecutively using no heel –- also to slap toe and then tap the same toe consecutively using no heel (Directional)

HEEL: Lift a straight leg up and down to make tap sound with heel

HICCUP: Another name for a single skip

HOP: To move up and down on one constant foot 

JUMP: To change weight from one foot to the other by jumping

PULL-BACK: To jump lightly into air and flap one or both feet backwards at the same time

RIF: Brush toe forwards, drag the heel of the same foot forward to make a separate heel sound, and then lift the heel on the opposite foot (3 sounds)

SCISSOR: Step on a foot, cross other over in front, step out on original foot, heel out with opposite foot (step, cross, step, heel)

SCUFF: To kick entire foot forwards, using both to and heel simultaneously

SHUFFLE: Kick leg forward and backward from knee, swinging foot back and forth to make 2 tap sounds (1 front, 1 back) with toe only

SLAP: Kick foot backward, making a tap sound with toe only on the floor

SPANK: Same as a Slap (see SLAP)

STEP: Put weight on one entire foot all at once

STOMP: A loud step (see definition STEP)

STOMP TOG: Bounce entire foot on ground and immediately lift up, putting no weight on foot

SUGAR: Twist one knee out at a time and move forward from side to side (twist walk)

SUZY Q: Twist one knee out at a time and move laterally in one direction

TOE:

1. To Lift leg up and down to make Tapping sound with toe
2. To Bend leg behind and make a sound with the front tip of the shoe

COMMON TAP COMBINATIONS

1. Single: Hop (with Kick) Step flap ball-tog
2. Double: Hop (with Kick) Flap, flap ball-tog
3. Triple: Hop Shuffle Step Flap Ball-tog

Remember:  Tap dancing is essentially syllabic, meaning that the amount of syllables in a tap step usually tells us how many sounds our taps are supposed to make.  Example:

Shuffle Ball-change (“Shuf-fle-Ball-change”) has 4 syllables when spoken.  It also has 4 tap sounds when done properly (see dictionary for definition of words)