The instruction and exercises in this video are intended to be used in conjunction with
the advice of your personal physician.
Because of the differences in physical conditioning from individual to individual, your doctor
should make sure that these exercises are safe for you to perform.
Therefore we strongly suggest you consult your physician before performing this or any
other exercise program.
The creative producers and participants of this program disclaim any liability or loss
in connection with the exercises and instructions herein.
Hi, I'm Donald O'Connor and I'm delighted that you've come to tap.
I think you'll find tap dancing a lot of fun and really a great way to exercise.
And to add to the fun of our instructional lessons and our fitness routines, I've invited
some really great guest tappers to join us.
So get ready for a lively hour of easy to learn instruction.
You'll be tapping to your favorite tunes before you know it.
Are you ready?
Well, get set.
Let's tap.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,
Hiya, Jessie.
Hi, Mr. Alcarna.
Would you like to dance with me?
Sure.
Okay.
Wanna do the heel together?
Sure.
Think you're going too fast for me.
You know, I don't care what age you are.
Unless your doctor has warned you against aerobic exercise,
tap dancing can offer tremendous physical benefits.
So, if you think you might be too old to start tapping,
well, stop napping and start tapping.
Well, Fayad.
Hello there, John.
How you doing?
Oh, fine, thank you.
You know, this is what's great about tap dancing.
It doesn't matter whether you're three years old like Jessie
or a famous senior citizen like Fayad Nicholas.
You know, tap dancing is a wonderful way to stay healthy,
keep your muscles firm,
and join in a form of musical expression
that's pure American.
Jessie, I'd like you to meet Mr. Nicholas.
Mr. Nicholas, this is Jessie.
Hello, Jessie.
Would you like to dance with me?
Sure.
Well, come on, let's go.
Ready?
That's it.
You got it.
You got it, Jessie.
I love tapping,
and I've always loved the idea of teaching tap dancing.
But as I started to put my ideas on paper,
I suddenly realized how much I'd taken for granted.
Tapping came to me so naturally at such an early age
that I just never took the time to pick it apart,
to learn all the basics.
That's all changed.
So for this video, I've gone back to the basics.
And to make sure that I don't leave anything out,
I've asked the help of a wonderful dancer
that some of you may remember
from the musical Curly McDimple.
Well, Robbie Morgan has all grown up now,
but she's still tearing up the boards.
Hello, good looking.
Oh, how are you, how are you, Curly?
You're so honest.
All right, Robbie and I are going to teach you
a series of basic steps.
So by the end of this video,
you'll be able to do a little routine we call the Shim Sham.
Right.
We have divided this tape into a series of four lessons,
each with three basic new steps.
Now, once you've learned these basic steps
and practiced the short combinations we've devised
to help you practice,
you'll really feel like a tap dancer.
And because practice is such an important part of learning,
I have created a short exercise routine
at the end of each lesson.
So not only will we be repeating the steps
at the end of each lesson,
we'll get a little workout at the same time.
And to make it easy for you to review each lesson,
our resident techno geniuses have come up
with a brand new hassle-free way
to get you from one of the most difficult steps
in every way to get you from one lesson to another,
just like this.
As you can see, we've color-coded each of our four lessons
so you don't have to use your VCR counter.
Just fast-forward or hit reverse
until you match the lesson color that you're looking for.
It's all printed on the back of the cassette.
Just scan the lesson color
to find the steps that you want to review.
We've made it easier than ever to review your lessons.
So remember, you got to practice.
But I want to remind our students
that it's extremely important
to get the muscles loosened up before practicing.
Absolutely.
So we'll be reminding you
and giving you a little warm-up routine
at the beginning of each lesson, shall we?
Let's.
Here we go, lesson number one.
In lesson number one, we're going to teach you the shuffle,
the toe heel, and a heel dig.
And then we'll put all three steps together.
But before we start...
Let's do our regular warm-up routine.
Right.
We're going to do the calves and the Achilles tendons.
Okay.
Make sure to rotate the ankles first to the right,
nice and slow.
Oh, I go fast, you know.
I'm sorry.
And then to the left.
Okay.
Now you kick your legs, point your toes.
And jump up and down, shall we?
Okay.
Now, we do each of these stretches
for a good full eight counts.
And then you'll be ready and warmed up
for our first lesson.
