Additional information
by Thelma Larkin Goldberg (Author)
Thelma's Tap Notes presents Tap into Life: A Guide to Tap Dancing for Adults. This second book in the series is both a do-it-yourself for the adult learner as well as a guide for teachers. Three levels are offered with specific goals, the technique required to reach them, and hundreds of exercises and combos in 11 fundamental skill areas: Music Theory, Walking and Stepping, Rudiments, Ball Changes, Double Heels, Shuffles, Slaps and Flaps, Spanks, Paddle and Rolls, Time Steps and Improvisation. In addition, detailed notes for the Shim Sham, Coles Stroll, and the B.S. Chorus are included as well as a Timeline of Tap History and Bios of famous tap dancers. A DVD will be available soon at www.thelmastapnotes.com.
Author Biography
Thelma Larkin Goldberg grew up in Cambridge, MA, where she studied dance at Bates School of Dance in Central Square. After earning her B.S. in Special Education from Lesley College in 1974, she taught in the Boston Public School system, earning her Masters in Special Education from Regis College while starting a family and relocating to Lexington, MA. After founding the Dance Inn in 1983, in the dining room of her home, Thelma eventually found her way to the rich tap scene in the Boston area, studying at the Leon Collins Studio in Brookline and meeting many of the friends and associates who have continued to inspire her since then. In 1997 she started Dance Inn Productions, a nonprofit organization producing annual International Tap Day Festivals that honored master tappers with the Tapestry Award for Teaching. Among the dancers she has celebrated are Dianne Walker, Brenda Bufalino, Sarah Petronio, Buster Brown, Jimmy Slyde and Billy Siegenfeld. Currently, Thelma writes the monthly "Tap Tips" for Dance Studio Life and is proud to be a faculty member of the Dancelife Retreat Center as well as the 2015 Dance Life Teacher Conference. A guest instructor for the American Tap Dance Foundation's Tap Teacher Training Program, she founded the pre-professional program of Tap City: The New York City Tap Festival. She is artistic director of the Legacy Dance Company, the pre-professional program of the Dance Inn. The Boston Dance Alliance recently honored her with the 2015 Dr. Michael Shannon Dance Champion Award for "sustained excellence in teaching and passionate advocacy for the art of tap dancing." Thelma's passion for tap education has resulted in two volumes of Thelma's Tap Notes: the 2013 Children's Edition, and now this book, Tap into Life: A Guide to Tap Dancing for Adults. She continues to study and perfect her approach by teaching full time while mentoring a passionate young faculty. Her goal is to dance forever!
