Our students are the heart of our movement here at Two Hearts Dance & Yoga. We are so honored to continue to grow our community of dancers, yogis, & creatives, especially during this unique time of COVID-19 quarantine. We know that not everything is certain, but we do know that we have to keep moving through it all. Two Hearts Dance & Yoga continues to listen to the many requests for classes, as it’s our pleasure to help keep our students active from home. We appreciate the opportunity to provide private sessions via Zoom, pre-recorded lessons, & add new videos to our Two Hearts YouTube channel especially in an effort to keep some normalcy through all of this & to pick up where we left off with developing dance technique.
Back in October 2019, we received a request for tap dancing lessons from Liz Keegan, who had been wanting to take lessons for years. Liz is a Materials Manager for the School District of Philadelphia & a Registered Dietitian. She was ready to start a new hobby. Talking to Liz over the phone about her desire & excitement to learn tap dancing was a clear indication that we were uncovering a real gem of a student!
“I used to tap when I was younger, & for the past ten plus years, I’ve been saying I should take lessons, but kept putting it off. I think I was nervous to start something that I wouldn’t be good at in my 30s.”
Learning something new as an adult can be challenging & even a little scary, yet it is something so rewarding once you do step out your comfort zone. Liz knew she wanted to take up a new talent, it was just a matter of starting. She purchased her first pair of tap shoes, & we scheduled our first lesson together, which took place at Sound Space Philly. Scheduling tap lessons in a studio can be a bit of an obstacle, since not many dance floors & studio are open to tap shoes, but Sound Space, known as a home for tap dancers in Philly, welcomed us onto their beautiful wood floor.
Like every dance class, we started with a warm-up. Liz was shy to tap too loud or too hard, which is very normal, but once we got through the warm-up, you could tell she was excited to make noise with her feet. She picked up the choreography very well, although I could tell she was a little nervous. I reminded her to take a deep breath, relax her shoulders, & to just have fun with it, which is something I am always telling my students, no matter what class or level. Naturally, we carry tension in our shoulders when we are moving our feet quickly. It’s one thing to just learn steps, but you have to feel the movement & dance those steps. Once we started with some across-the-floor combinations & moving about the space, shuffle ball changes & all, she started to relax into the rhythm & she had so much joy in her face. I could tell how thrilled she was to be doing what she had imagined. Liz recalls,
There was no need to feel nervous about looking foolish, because it was just so fun! I feel like as you get older you stop participating in things that you can feel yourself improving in, & it’s just such a great feeling. I just remember watching you doing our first couple of combos & thinking there's no way I'll be able to do that or do that that fast, and all of sudden you can, without even realizing it. It’s just very gratifying!
Liz continued to be consistent with practicing her tap combos & scheduling lessons throughout the Winter. She would learn the routine/combo, take a video of it before class was over, then practice that routine/combo at home & come back into the studio having mastered it. Truly! That is something you love to see as a dance instructor. I have seen students say that they practiced, but as a teacher, you can always tell right away who has practice & who has not. Liz would come back into the studio having drastically improved from the last time. It was impressive!
“Not everything has to be all or nothing. Just keep trying & don’t give up, because it pays off!”
Liz enjoys staying active at home by practicing & tuning into her tap lessons virtually. She also practices yoga, runs, & does some weight-training exercises. Most importantly, she loves spending time with her family, including her adorable Godson Conor.
Liz continues to take private tap lessons with Two Hearts Dance & Yoga on a bi-weekly basis, as we all have adjusted to our new quarantine routines at home. Now that she is more comfortable with tapping (& has gotten pretty darn good at it), she has popped into a few virtual all-levels Tao classes, including our Rhythm Tap Jam class. Liz encourages everyone to try tap dancing —
Give it a shot! My experience has been great so far, & I’ll continue to keep this up for as long as I'm able. It's a great workout if you're trying to stay active, & it’s a huge stress reliever! I've been told on more than one occasion by my fiance, "maybe you should do a little tapping," & hes right because I always feel so much better!
Liz has found her calling through tap dancing. If you are interested in starting a new hobby, trying something new, or just want a new way to stay active, check out our private lessons & classes that can be taken virtually from anywhere. We look forward to being a part of your story & memories of learning a new talent. We can’t wait to move with you!
xoxo,
Lee-Ann