Feel good and warmed up?
Good.
All right, Robbie, let's do the shuffle.
Okay.
This is one of the most basic steps of tap dancing.
Now, you brush the ball of the foot on the floor to the front.
And then you brush it back.
And remember, the shuffle always starts to the front.
Front, back, front, back, front, back, front, back.
Yes.
Front, back.
Oh, and if you're having any trouble
once, like I am, you can put your arms out to the side.
Or you could use a straight back chair.
Right.
Now, let's do seven shuffles and a stamp.
Now, a stamp is just a step.
But you put all your weight on it
so you could dance with the other foot.
Right.
Now, let's try seven shuffles and a stamp,
starting with the right foot.
Robbie.
Okay.
Five, six, seven, eight.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, stamp.
I got through that one.
You did great.
Now, let's do it on the left foot.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, stamp.
Now, the proper way to learn a new step
is to be taught from behind.
Now, remember, the shuffle always starts to the front.
So, starting with the right foot.
Ready?
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, stamp.
Left foot.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, stamp.
Stop.
Now, how about taking it one step further, doing shuffles
and then the stamps, right and then the left.
Okay.
Let's do it eight times, alternating right foot
then left foot.
That sounds like a good idea.
Yeah.
We're shifting our weight back and forth.
Are you ready?
I think so.
Okay.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Yes.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Shuffle.
Stamp.
Left foot.
Now right foot.
Shuffle.
Stamp.
Left foot.
Right foot.
Left foot.
Stamp.
Left foot.
Two more.
Right foot.
Stamp.
And left foot.
Stamp.
Hey, that felt pretty good.
Yeah.
Now let's turn it around and we're going to teach you again from behind.
You ready?
Five, six, seven, eight.
Shuffle.
Stamp.
Shuffle.
Stamp.
Three.
Left foot.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
And eight.
Okay.
Great.
And that's that.
That's the shuffle.
Now our next step is the toe-heel.
It's just like it sounds.
The toe-heel.
Toe-heel.
You tap your toe on the floor and then you drop your heel.
One to eight counts of those?
Yeah.
And let's alternate.
Right foot, then left foot.
Okay.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Right foot.
Left foot.
That's it.
Three.
Seven.
And eight.
Okay.
Now we'll turn it around.
Okay.
Five, six, seven, eight.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
And eight.
All right.
Toe-heel.
That's how Fred Astaire started that famous break of his.
His favorite.
Just like that.
All right.
Let's get back to the lessons.
Oh, good.
I got carried away.
I'm sorry.
Now the heel dig.
Just like I said before.
Just like its name.
Take your heel.
You dig it into the floor.
And you put your feet together.
Then the other foot.
And you put it together.
Let's do a count of eight of those.
All right?
Okay.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Right foot.
Left foot.
Right foot.
Left foot.
Right foot.
Left foot.
Right foot.
Left foot.
Five, six, seven, eight.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
All right.
Turn it around.
Watch from behind.
You do that wonderful, Donald.
I did.
I felt it.
You know?
Five, six, seven, eight.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Okay.
Got it?
Now, we're gonna put it all together.
The shuffle.
