Why pick tap dance?

CSD Summer Recital 2009

I love tap dancing, as many of you know already… but why choose tap over all genres of dance?  I’ve been trained in ballet, jazz, modern/contemporary and hip-hop over the past 18 years and while I adore and appreciate all styles of the art form, tap dancing is the one that brings a smile to my face every time I view a move.

Why though?  Well, I guess it stems back to the studio I began my dance career with.  I was introduced to dance at three years old, by my father in all actuality.  When he was a child, their neighbors and good family friends had 11 children…yes, 11 children, all of which were taught to tap dance.  They traveled as a family to perform professionally for close to 25 years.  They created a school of dance in my hometown and began sharing their love and knowledge of soft-shoe style tap with their students, which continues .  My aunts (and some of my uncles) were included in some of the first generation of students.

Baraboo is a small town, and Canepa School of Dance has been around 55 years, giving way to generations of dancers who keep bringing their children to learn the love of dance.  I’m a second-generation dancer myself… and one of close to 4,000 students to pass through the Canepa School of Dance doors. I owe my love of dance, especially tap, to the Canepa family and the respect and appreciation for the art they have instilled in me for the past 18 years.

So why did I choose tap?  Because it’s who I am…

~ by Allison on September 16, 2009.