Tap is an exciting form of dance in which dancers wear special shoes equipped with metal taps.  Tap dancers use their feet like drums to create rhythmic patterns and timely beats.  The term “tap dancing “is derived from the tapping sound produced when the small metal plates on the dancer’s shoes touch a hard floor or surface. Typical tap classes begin with a warm-up to stretch the muscles of the legs and feet.  Dancers practice a series of steps, adding more difficult combinations as they become more proficient.  Tap dancing is a vigorous form of dance, requiring a great deal of physical fitness.  Many kids as well as adults tap dance for fun and exercise.  It builds aerobic fitness as well as muscle control.  The goal in tap dancing is to produce clear, clean sounds, with various levels of tone.  Body weight should be held slightly forward, allowing most of the dancing to be done on the balls of the feet.  The knees and ankles should be relaxed at all times.  Beginning tap dancers are sometimes told to dance as if they were dancing in a glass floor.