toe heel and the heel dig into a little combo for we've got the single cramp roll let's
show them that step again okay nice and slow i think easy five six seven eight
shuffle toe heel heel left foot shuffle toe heel heel okay now we're going to turn it around teach
it from behind five six seven eight shuffle toe heel heel now left foot shuffle toe heel heel
and right foot this is four and five six two more and the last one
very good got that one now that's a good start for lesson number one the shuffle the toe heel
and the heel dig the single cramp roll let's do it up to speed okay go
you know all these steps i did in the movie call me madam sure donald right all right that's
lesson number one just remember that our goal in each of these lessons is to teach your body to
remember the positions and movements of each step the more you do it the more naturally it will come
to you now to assist you in installing our new program in your memory bank robbie has a short
little exercise routine especially prepared for this lesson so if you follow along not only can
you become more proficient with each step but you'll also enjoy a quick little workout routine to
improve your fitness thanks donald now i'm going to give you a nice practice routine which will
also be a great workout the first thing we're going to start with is a step called shuffle hop
stamp goes like this and then on the left you're still going front to back front to back so here
we go we're going to do seven shuffles and a stamp starting on the right foot a little faster you can
do it five six seven eight one two three four five six seven stamp left foot two three four five six
seven stamp great now we're going to do shuffle stamps you remember those goes like this shuffle
stamp shuffle stamp shuffle stamp shuffle stamp let's do eight alternating on our right foot
then our left here we go five six seven eight three four five six seven eight okay from the top
now five six seven eight three four five six seven eight great just practice these steps
and you'll get a good workout donald all right feel like it's coming together for you well
don't get discouraged with practice your body will start to come around now coordination is
something that comes naturally with practice not to everyone but to almost everyone hang in there
you're going to be amazed at how these new steps improve your balance even the way you move oh if
you ski or roller skate you've already learned to shift your weight from foot to foot so you
understand how essential it is to becoming a great tapper and speaking of great tappers with great
legs meet my dear friend the very talented miss carol lawrence
hi donald i'm all warmed up are you ready frankly i'm a little tired but donald this is your first
lesson well you're only my first guess i'm pacing myself i understand well tell me donald what have
you taught them so far well first we did the shuffle the shuffle like this yes and the toe heel
toe heel and the heel dig heel dig oh boy you learn fast don't you i've been doing
that for a long time hey listen i'll tell you what why don't we do this why don't we show them
the basic soft shoe dance i'd love that should we do that please i'll give you four for nothing
okay five six seven eight
hey listen what we have to do that number we did in uh smiling through my favorite one
forget now listen when you do me a favor you do a couple of steps to refresh my memory sure
it starts off very simply with a toe tap and then it opens up
yeah
do you remember that's beautiful yes one try we've got to do that sometime six months from now we'll
just do the whole thing i got a lot of people i got i understand and for all of you out there
just keep tap dancing it is such fun see you soon love all right sir thank you cow which is
wonderful all right lesson number two
in lesson number two we're going to teach you the flap the ball change and a pullback and then we'll
put the three steps together but before we start let's do our regular warm-up routine that's right
stretch stretch the calves and the achilles tendons and uh make sure you rotate your ankles
you know first to the right nice and slow i'm sorry i was doing them too fast and then to the
left okay now you kick your legs point your toes and uh jump up and down okay now do each of these
stretches for a good full eight counts and then you'll be warmed up and ready for our second lesson
so put your vcr on pause warm up real good and we'll see you when you're ready
feel good warmed up okay robbie let's do the flap okay now this again is a basic step in
tap dancing you brush the ball of the foot on the floor and you put your toe down
robbie shall we go brush step brush step you're putting the weight on one foot so that you can
use the other foot okay now let's do eight flaps on the right foot okay five six nice and slow
sorry you count it okay five six seven eight brush step brush step brush step good putting
all the weight on that foot two more and eight great okay now let's do it on the left foot
you count it i'm have a tendency to go fast go ahead okay a five six seven eight brush step
brush step brush step putting all your weight on the foot brush step brush step brush step brush step
great we got the eight counts pretty fast i think we did now let's do alternating feet ready members
stay now up on your toes shifting your weight from your right foot to the left you count off
okay five six seven eight one two three four five six seven eight you know it's always easy to learn
a new step from behind you ready five six you know what donald what before we do alternating feet
let's just do eight on the right foot again just eight on the right okay that's what you
that's what she wants we do it okay five six seven eight one and two three four five six seven
and eight great now can we go on the other foot yes we're going to do it my way we're going to
put it in the other okay five six seven eight and one and two three four five six seven and eight
okay now let's alternate starting on the right okay but you know what right let's do it this way
oh ready a five six seven eight one two three four five six seven eight well hey donald yeah
let's do eight running flaps and let's show them how it looks fast you want to count it off i will
a five six seven eight hey and that is the flap now our next step is the ball change a ball change
is two steps one foot goes behind like this back front shifting your weight like a rocking horse
back front good good now let's do a couple more okay back front back front back front
and now when you get a little more advanced a ball change could be done uh side to side like this
oh i thought i'd get you but i didn't hey that reminds me jane kelly does a step that starts
