Introduction to Tap Dance
Brian Jones
The word choreography literally means “dance-writing”, it is also used to mean the creation of a dance.
I have devised a graphic notation, using abbreviations for steps and placing them on a grid symbolizing time.
I notate the tap, the foot, and the rhythm — but not body moves, direction or stage travels. If the dance is
to a specific sound track, the choreography is time-indexed and the recording is credited.
Tap terminology has slowly become standardized, these are the terms I use:
name abbreviation description “other” means foot without weight
Ball-Change ball chng step on ball of the other foot, change weight back to standing foot
Brush br swing the other foot and strike toe tap for one sound
Chug chug hop on the standing heel tap with a slide
Clap clap hand clap
Click cl hit one tap to another
Cross cr step onto the ball of the crossed foot (front or back)
Drag drag step onto the other foot with a slide
Dig dig hit the back of the other heel tap
Flap fl ap brush and step onto the ball of the other foot
Heel hl drop the heel tap of the standing foot
Hop hop on the ball of the standing foot
Jump jump leap onto all four taps (airborne)
Leap leap onto the ball of the other foot (airborne)
Scuff sc swing other foot and strike heel tap for one sound
Shuffle sh fle brush the other toe tap out and in
Stamp stam hit both taps of the other foot, don’t change weight
Stomp stom hit both taps of the other foot, change weight
Step st onto the toe tap of the other foot
Tap tap hit the flat of the toe tap to floor, don’t change weight
Toe toe hit the tip of the toe tap to floor, don’t change weight
Pull pull brush off the ball of the weight-bearing foot
Use the grid below to establish the rhythm by counting with the beat on the grey band and the off-beat
(“and”) on the space between. If the step has two beats on one foot (flap, shuffle), I split the word into two
parts and notate the foot under the first part only.
and 8 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 and
class 1 — step, brush, flap, shuffle, ball-change / tempo / stance / rehearsal
walk routine — REPEAT ON OPPOSITE FOOT
st st st st st st st st
l r l r l r l r
fl ap fl ap fl ap fl ap fl ap fl ap fl ap fl ap
l r l r l r l r
fl ap ball chng fl ap ball chng fl ap ball chng fl ap ball chng
l r l r l r l r l r l r
sh fle ball chng sh fle ball chng sh fle sh fle ball chng st
l l r l l r l l l r l
©2011—Brian Jones—Rev. 3 [Link] Page 1 of 4
Introduction to Tap Dance
and 8 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 and
class 2 — hop, toe, lunge
waltz clog routine
st sh fle ball chng st sh fle ball chng
l r r l r l l r
st br hop st br hop
l r l r l r
st sh fle ball chng st sh fle ball chng
l r r l r l l r
st br hop st
l r l r
st sh fle ball chng st sh fle ball chng
l r r l r l l r
st st st st st st
l r l r l r
st sh fle ball chng st sh fle ball chng
l r r l r l l r
st st st st st st
l r l r l r
st sh fle ball chng st sh fle ball chng
l r r l r l l r
st hit br st hit br
l l hand / r heel r r r hand / l heel l
st sh fle ball chng st sh fle ball chng
l r r l r l l r
st hit br st
l l hand / r heel r r
st toe toe st toe toe
l r r r l l
st sh fle ball chng st sh fle ball chng
l r r l r l l r
st toe toe st toe toe
l r r r l l
st sh fle ball chng lnge
l r r l r
©2011—Brian Jones—Rev. 3 [Link] Page 2 of 4
Introduction to Tap Dance
and 8 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 and
class 3, class 4 — stamp, pickup, heel, jump / shim sham shimmy
shim sham
stam br st stam br st stam br st st stam br st
r r r l l l r r r l r r r
stam br st stam br st stam br st st stam br st
l l l r r r l l l r l l l
stam br st stam br st stam br st st stam br toe lnge
r r r l l l r r r l r r r r
toe st hl st hl st st st
l l l r r l r l
crossover
st st st st st hl cr hl st
r l r l r r l/r l r
st st st st st hl cr hl st
l r l r l l r/l r l
st st st st st hl cr hl st
r l r l r r l/l l r
st hl cr hl st st hl cr hl st
l l r/l r l r r l/r l r
tack annie
hop st br toe st br toe st br toe st br toe
r l r r r l l l r r r l l
hop st br toe st br toe st br toe st br toe
r l r r r l l l r r r l l
hop st br toe st br toe st br toe st st lnge
r l r r r l l l r r r l r
toe st hl st hl st st st
l l l r r l r l
waltz clog lunge
lnge st sh fle ball chng lnge st sh fle ball chng
r l r r l r l r r l
lnge toe st hl st hl st st st
r l l l r r l r l
lnge st sh fle ball chng lnge st sh fle ball chng
r l r r l r l r r l
lnge toe st hl st hl st jump pull
r l l l r r l apart together
end — shave and a haircut
jump fl ap - fl ap lnge clap hop step
both r r - l L r r l
©2011—Brian Jones—Rev. 3 [Link] Page 3 of 4
Introduction to Tap Dance
and 8 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 and
class 5, 6 — time steps, travels and turns / rhythm routine
double buck time step with pick-up
st stam br hop fl ap fl ap st stam br hop fl ap fl ap
l r r l r l r l l r l r
st stam br hop fl ap fl ap st stam br hop fl ap fl ap
l r r l r l r l l r l r
st stam br hop fl ap fl ap st stam br hop fl ap fl ap
l r r l r l r l l r l r
Maxie ford break
st stam br hop st stam br hop st sh fle leap toe lnge
l r r l r l l r l r r l l
mrs. czarnowski's time step
stam hop fl ap hop fl ap fl ap fl ap ball chng
r l r r l r l r l
stam hop fl ap hop fl ap fl ap fl ap ball chng
r l r r l r l r l
stam hop fl ap hop fl ap fl ap fl ap ball chng
r l r r l r l r l
mrs. czarnowski's time step break
ball chng stam stam hop st hop st st st
r l r r l r r l r l
traveling time step
st sh fle st sh fle st sh fle ball chng ball chng hop
r l l r r l l r l r r
st sh fle st sh fle st sh fle ball chng ball chng hop
l r r l l r r l r l l
st sh fle st sh fle st sh fle ball chng ball chng hop
r l l r r l l r l r r
Maxie Ford Turn
travel left st sh fle leap toe st sh fle leap toe lnge
l r r l l r r l l
shuffle off to buffalo — combination
fl ap sh st fl ap sh st fl ap sh st fl ap ball chng
r l l r l l r l l r l r
fl ap sh st fl ap sh st fl ap sh st fl ap ball chng
l r r l r r l r r l r l
fl ap sh st fl ap ball chng fl ap sh st fl ap ball chng ball chg
r l l r l l l r r l r l r l
Maxie Ford Turn
travel right st sh fle leap toe st sh fle leap toe lnge
r l l r r l l r r
©2011—Brian Jones—Rev. 3 [Link] Page 4 of 4
