Renee Chou: Finding a way to 'tap' into joy

I’m finally learning something I’ve always wanted to learn ever since I was a little girl. Are you ready for this? I’m learning how to TAP DANCE.

Why? Because it makes me happy.

My dive into dance started last summer when I had an epiphany at Elsa’s dance recital last June. I’ve always loved dance. I took ballet and jazz for several years growing up, but never tap. As I watched my daughter’s 2.5-hour dance recital, I noticed I sat up a little straighter, and smiled a little wider, whenever there was a tap number. The syncopated beats, the catchy rhythms and the percussive precision enthralled me… and ignited a secret whisper in my heart: “I wish I could do that!”

And then the “naysayer” part of me began to shut it down. “How will you find the time?” “It’s going to cost money.” “What would you do with tap dance skills anyway? It’s not like you’re ever going to perform.” And so on.

But the whisper only got louder. I couldn’t ignore it.

About a month or so later, I was at Elsa’s gymnastics lesson, talking with a friend of mine whose daughter also takes dance with my daughter. We chatted about the recital, and when I commented on the spectacular tap numbers, she says, “I used to take tap. I’ve always wanted to take tap again.” I told her that it was something I had always wanted to do as well. We wondered where moms like us could take beginner tap. Another mom overheard our conversation and told us how SHE was a teacher at North Carolina Dance Institute that offered lessons for adults.

I believe in signs. And that HAD to be the universe’s way of telling me -- “You need to take tap lessons!”

My friend and I signed up for a six-week session that summer. In our class were teenagers, young professionals, moms, and ladies with silver hair. I had no idea what a shuffle, flap, or brush was. But just having my tap shoes on and hearing the sounds they made on the floor was exhilarating. When I did my first series of shuffle hop steps, I felt like I was in Riverdance! That summer we even learned a dance routine and it felt like a huge accomplishment.

I continued to take weekly lessons into the fall. Although it was beginning tap, the steps got a lot harder. Most people in the class had taken tap before, even if it was decades ago. At times, I could not get the rhythms or remember the choreography. When you miss a beat, it’s too late. Some days were frustrating. Work and life inevitably got in the way and I ended up missing some lessons. I would get back into it but struggled to catch up. I started to wonder if it was worth it.

It came to the midpoint of the semester and I debated not signing up for the second half. But my husband encouraged me to keep at it. He said he could tell it made me happy by the way I would tap my feet at the dinner table or around the house and that it was important I do something that’s just for me.

That was it. This was something that was not associated with my daughter, my husband, my career -- nor any means to an end. There’s no practical reason for taking tap at my age. But there doesn’t need to be. It’s purely for enjoyment.

It’s also become a lesson in humility to learn something new. I can now see things through my daughter’s eyes, understanding the frustration of things that may not come easily, the desire to quit, and the perseverance to keep trying.

My goal is not perfection – it’s progress. Do I know how to do something I did not before? Yes! I can now do the timestep, buffalo, and the Cincinnati. I can also bust out paradiddles and cramp rolls (they sound painful but they’re fun!) Every now and then, you might catch me doing a little tap sequence behind the anchor desk during commercial breaks. It requires a lot of practice, but I’m realizing the journey is fun as well.

As a mom, I am absolutely devoted to raising my daughter. But I also don’t want to derail my passions and interests. I still want time for me. I still want to challenge myself. To learn something new. To tap into JOY-- which for me, comes from being a mom who is also learning to make joyful noise with her feet.