just like that really oh i got carried away wait we got to do the left foot oh i forgot okay take
it back front back front you know what let's do four of them on the right and four of them on the
left but i want them to listen to the rhythm okay and back front ball change back front back front
good let's try them let's do it in the left foot yeah okay ball change get that rhythm back front
back front back front great i like that yeah and that's the ball change
now our third step is the pullback you start with your heel on the floor
and your toe up you brush the ball of your foot on the floor bringing it back and make
believe that you're going to kick yourself in the frances the frances you mean the tushy
you say tushy and i'll say frances now you step on that foot lifting your left toe at the same
time let's do the whole step here's the step there it is see now you do the same thing on
your left foot brushing the ball of your foot on the floor sliding it back and kicking yourself
where we talked about before stepping and lifting your right toe at the same time now it sounds more
complicated than it is really remember just your toe comes up on the opposite foot not the whole
foot now let's do uh let's do eight counts going backwards all right i'd love to okay go and pull
back pull back pull back good that's it and back pull back pull back great all right now we'll turn
around and we'll come back but we don't have much farther to go okay now that's the single pullback
and now we're going to put the three steps together all right the flap the ball change
right and the pullback into a little combination that's going to look like this
flap ball change flap ball change pull back pull back full lap full change yeah now we've got the
flap ball change and pull back combination you see look come on show them again okay flap ball change
flap ball change the second ball change is side by side then you're going to do pull back pull back
flap ball change okay you want to show them from behind absolutely from the frances tushy side
okay go and flap ball change flap side by side pull back pull back flap ball change
great i like the way you do that yeah you look like you know what you're doing
look let's do it one more time and bring it up to speed okay go ahead
five six seven eight pull back pull back pull back hey is that it that's it i take instructions
beautifully don't i that's a good start for lesson number two the flap the ball change and the pull
back and of course i did all of these steps in no business like show business you may have seen
that on the big screen i did all of those and now here's an exercise routine specially designed
by robbie for this lesson robbie okay are you ready to practice our steps a little bit faster
great i knew you would be let me show you the combination that we're going to do
it goes like this we're going to do seven flaps and a flat ball change one two three four five
six change now left foot two three four five six three three now singles change change change
follow me let's do it together and we'll do it four times okay here we go five six seven eight one
two three four five six four change left foot two three four five six four change right three
left three singles one two three again one two three four five six and a flat ball change and
left foot two three four five six and a flat ball change now three change three singles two three
again one two three four five six and a flat ball change one two three four five six and a flat
ball change now three three singles one more time and we're through one two three four five six and
left two three four five six three three singles one two three and four feel your calves burning
and your legs great that means you're getting a good workout oh i can do that really i can
i've just learned from some years of experience that the more mature you are the smarter it is
to start a little slower mr o'connor robbie said you might need these ladies oh she did thank you
very much i'd like you to meet two young tappers who have taken all the same basic steps you're
going to learn and added some great moves of their own i'd like you to meet danon bryant and jason
rogers how about showing us some rap tap you mean it yeah really you ready that's beautiful
give me some skin now look at your shoes oh that's a great set of wheels wrap tap
in lesson number three we're going to teach you the double cramp roll the toe in the back
and the flat peel and then we'll put all three steps together but before we start
let's do our regular warm-up routine stretch the calves and the achilles heels
get all of those going there stretch real good arch your back okay rotate the ankles first to
the right nice and slow and then to the left okay now you kick your legs point your toes
and jump up and down right now do each of these stretches for a good full eight counts
to get your body warmed up and ready for our third lesson so put your vcr on pause
warm up and join us when you're ready all right and you watch one of my old movies
all warmed up great let's do the double cramp roll again this is a very basic step robbie let's show
them how it goes okay right foot first and very slow you're going to do toe toe heel heel toe toe
heel heel that is slow very slow okay do it again for me okay toe toe heel heel toe toe heel heel
okay now let's try it together for eight counts right foot first nice and slow a five six seven
eight toe toe heel heel toe toe heel heel three four five six seven and eight all right robbie now
let's turn it around and remember viewing a step from the back is the best way to learn eight
counts okay five six seven eight toe toe heel heel toe toe heel three four five six seven
and eight great now let's show them how it looks just a little bit faster okay my style here we go
so one two three four five six seven eight hear that sounds like galloping horses doesn't it
high horse silver away all right chemo sobby let's turn it around okay five six seven eight one two
three four five six and okay now let's move into our second step the toe in the back robbie show
okay pretty easy all right that's good now let's turn it around do it the proper way
four counts five six seven eight one two three four okay and that's the toe in the back now our
third and final step for this lesson is the flap heel this will be easy for you since you already
know the flap now starting with the right foot you do a flap then you drop your heel first on the
right foot and then on the left yeah go shall we do four starting on the right foot that sounds good
nice and slow five six seven eight two three four oh i want to do more let's do more okay let's turn
around okay a little bit faster maybe you're all right with me seven eight two three and four
