Review – Tap Into Health

Has the festival season derailed your exercise routine? Left you feeling a little worn down? Me too. Luckily for us, Movin’ Melvin Brown is in town for his show The Ray Charles Experience, and he’s running a few tap dancing workshops on the side. Melvin is passionate about his craft and even more so about spreading the word on how to lead a happy and healthy life. Step one: tap dance.

This workshop is for everyone – from those who came armed with their well-worn tap shoes to those who have watched Astaire & Rogers, or that guy in Limbo, and wondered how they do it. I was squarely in the mystified camp. But, after an hour and a half of Melvin’s enthusiastic coaching, I was confidently pulling off some beginner-level rhythm tap moves. Melvin explains that his style is halfway between classic tap and ‘clogging’, which was born out of the Industrial Revolution in the UK, and apparently the first ever street dance. Rhythm tap is all about the sound of your shoes in time with the music.

So, does a regular tap regime make you happier and healthier? If Melvin’s athletic body and disarmingly infectious laugh are anything to go by, the answer must be yes. I was certainly smiling and sweating up a storm in the class. I imagine there’s a little more to it though – you’ll have to read Melvin’s book Tap into Health: Simple Health and Happiness to discover his other secrets.

If you’ve always wanted to try tap or just need a bit more pep in your step, Tap into Health is for you. Last class is Saturday 8 March.