Lost In The Shuffle Tap Dance Podcast

Improve Your Improv Workshop (excerpt)

Enjoy this FREE 30 minute excerpt from Hillary-Marie's Improve Your Improv Workshop (August 2021).

All Your Tap Improv Questions Answered

Join Hillary-Marie as she answers all of your tap dance improv questions (literally). After receiving over 300 questions from tap dancers and tap teachers all around the world, Hillary-Marie shares with you the most common questions about improvisation, including questions about technique, musicality, tap jam etiquette, teaching, working with live music, overcoming the fear of improvisation and more.

Teaching Adults vs. Teaching Kids

There is a HUGE difference between teaching kids and teaching adults. Join Hillary-Marie as she breaks down many of these key differences for you so that you can cater your classes to the needs of your students. Because knowing, recognizing, and appreciating the differences between these groups of dancers, will help you thrive as a teacher, and therefore, help your students thrive as well.

Inspiration from Miles Davis

Bonus episode! Hillary-Marie shares some inspirational Mile Davis quotes.

The Time I Met Oprah

Hillary-Marie shares a crazy story about the time that she met Oprah with her mentor, Harold Cromer.

Are you ready to start teaching?

How do you know you're ready to start teaching? How do you know you're ready to start learning how to teach? How do you know you’ve had enough training to start teaching? How do you know your students are ready to learn how to teach? Join Hillary-Marie for answers to these questions!

Workshops vs. Weekly Classes

Weekly Tap classes vs. Workshops. They’re both important in your tap dance journey… But how do you know which one your should be putting your energy and finances towards? Join Hillary-Marie as she discusses the differences between weekly classes and workshops like tap festivals, convention weekends, intensive weeks, and masterclasses... and what they have to offer YOU in your tap dance journey.

BONUS: Let's talk Sports Bras

3 Common Tap Dance Corrections (and what they really mean)

You need to sit in the pocket. You need to finish your phrase. You need to loosen up. Sound familiar? Hillary-Marie discusses three common tap dance-specific corrections, and what they REALLY mean.

How do you measure a successful dance class?

This one's for all the Tap Teachers out there. Take a moment and ask yourself... what does an awesome tap class look like? How do you know that the class you taught was great? For years now, Hillary-Marie has noticed a trend of dance teachers measuring a successful dance class by the choreography their students are picking up at the end of class. This can include how much choreo they pick up and how quickly they pick it up. Is this truly the measurement of a successful tap class? Tune in for Hil...

Tricky Tap Dance Trick Steps

Pullbacks. Wings. Toe stands. Over the tops. All the tricks! What order should they be taught in? What age/level should they be introduced? Hillary-Marie shares two things that are super important to keep in mind when teaching trick steps to yourself (and two things that you should avoid at all costs).

Defining Tap Dance Levels

Tap dance levels are tricky business. Why? Because there is no standard level that is acknowledged by the Tap Dance Community at large. This means that what is considered Advanced in one place can often be considered Advanced Beginner in another. How do you label the levels of classes at a dance studio? What about at a Tap Festival? How do you know which level to sign yourself up for? How do you know which level to place a student in? Hillary-Marie answers each of these questions for you.

BONUS: Let's talk Leggings

Bonus episode! Looking for good leggings?

5 Tips for Creating Choreo on Portable Tap Floors

Hillary-Marie shares 5 Tips for Creating Choreo on Portable Tap Floors that will help you turn the portable floor into a tool of inspiration, rather than a damper on your creativity. Whether you're choreographing for yourself, or for your students to perform outdoors, or indoors at a convention that only has Marley available, or in a theater on a concert dance stage where they won't allow you to dance on their floor… these tips are guaranteed to help.

What is your Tap Dance DREAM?

Hillary-Marie celebrates her 100th episode by talking about Tap Dance Dreams, including the the dreams of Tap Dancers all around the world, including her own, and how they've changed over time.

3 Tips to Learning Choreo Faster

Wish you could pick up choreography faster? Need help remembering it? Hillary-Marie shares 3 tips and tricks on how to do exactly that!

BONUS: Tap Dance on Netflix

Bonus episode! Check out this Netflix show for some Tap Dance.

2 Jumps EVERY Tap Dancer Needs

Hillary-Marie discusses the two types of jumps that every Tap Dancer needs, and why these jumps are the key reason for tap dancers getting stuck in their pullbacks, wings, over the tops, etc.

Tap Floors Part 3 - How to Refinish Your Floors

So you've got a gorgeous sprung wood tap dance floor, and now it's time to refinish it... Here's a step-by-step process on how to do it.

Do you REALLY need to keep your heels OFF the floor?

If you’ve ever heard someone say... “Keep your heels off the floor” “Get those heels up” “Make sure you’re on the balls of the feet” “Don’t let those heels touch the ground” “Get on the balls of your feet!” Then this episode is for YOU.

Tap History Research Reflections

Tap Dance History is one of the most heavily debated topics in the Tap Dance Community. Understandably so, because the Tap Dance Community is passionate about the culture and history of the art form bring honored and recognized. Join Hillary-Marie in this episode as she shares her heaviest hitting takeaways from one of a recent deep dive into Tap Dance History research for the iTap Teacher Certificate Program. From The Stono Rebellion of 1739, to The Negro Act of 1740, to Master Juba, often refe...

#094 Shuffling into the New Year

If you are a longtime listener of the Lost in the shuffle tap dance podcast, then you know that while Hillary-Marie's not one for New Year's resolutions, she sure does LOVE a Past Year review. Listen in as Hillary-Marie shares 3 things she loved about the 2021 year, 3 things she's leaving behind, and 3 lessons learned.

#092 How long should a tap class be?

This question comes up all the time during iTap Chats. How long should a tap class be? In this episode, Hillary-Marie dives deep into the structure of her program at Grooves Unlimited and iTapOnline, and the best class lengths for specific ages and levels.

#091 What age should you start teaching Music Theory in Tap Class?

Not sure when or how to introduce music theory into your tap classes? No worries! In this episode, Hillary-Marie gives you her top tips and tricks on incorporating music theory as a regular part of your weekly tap classes.

#090 3 mistakes you might be making in your tap practice

Hillary-Marie shares with you 3 mistakes you might be making in your tap dance practice time, and how to solve them quickly and easily so you can become the tap dancer you truly want to be.

#89 How to Introduce Jazz Music into Tap Class?

As more and more Tap Teachers learn about tap dance history, they’re appreciating the connection of tap dance to jazz music. And this often leads to the question... how do I incorporate Jazz music into my Tap classes? In today's episode, Hillary-Marie is going to give you easy tips and tricks on how to introduce jazz music into your weekly tap classes in a way that will excite and energize your students.

#88 Tap Dancers' Top 3 Mistakes when Practicing Fast Footwork

Do you ever find yourself wondering... How can I dance faster without missing my sounds? How do you teach speed and clarity? In this episode, Hillary-Marie gives you the answers you need by sharing with you the three most common mistakes that tap dancers make when approaching fast footwork and how to fix them.

#087 How and When to Use a Metronome in Tap Class

Not sure when or how to use a metronome in your personal practice or tap classes? No worries! In this episode, Hillary-Marie gives you all the info you need on how, when and why to use a metronome.

#086 How to capture the wandering attention of your tiny tap dancers?

Hillary-Marie shares 3 tips to capturing the wandering attention of your tiny tap dancers.

#085 What's the BIGGEST lesson your tap teacher ever taught you?

Hillary-Marie and the iTapOnline Community answer the question... what's the biggest lesson that your tap teacher taught you?