very good now let's put all these three steps together the double cramp roll the toe in the back
and the flap heel into a little combination that looks like this you're on robbie okay
okay
oh you know i did that in the movie let me guess francis taps you got it i did that toe in the back
get that toe in the back i did it don't well i guess she doesn't like francis
but that's a good start for lesson number three the double cramp roll the toe in the back and
the flap heel we're making some real progress here and to reward you here's robbie with a
fitness routine to help you practice those three new steps here we go it's that time again we're
going to work up a great sweat while we practice these steps we're going to do eight double cramp
rolls in the center with our feet together let me show you one or two and then we're going to do
eight with our feet apart we're going to come back and do eight again with our feet together
and we're going to do four toe in the backs you remember toe in the back
great let's take it from the top and i'll count i'll count it off for you here we go
a five six nice and slow one two three four five six seven apart one two three four five
six seven together one you feel your thighs burning five six seven eight toe in the back
toe in the back toe in the back again one two three four five six seven eight apart two three
it sounds like a horse galloping seven eight together two three four five six toe in the back
one two three four if you do this exercise eight times you will definitely feel the burn
in your calves and your thighs great job have fun i know you know this but i'm going to say
it anyway music music music you can tap without it but nothing will liven up a practice routine
more than music you can tap to anything from classical to rap if it has a strong beat once
you feel that rhythm going for you and you've got a bad sense of direction good to see you debbie
reynolds thank you my darling thank you happy to be here thank you my love you're teaching everybody
tap i am we've got the greatest people out there they were just waiting for you though oh yes here
we are we do singing in the rain too 40 years later that's right remember any of those steps
we did from the movie i mostly remember the ones that gene drilled and drilled and that was from
good morning good morning number the uh well it was all different kinds of steps right you want
me to start it off can we still remember it well let's try hit it i'll i'll cut it off five six seven
all right he remembers better than i do make a one that's it what's what was another one we did
favorite steps we had to kelly's repertoire right had to learn each little step whatever he liked
and that favorite one was maxi for the maxis does everybody know maxi for let's show max you ready
here we go five six seven eight i had to practice for hours you know so many people in this business
that how would it be how would um jaja gabor well anyway i don't think jaja would be up to a
darling i don't think she likes the top dance but we see what maybe she like something simple
i like the boys i like some friends like lots of money and how about dr ruth
get down here i teach you all about tap sex
listen it's so sweet of you to come over anytime anytime i'll always be here for you
are we gonna ask you a question how do we get up from here we'll see you that's the next tape
in lesson number four we're going to teach you two really fun combination steps
the maxi four and the shuffle off the buffalo and this is going to be lots of fun because
these steps are simple combinations of the steps you've already learned but before we start oh we
have to do our regular warm-ups you know the routine we start by stretching the calves right
arch your back get those killy's tendons going for us all right right rotate those ankles nice
and slowly first to the right and now let's go to the left okay good all right you kick your legs
and you point your toes a little shake rattle and roll and jump up and down right not too high
great and remember to do each of these stretches for a good full eight counts and then you'll be
warmed up and ready for our fourth and final lesson so stop your vcrs go ahead and warm up
and join us when you're ready well if you did all eight counts like good tappers do
then your motor should be warmed up and you're ready to start robbie let's teach them the maxi
four okay donald okay watch closely you're going to do a stamp on your right foot shuffle the left
foot leap onto the left foot hitting your right toe in the back like this
hey hey you do that so well how about doing it a couple of more times
anything for you donald here we go slowly step shuffle leap toe again step shuffle leap toe great
that wasn't so hard was it no let's try it on the left foot okay the same thing we're just going to
start do a step on the left foot step shuffle leap toe step shuffle leap toe great now let's try
two more times nice and slow okay for me not for them for me okay on the left and step shuffle
leap toe step shuffle you were right donald it's not that hard look let's all practice it four on
the right foot and four on the left great nice and slow on the right five six here we go
now on the left all right five six here we go
now step shuffle leap toe step shuffle leap toe again one more time
great good now let's turn it around i'd love to and we'll do it from behind like
they're supposed to learn it okay right foot right foot and step shuffle
leap toe three and four good other foot yes a five six seven eight
great hey my job i think she's got it
great i don't know about you but i'm about ready to shuffle off the buffalo here's how it goes
great it's really important to listen to the rhythm
i think that was jackie gleason's favorite step it is that's jackie gleason's and away we go
oh okay let's do it you're gonna step on your right foot shuffle your left leap onto your left
like this and make a four with your right leg so it looks like that okay let's do it now ready
and step shuffle leap hey step shuffle leap great okay then you want to try the other foot
yes and step shuffle leap step shuffle leap great you're telling about the four it makes a four
like that yeah i did okay let's do it again okay let's do it on the right and five six here we go
step shuffle leap step shuffle leap step shuffle leap and step shuffle leap shall we do it on the
left absolutely okay so i mean the body's got a match you know absolutely five otherwise you go
around like this okay we wouldn't want to look like that and step shuffle leap step shuffle leap
step shuffle leap and step shuffle leap okay well i have an agent that looks like that let's turn
around and do it four on the right and four on the left five six seven eight
Step, shuffle, leap.
