Tap Dancing Through Life

Paul Turse, a.k.a Samurai Raider 8/22/07
Contributing writer: samurairaider@comcast.net

To say that someone, like a politician, is tap dancing around an issue is a negative comment, indicating that the individual is not facing the topic at hand but is, in a sense, evading the truth, or not providing a straightforward response to a question.  It is not only politicians who tend to tap dance, but there are also many people who go through life in the same state of denial or self-deception, not facing reality or their responsibilities.

But for Rolleen Myers, cheering, dance instructor and former NFL Raiderette cheerleader, tap dancing can be a very constructive and positive behavior pattern, whether on a stage or in life.  In order to be a successful dancer, let alone a tap dancer, one must be attuned to the various rhythms that dance generates.  In order to be successful in life, one must be in harmony with the rhythms that life initiates, whether in human relationships, professional duties, or just being in tune with nature.  Furthermore, as a mentor of and role model for youngsters, responsibly must be fulfilled. 

Little girls flock to her classes to learn from her.  And when you enter the Next Step Dance Studio, in Danville, CA, where Rolleen teaches, the sound of dozens of tap shoes pounding the floor recalls that Dave Loggins song, sung by Kenny Rogers, “Morning Desire.”  Indeed, “the ‘thunder’ sounds like horses hooves.”  Some might have the impression that tap is a kind of low-key, casual dance pattern that does not take much effort or burn calories.  However, Rolleen’s dance sessions are far more dynamic and strenuous, worthy of taxing even the most physically fit.  In fact, for her, the dance studio is her “gym,” and she dances more than 24 hours a week, not a workout for the infirm of body and spirit.

Rolleen, who started dancing at the age of six, notes that a tap-dance session is really an aerobics workout, but with stirring music and tap shoes.  “It’s a great workout,” she stated.  “It keeps your legs strong, keeps you in shape.  Gives you a good cardio workout.  You’ll have endurance, stamina.”  It is especially difficult for a teacher because you must instruct your students by talking above “the girls [tapping] and the music.  So, you’re yelling all the time at the top of your lungs.  That’s really hard to do.”

Some of her students have no desire to dance professionally or to perform in recitals, but understand the value of dancing as a workout.  Tap is especially good because it can be practiced in confined areas, Rolleen pointed out, unlike ballet, which often needs considerable room to fully perform some of the movements like the leaps and jumps.

Another distinctive attribute of tap, Rolleen explained, is that it is an aural art form, and not just visual, unlike many other dance forms, which, without music, cannot be appreciated by the ears.  Although tap is done to music, the real music comes from the staccato rhythm of the taps, accentuated on a resonant floor and often echoed through the recital hall—a rhythm that pulsates even through the bodies and minds of observers who vicariously experience the art.

“I consider myself actually a musician with the tap dancing,” Rolleen asserted.  “So, I always tell my students that a blind man should enjoy what you’re doing . . . It’s something you hear, and it doesn’t look all that pretty, even when you’re very good.”

Unlike some ballet dancers who would claim that their bodies are their instruments, a tap dancer’s instrument can be heard, a significant difference.  Tap appears to be limited as to what a dancer can do with the body, especially to maintain the distinctive sound.  But there’s more to it, said Rolleen, whose fiery red hair matches the intensity of her dancing.  “I guess pilots would have to know this.  There are different angles and areas in space when you’re flying:  your pitch, your roll.  The same applies to ballet, scientifically speaking: your movement through space.  Tap is more how you can manipulate your body to produce certain sounds, so one [ballet] is a lot more graceful than the other, definitely.” 

However, Rolleen did not believe that either form was limited aerobically.  But you might gain more flexibility with ballet, she admitted.  It is also possible, she pointed out, to get an intense aerobic workout with ballet.  “I saw Baryshnikov once do a ballet routine strictly on his heartbeat alone.  And it was great . . . the more intense his workout was,” she explained.

Gregory Hines was also impressive, as far a Rolleen is concerned.  “He was great . . . a lot of steps come from him.  He was awesome.”  Some of the moves that Rolleen uses come from the Hines repertoire.  “Each legendary tapper has his or her own particular style,” she explained.  “I’m kind of a Heavy Metal tapper,” she admitted with a laugh.  “You can hear my Heavy Metal routine,” she noted in reference to the somewhat strident rhythmical patterns in her dance style.

