Tap Tips - How To Do A Rhythm Turn

Hey, it’s Eleanor! I can’t believe we’ve reached the end of my mini how-to tap series already - it’s been so much fun! For our final topic, we’re gonna learn how to do a rhythm turn. Once you’ve mastered the basics, I’ve made a Reel showing you some fun ways to level it up. Make sure to go and check it out afterwards!

Let’s break it down

A rhythm turn first starts with a single crossing shuffle. You brush your foot out to the front, and then brush it back in across the standing leg.

Next, plant your foot on the ground! The more you cross it over, the easier it will be to make a full turn. Aim to plant the ball of your working foot level with the heel of your standing foot (but not too close together - you don’t want any tangled feet when you try to turn out of it!).

Then, to finish your rhythm turn, you simply do a turning crawl step: heel, heel, ball, ball. The foot that shuffled across always leads the crawl, so if you’re shuffling the right leg across, the crawl would be RLRL. If you’re using the left, it would be the opposite!

Top tips:

Remember to spot!

Keep your knees soft and your core engaged

The more you cross your feet over, the easier it will be to turn

And that’s it!

Rhythm turns are a super fun and versatile step. Once you’ve given them a go, you can try switching up the rhythms, adding some funky arms, or switching out the first shuffle for something a little cooler! Head over to Instagram to see 6 variations you could try. Why not challenge yourself to put one in a combo and tag @eleanxrmay and @movedancewear - we’d love to see what you come up with!

It’s been wonderful talking tap with Move Dance over the last few weeks and I hope you’ve enjoyed following along. My DMs are always open on Instagram if you have any questions.

For more dance technique tips go to: Top 5 Stretches For Middle Splits

Tap in style and shop our wonderful range of dance leotards, dance shoes and dance costumes. 

Keep dancing!

Eleanor xoxo