And step, shuffle, leap.
Other four? Yeah.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Step, shuffle, leap.
And step, shuffle, leap.
Very good.
Now it's time for the combination.
Okay.
Now we're gonna do
four shuffle-off-to-buffalos,
two maxi fours,
and then we're gonna do a stamp stamp.
Let me show you how it looks.
One,
two,
three, four.
Now maxi, step, shuffle, leap.
Toe, again,
stamp, stamp.
Very good.
Now, let's do two times
from the top.
Ready? Here we go.
Step, shuffle, leap.
Three, and four.
Now maxi, step, shuffle, leap.
Toe, step, shuffle, leap.
Toe, and a step.
Again, maxi,
step, shuffle, leap.
Toe, and one step.
Great, so now we're gonna start on the left.
Do the whole thing
on the left foot.
And, step, shuffle, leap.
Step, shuffle, leap.
Now maxi, four.
Toe, step, shuffle, leap.
Toe, and a step, step.
Maxi, again,
step, shuffle, leap.
Toe, and one step.
Got it? You will get it, I promise.
Well, we'll find out soon enough.
Look, it's time to turn around
and do it again, alright?
Let's do it from the proper way of teaching.
Alright.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Step, shuffle, leap.
And step, shuffle, leap.
Maxi, shuffle, leap toe.
Another maxi, and a stamp, stamp.
Maxi again.
One step.
Great, now we'll do it on the left.
Okay.
Five, six, here we go.
Step, shuffle, leap.
And step, shuffle, maxi, four.
Step, shuffle, leap toe.
And a stamp, again.
Step, shuffle, leap toe.
And one stamp.
Huh.
You know what that step reminds me of?
Oh, wait, let me guess.
Did you do that in one of your movies?
No, I did that going from a party last night.
Oh, what a time we had.
Good idea. I'll see you later.
There she goes,
tapping into the sunset.
I know this lesson has been a little tougher than the others,
but thanks to videotape,
you can always hit the rewind button
when you want a review.
So just take it one lesson at a time
and pace yourself. You'll get it.
You'll be tapping to your favorite music
in no time.
And here's something that'll make you smile.
Robbie is going to show you her final exercise routine.
I know that'll make you happy.
That was a great
lesson, wasn't it?
Well, now we're going to do a terrific workout
while practicing some of our new steps.
Let's do the same
combination that we just learned.
Okay? Let me show it to you.
It went like this.
Step, shuffle, leap. Step, shuffle, leap.
Step, shuffle, leap, toe.
Step, step. Step, shuffle, leap, toe.
Step, shuffle, leap, toe.
And a slam so that we can reverse it
and do the whole thing on the left leg.
Are you ready to join me?
You can do it.
Here we go.
A five, six,
seven, eight.
Step, shuffle, leap. Step, shuffle, leap.
Step, shuffle, leap, toe.
Step, shuffle, leap, toe. And a
stamp, stamp.
Step, shuffle, leap, toe.
Step, shuffle, leap, toe. And a
step, left foot.
