
TAP I
Practice Video
Practice Music
Mister Postman starting at 0:00.
PERFORMER DETAILS
VIDEO SPECS
Three videos due June 17.
Make your Tap dancer feel as special as possible by treating this project like a real live performance. Spend some time putting together the details (costume, hair, makeup, rehearsal time), and involve your dancer in the process as much as possible. Here are the guidelines for dancers in Tap I:
HAIR & MAKEUP:
- Dancers should dress “performance ready” for this video, just as if they’re performing in front of a live audience!
- Girls: hair in a high bun, slicked back and secure. Boys: hair slicked back and performance ready.
- Girls: wear blush on the cheeks, colored lipstick, and eyeshadow to enhance features for the screen. Boys: wear chapstick.
COSTUME:
Blues, grays, blacks, and whites. Put together a nice outfit based around these colors in solids or basic prints (shorts, pants, skirt, dress all ok!). Here are some ideas and affordable options at Amazon:
- Girls’ button down shirt (available in white or light blue, your choice!)
- Girls’ pleated skater skirt (available in white or dark blue, but check size for shipping availability)
- Girls’ blue dress
- Boys’ gray button down shirt
- Boys’ slacks (available in black and in navy for some sizes)
- Don’t forget your tap shoes! And if you’ve outgrown them, grab a pair here.
ACCESSORIES AND/OR PROPS:
- Girls are welcome to wear a blue hair piece.
Required videos:
- Send a video of your child’s performance following the Performer Settings listed below.
- Send a video of your child doing the dance, but while listening to the music on a device with headphones (this is for audio purposes only, to pick up the sounds of the taps).
- Send a separate video of your child “close up” to the camera, smiling, waving, bowing, blowing kisses, etc. for 10 seconds with no music.
When preparing to film your child’s part for our Showcase, please take care to do the following so that we can have consistency in the clips (any not conforming will be returned and asked to be reshot):
PERFORMER SETTING:
- Performer should be in full costume and makeup as noted in Performer Details.
- Make sure your performer smiles and performs full out with energy and enthusiasm!
- If it helps your dancer to watch the practice video while being filmed, that is ok–just as long as your little star is smiling and performing toward the camera! (If you use this option, you can just play the audio from our practice video, and we’ll make sure to replace it with our high-quality audio during the editing phase.)
BACKGROUND SETTING:
- Plan to film during the daytime in a room that provides good natural light.
- Make every effort to have a solid color background wall, or make the background as clean as possible.
PHONE SETTING:
- Set your phone to the highest camera setting possible for maximum quality.
- Make sure the volume is all the way up on your phone before you start filming.
DIRECTION OF CAMERA/PHONE:
- Film in Landscape Orientation (Horizontally) on the phone, with the camera lens on top.
FILMING:
- Make sure your child’s body fills the frame of the phone (not too close or too far back). We should see the dancer’s whole body with space in the frame around her head and feet.
- The phone must remain still while filming. Place the phone still on a table or your lap, etc. so it doesn’t move or shake while filming the routine.
- Don’t worry about audio; we’ll strip all the audio from your recording and overlay it with the high-quality track.
- Begin filming your child’s performance at 0:00 in the Practice Music (performers begin with their backs to the camera), and make sure your child holds the final pose until the next song starts.
This page may contain affiliate or compensated links. For full information see our Affiliate Disclaimer.