These incredible dancers, most of whom never tapped before the training, were able to set and hold these records because they used the deeply relaxed movement known as Radical Tap™ or Lose Ankle Tap™. If they were flexing or pointing their feet, they would not survive without serious injuries, and could not go the same distance. The choreography was also specially designed to reinforce the deep relaxation of the legs and feet, so these dancers can go for miles.
The rules for the category included two 5-minute breaks, during which the dancers changed shoes and socks. Each dancer had three pairs of specially built tap shoes that insured the correct heel height, secure but free to vibrate tap application, special padding, and room for the foot to expand inside the shoe.
Except for an occasional blister, they never suffered an injury, even though over three hundred adult dancers were involved in setting these records. They wore pedometers to accurately gauge the distance, and they rarely went in a straight line.
These dancers were trained to navigate stairs, curbs, escalators, ramps, and other city realities as they danced. They never used music because they considered themselves musicians, so blaring music over the sound of their feet was unthinkable. The goal was not to look like they were tap dancing, but to actually play music on the surfaces they encountered!
Many tap dancers consider this a fantastic opportunity to learn, so they join the year-round training in Rad Tap™ and Loose Ankle Tap® at the Tap Dance Room™. The door is always open to new people who want to learn. Most of the tappers at the Tap Dance Room™ train here to develop a style that looks, sounds, and feels natural on stage and in auditions. There have been 30 Rad Tap Dance Teams that have danced on Tap Day across the city of San Francisco.
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I want to join the Guinness World Champion Tap Team for 2015
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