Step, shuffle, leap.
Step, shuffle, leap. Step, shuffle, leaf.
Step, shuffle, leap. Max,
four. Step, shuffle,
Make out, stamp.
Good job.
Just keep practicing, over and over,
and you'll get it.
Donald?
You know the phrase, when you're hot, you're hot?
Well, one of the hottest tap dances
I've ever had the pleasure to see perform
is a man that was recently on it
with his brother, Harold, at the White House
and by the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts
in Washington, D.C.
We've been friends since we were kids.
Mr. Fayard Nicholas.
Hey.
All right.
Good to see you.
Hey, we've been having a great time.
Oh, that's wonderful.
Yeah, yeah.
Teaching our future tappers.
Uh-huh.
What have you been teaching?
Well, uh, we taught them the shuffle ball change.
Shuffle ball?
Yeah.
I can do that.
Can you do that?
Well, that's a little more like it.
Uh-huh.
Well, that's a little more like icing on the cake there.
Yeah.
And then we've also taught them the maxi.
Maxi 😎.
Maxi.
Well, I can do that.
Watch.
Oh, that's beautiful.
Yeah, we taught them the SH util off the Buffalo.
Sh诤el off?
We taught them that one.
I can do that.
Great.
Oh, that's beautiful.
Yeah.
But tell me, have you taught them this.
Huh?
No, no, we haven't quite taught them that.
Haven't quite taught them that?
No.
Oh.
They're just beginners, you see.
Oh, well, I understand.
Yeah.
How about that?
No, we haven't taught them that either.
Well...
You haven't taught them that either?
No.
Oh.
Well, what about this?
Okay.
Ho!
Have you taught them that?
No, we haven't taught them that either.
Well, Donald, you haven't taught them anything.
Hey!
Fed, remind me to teach you that new rap tap number that I've been working on the next
time that you're over.
Oh, yeah?
Oh, yeah.
Show off.
Nice kid, but dresses up too much.
Hey, you know, Donald, I've wanted to do that since the first time I saw you dance.
Robbie, you make me blush.
Well, this is the moment I've waited for too, the opportunity to take what we've learned
here, put it together, and teach you a step called the shim sham.
You sure you don't want to teach it?
Nope.
You do the hard stuff.
Okay.
Here we go.
We're going to start on the right foot.
You do a stomp, a pullback, and a stamp.
Now a stomp is just like a stamp, except you pick your foot right up so that you can use
the same foot again, like this.
Okay?
We're going to start on the right foot.
Here we go.
And stomp, pullback, step.
Stomp, pullback, step.
Step, stomp, pullback, step.
Now left foot.
Stomp, pullback, step.
Step, stomp, pullback, step.
Hey.
Good job.
Hey, let's do this nice and slow, four times through, starting on the right foot.
Okay.
Six.
Five, six.
Six.
Seven.
Stomp, pullback, step.
Step, stomp, pullback, step.
Now left foot.
Stomp, pullback, step.
Step, stomp.
Now on the right foot.
Stomp, pullback, step.
One more time on the left.
Stomp, pull, back, step, stomp, pull, back, step, stomp, pull, back, step, step, stomp, pull, back, step.
Hey, even I did it.
Listen, let's turn it around.
We'll do it nice and slow from the angle that you're supposed to learn from, from behind.
Are you ready?
Really slow.
Five, six, seven, eight, pull, back, step, left, pull, back, step, right, pull, back, step, step, right, pull, back, step.
Now left foot, left, pull, back, step, right, pull, back, step, stomp, pull, back, step, step, stomp, right foot again.
Stomp, pull, back, step, stomp, pull, back, step, stomp, pull, back, step, step, stomp.
One more time.
Stomp, pull, back, step, stomp, pull, back, step, stomp, pull, back, step, step, stomp, pull, back, step.
Okay, now we're going to teach you a break.
Now, a break is a little tag you put on the end of some steps.
Sort of like the icing on the cake.
It goes like this. Robbie, shall we show them?
I'd love to. Five, six, seven.
Hey, that was great. Now, listen, please, don't get frustrated.
Let's do the break again. Ready?
Nice and slow. Here we go.
Step, step together, step, hop back, hop back, stamp, stamp.
Hey, that's great. Now, let's turn it around, do it again from behind.
A proper angle for learning. Are you ready?
