Tapfit; a way to shake that booty on the dance floor and get fit at the same time. The tap dance classes are a total body workout that combine tap dancing with cardio and resistance training to get your heart rate up and in turn, burn calories.
Tapfit increases muscle power, co-ordination, flexibility and balance.
Did I mention you get to shake that booty on the dance floor?
I was excited to try out this class at the Dance Dynamic Studio in Richmond. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I use to dance as a child… a very young child. I like to think I still have rhythm… but that’s probably about it!
The great thing about this class is that you don’t need to own tap shoes. The team at Dance Dynamics provide you with a specially designed tap attachment that stretches over the top of your runners. You also get your own little dance mat that feels like you’re on stage!
The workout is 45 minutes and each week the instructor focuses on a different style, whether it be Broadway, street, Latin, classic, funk, strengthen and stretch. We did a lot of jazz hands on this occasion – Broadway eat your heart out!
We started off with some basic moves, like toe taps and heel digs. Even if you are an amateur, you still feel like a pro because of all the noise you make! As long as you just keep moving, you may not be recruited for FAME but you will work up a sweat pretty quickly.
Tapfit was founded by four sisters from Brisbane who have a passion for dance and also have big hearts. After finding out a family friend was unable to join a dance school, because she had cerebral palsy, they decided to teach this young girl how to tap dance themselves. As they watched this young girl thrive, it was not long after that they soon realised that tap dancing needed to be accessible to everyone. There are certain tap manoeuvres that are helpful to those who have cerebral palsy and even Parkinson’s disease, because they target areas such as balance, walking and generalised movement. The Tapfit program was created over a three year period, alongside a team of medical, diet and exercise professionals.
There are many benefits of Tapfit, it is not only good for your health and fitness, but it is good for your brain. Research suggests that dancing reduces the effects of cognitive decline by 76%. Sign me up!
Tapfit classes will officially launch at all Dance Dynamic studios (except Canterbury) on the 5th of September.
Tap dance your way to fitness!
To find out more information on when these classes will run, please visit the Tapfit website.
Tap dance your way to fitness | Melbourne Fitness & WellbeingMelbourne Fitness & Wellbeing
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