The soft shoe has its origins in sand dancing, which was done on the minstrel circuit in the early 20th century. The dancers literally danced on sand and didn’t wear tap shoes but soft-soled shoes. The dance survived the years and is now performed by tap dancers. It’s a light, eloquent dance combination. Learn do soft shoe kick hops by following these instructions.
Instructions
1. Spank back on your right foot. (Remember that a spank is a back brush.)
2. Execute a hop in place (left).
3. Flap step to the front on your right foot.
4. Reverse the steps, starting on your left foot. Spank and hop, flap step. The count is " and 1 and 2." When you “spank” and “flap,” these are the kicks.
5. Incorporate the soft shoe kick hops into the regular soft shoe step, which is also called the essence. A forward double soft shoe step goes as follows: Brush step (right) to the right; brush step (left in front of right), step (right in place) and repeat, beginning on the left and brushing to the left. Repeat on the right, then add an additional brush step to the left on your left foot and to the front on your left foot. Your left foot is now free, and you can do the entire double soft shoe step again. If you want to add the soft shoe kick hop, finish the double soft shoe combination on the left foot, leaving your right foot free. Proceed to do the spank back, hop, flap step and repeat it on your left.