I'm ready. You start it off.
Five, six, here we go.
Step, step together, step, hop back, hop back, stamp, stamp.
Okay, good work.
Now, this is going to be fun.
Let's do three shim shams. Three shim shams.
And a break. A break. I think they can do it.
Well, we're going to see. Nice and slow.
Right. Okay.
Five, six, seven, eight.
Pull back, stomp, pull back, stomp, pull, step, step, stomp.
Now left foot, stomp, pull back, stomp, pull, back, stomp, pull, step, step, stomp.
One more time, stomp, pull back.
Get ready for the break.
Here you go. Break.
Step together, step, hop back, hop back, stamp, stamp.
Hey. Yes.
Now we're going to turn it around. And show you again.
We'll do it from behind. You take the tempo.
Okay. Five, six, seven, eight.
Pull back, stomp, pull back, stomp.
Step, step, stomp, pull back. Left foot, stomp, pull back.
Stomp, pull, step, step, stomp, pull back.
This is the last time on the right.
Get ready for your break.
Here we go. Break.
Step together, step, hop back, hop back, stamp, stamp.
Hey.
Want to do it one more time? I'd love to.
Okay. Maybe a little bit faster.
A little faster. That's my tempo.
Okay. Let's do it this way.
You do it in front. I'll do it in the back.
Okay. Five, six, seven, eight.
Pull back, stomp, pull back, stomp.
Step, step, stomp, pull back, stomp, pull back.
Stomp, pull back, stomp.
Step, step, stomp, pull back, stomp, pull back.
Get ready for your break.
Step, step. Here you go. Break.
Stomp. Step together, step, hop back, hop back, stamp, stamp.
I don't know how you were on your side.
We're pretty good on our side.
Consider yourself an official tapper.
You've just done the shim sham and a break.
Shall we?
I can't think of anyone who brought more style and imagination to tap,
and especially the shim sham,
my very dear friend, Mr. Buddy Epson.
How you doing, Buddy?
It's so nice of you to drop by.
Well, it is a thrill for me.
My first step that I learned, I learned from my father,
who was a ballet master, really, and knew nothing about tap dancing.
He tried to make me a ballet dancer.
So I was in a class with 20 girls doing what I called taffy-pulling dancing.
And so, this was in Florida.
He wanted to make me the Nijinsky of the Everglades.
So I took not to the hills, but I hid in the orange groves
until one day at the Beecham Theater in Orlando, Florida,
I saw an act called the Dixie Four,
and they did soft shoe dancing and tap dancing,
and I'd never seen it before in my life.
We didn't have television in those days, you know.
So I ran home to my father and said,
I saw the kind of dancing that I want to do.
So he got out a book, it said clog dancing on it,
which he had picked up in New York when he was there studying.
And together, we pieced together a step,
which is like this.
Front, back, step, front, back, step, step, front, back, step,
front, back, step, front, back, step, front, back, step, step, front, back, step,
which by a strange coincidence is the first step of the sham sham shimmy.
And that's the first step I ever learned.
I'll be darned.
You want to do it?
I'd love to do it.
The whole thing?
Sure.
And we'll call ourselves the Nijinskys of the Everglades.
Go.
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da.
It'll be a rehearsal in the morning.
The Everglades are coming in.
Now we shimmy, oh, no.
We're going to go that way, right?
Hey, that's beautiful.
That's beautiful.
Oh, my gosh.
You should be so happy that this man came over.
You know, back when we started putting these lessons together,
we were focused on two goals.
First, we wanted to create a really great teaching tool for people
who we thought would like to know how to tap dance
but didn't want to necessarily go to classes.
And second, we wanted to create a fun, lively fitness program
that would inspire you to practice
and at the same time make you feel good about yourselves.
I sincerely hope that we've attained our goals
and I hope that you'll use this video,
all the new steps and combinations that we've taught you,
to brighten your days and tap away your troubles.
Is that right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, my gosh.
Well, that's the flat ball change.
Dancing is a wonderful way to stay healthy.
Well, that's up, isn't it?
I was so interested in what he was saying.
I got news for you.
We're going to have to stop tape.
I can't get up from this position.
Okay.
If only I could get some sleep.
Thanks so much for coming.
We'll see you next time.
God bless.
I could keep going on and on.
Oh, God, will you?