I really enjoyed the tap classes that Maurice Hines taught on Saturday and Sunday. He worked us hard! It was two straight hours of nonstop dancing. His assistant, Shaun Baker, taught the warm up. It was thorough and clear. I found it easy to follow, but it was not easy. You needed to have a strong tap base to know the vocabulary. His sounds were crisp and clean.
Maurice led us across the floor. We danced two by two. It was really fun. He used a lot of Janet Jackson music and other great songs from that era. Maurice breaks things down well, and he demonstrates so beautifully. He is such an excellent dancer. I like the way he builds the class. Some of the steps Shaun taught us in the warm up, then we did them again across the floor, and then a third time in the combination. That's a great way to teach, because it builds confidence, technique, and understanding.
Many of the tap steps were combined with Jazz and Latin. There were a lot of fast rhythms. Some of it I wasn't sure I could still do, but somehow my body went on automatic, and I could. I just focused hard on hearing the sounds in my head. I'm not sure if it was wise to do all of the wings and other more advanced steps on my replaced hips, but they felt fine. I wasn't in any pain afterwards, just exhausted and thirsty.
I was totally wiped out after the second day of class. I felt more relaxed and comfortable with the learning process, though. I kind of knew what to expect, and told myself to go with the flow. If you panic, your mind freezes, and it's hard to pick up. The second combination was also really fun and enjoyable. It was a fantastic weekend of excellent classes. I'm glad I hung on to my tap shoes, and didn't give them to the Goodwill!
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