Just like an athlete, Rolleen spends time watching film, noting the moves, steps, and routines of renowned dancers.  “They all are famous for a certain style or sound; or they’re good with their heels or their trick steps or flash steps, or something that’s more rhythmically clean or that’s really fast.”

While Rolleen enjoys her life as a teacher, she would certainly like, one day, to achieve a small level of fame, especially as a highly respected choreographer in theatre and film.  More important than taking her dancing to a higher professional level, however, is to use her dancing to be more in tune with others and to be able to develop, foster, and maintain harmonious relationships.  Just as dance and music have rhythms, so does life; thus, to be successful, one must be able to detect those rhythms and be able to harmonize with them.  In other words, many personal relationships are analogous to dancing with a partner.  Being out of step with the “music,” or with a partner, either on the dance floor or on the personal level, will not make for smooth dancing or for smooth relationships.  So it is important to be able to detect all rhythms in life.  

Tap dance steps, when they are created for the first time, can come from music or from life.  “Sometimes it comes from something you hear in the music that makes you get it,” Rolleen explained.  “We do a mixture of the Irish, and African style, and my own style.  I like to take a lot of the Heavy Metal rhythms I used to listen to . . . and try to duplicate the sounds, along with some jazz, some rock and roll, and swing music.”

 But sometimes, the impetus for ultimately perfecting a step comes from everyday sounds.  Rolleen clarified the inspirational attributes of nature by providing an example from a rainy day, where movements can generate from sounds, even those that don’t artistically fit into a sensible pattern:

“Say, you’ve been thinking about how a certain step goes and you know the rhythm but you can’t get your body to do it yet,” Rolleen continued.  “You’re driving and you hear something that sounds exactly like that rhythm, and it will dawn on you how to do it . . . like a windshield wiper; and it’s making, like, a  ‘chit, chit, chit,’” she explained, simulating the sound.  “And from then on, you actually feel it.  And once you feel it, you get into that trance-like state and keep doing it over and over and over again.  You really feel it. . . . And you know that . . . ‘chit, chit, chit’ is going in our dance:  So, you hear it [rhythm] from things that are around you, sometimes.”

When Rolleen teaches, one of the most impressive things about her style, aside from her obvious talent, accentuated by her striking physical attributes, is that, as a workout, she participates in each of her classes, standing at the head of the group, serving as a dance model for her students to emulate.  “I have to force myself to sit down,” she noted.  “And I think they’ll follow what I do.  I like it when they pick up my style and they stay with me.  You know tapping together is a good thing.”

Although Rolleen likes to have her students, who are mostly young girls, adopt her style, she does not force them into a mirror image of herself.  Keeping her ego in check, she understands the importance of having the girls gain self-esteem and individuality, as she clearly pointed out:  “I like to develop their own style.  If they have a style that’s working, then definitely, keep going with it.  That’s your thing.  And keep going with it.  Good!” 

In fact, it is more of an accomplishment as a teacher if students can develop their own style rather than slavishly copy their mentor.  “Now, if they can have an opinion on it and not copy me at all . . . it’s OK,” Rolleen maintains.  “They have their own style and it’s working; and as long as it’s staying in the beat and you hear the sounds you’re supposed to produce,” that’s OK, she firmly believes.  Rolleen’s inspirational and professional teaching style led her students to take first place in several categories in the LA Dance Force 2006 –2007 regional dance competitions.

Even in her dealings with other professionals, Rolleen still exerts a very strong influence.  A former teammate, who cheered with Rolleen while both were NFL cheerleaders, recalls how the more experienced dancer helped her during her first year by making even the most intricate choreography understandable.  “If there was something you had difficulty in catching, she would find a way to simplify it and make it easy for you to remember.  And she was a very good teacher."  As a rookie, she appreciated having Rolleen there for encouragement and support.

Whether she will fulfill her dream by becoming a choreographer of a Broadway show or Hollywood movie is uncertain, but one thing is for sure:  Rolleen will continue as an inspirational teacher to choreograph not only her own life but perhaps, in some small way, the lives of her students . . . and will continue to seek the essential rhythms in nature and go on tap dancing through life.