Tap Dance Competitions
Tap dance competitions reward clarity, musicality, and rhythmic complexity. Most studio events include tap solos, duos, and groups — judged separately from jazz/contemporary on syncopation, sound quality, and clean execution.
50
Events
14
Brands
47
Cities
Upcoming tap dance competitions
Sorted by date — soonest first. Tap any event for full details, venue, brand info, and registration.
Columbia, SC
2 eventsOrlando, FL
2 eventsWashington, DC
2 eventsAmarillo, TX
1 eventAnchorage, AK
1 eventAndover, MA
1 eventBirmingham, AL
1 eventBuffalo, NY
1 eventBurbank, CA
1 eventChicago, IL
1 eventCincinnati, OH
1 eventColumbus, OH
1 eventDanvers, MA
1 eventDes Moines, IA
1 eventDuluth, MN
1 eventFt. Lauderdale, FL
1 eventHampton, VA
1 eventHouston, TX
1 eventIndianapolis, IN
1 eventJacksonville, FL
1 eventKansas City, MO
1 eventLafayette, LA
1 eventLondon, ON
1 eventLos Angeles, CA
1 eventMadison, WI
1 eventMinneapolis, MN
1 eventMontgomery, AL
1 eventNashville, TN
1 eventNewton, MA
1 eventNiagara Falls, ON
1 eventOklahoma City, OK
1 eventPark Ridge, NJ
1 eventPortland, OR
1 eventPrinceton, NJ
1 eventRaleigh, NC
1 eventSanta Clara, CA
1 eventSeattle, WA
1 eventSt. Louis, MO
1 eventSturbridge, MA
1 eventThunder Bay, ON
1 eventVancouver, WA
1 eventWestminster, CO
1 eventWhat defines a tap routine?
Iconic tap dances & choreographers
The history and figures that shaped tap — worth knowing for any competitive tap dancer.
The Staircase Dance in 'Stormy Weather' ('Jumpin' Jive')
The Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold Nicholas) · Their 'Jumpin' Jive' number in the 1943 film Stormy Weather, danced to Cab Calloway's band and reportedly shot in a single take with no rehearsal, climaxes with the brothers leapfrogging down a giant staircase and dropping into full splits on every step.
Fred Astaire is said to have called it the greatest dance number ever filmed. It set the bar for athletic, no-net virtuosity and is still the clip coaches point to when they talk about attack, precision, and fearlessness.
The Stair Dance
Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson · Introduced around 1918, Robinson's signature routine tapped up and down a flight of stairs, both forward and backward, with each step tuned to ring out a different pitch.
Robinson is widely credited with bringing tap 'up onto its toes,' trading the older flat-footed buck-and-wing for a light, swinging style on the balls of the feet. His birthday, May 25, is now National Tap Dance Day.
'Improvography' in the film 'Tap' (1989) and 'Jelly's Last Jam'
Gregory Hines · Hines carried rhythm tap into the mainstream through the 1989 film Tap, sharing the screen with Sammy Davis Jr. and elder hoofers like Jimmy Slyde and Harold Nicholas, and through his Tony-winning turn in Broadway's Jelly's Last Jam (1992).
He championed improvisation, coining the term 'improvography,' treating the feet like a drum kit and building rhythms live rather than dancing fixed counts. He is the bridge between the golden-age hoofers and today's rhythm tappers.
'Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk'
Savion Glover · Glover choreographed and starred in this 1996 Broadway production, which won four Tony Awards including Best Choreography, telling Black American history through tap.
Glover pushed rhythm tap into a hard-hitting, weighted, into-the-floor sound he calls 'hitting,' prizing complexity over flash. For most competition tappers today he is the definitive modern rhythm-tap icon.
Dorrance Dance (e.g., 'The Blues Project')
Michelle Dorrance · A 2015 MacArthur 'Genius Grant' fellow, Dorrance founded Dorrance Dance in 2011 and makes evening-length works that keep tap's layered rhythms while engaging the whole body with a contemporary-dance vocabulary.
She is the face of tap's contemporary wave and living proof that the form is a concert-stage art, not a museum piece. Her fusion of rhythm-tap musicality with full-body contemporary movement is exactly the direction many competition routines now chase.
What judges look for in tap
Foundational tap techniques
The building blocks judges expect to see in a strong tap routine.
Shuffle
A two-sound step made by brushing the ball of the foot forward and then back; the building block of nearly every tap combination.
Flap
A brush forward followed immediately by a step onto the ball of the foot (two sounds), often counted 'a-1,' used to travel with a crisp double note.
Ball change
A quick weight shift between the balls of both feet (two sounds) that resets balance and sets up the next phrase.
Cramp roll
Two steps rolled together with two heel drops to produce a fast, gallop-like rolling sound.
Time step
A traditional multi-sound combination (often eight counts) historically used to set the tempo for the band; a rite-of-passage phrase every tapper learns in many variations.
Pullback
An explosive move in which the dancer springs off the balls of the feet, brushing a sound in the air before landing on the same foot; a hallmark of advanced footwork.
Wing
A flashy step where the foot scrapes sharply outward and then brushes back in before landing, prized for its speed and difficulty.
How choreographers blend styles into tap
Frequently asked questions about tap dance competitions
- What's the difference between rhythm tap and Broadway tap?
- Rhythm tap (also called hoofing or jazz tap) is sound-first and grounded: the dancer digs into the floor to build complex, often improvised rhythms, sometimes with no accompaniment at all. Broadway or 'show' tap is lighter and more presentational, 'pulled up' like ballet with choreographed arm lines, big stage presence, and emphasis on how the number looks as well as sounds. Most dancers train in both, and many competition routines blend the two.
- What kind of shoes and taps do competitors wear?
- Tap shoes have metal plates, called taps, fastened to the toe and heel, and the sound depends on both the shoe and how those plates are set. Many serious tappers adjust how tightly the taps are screwed on to tune their tone, and they choose between styles like a flexible oxford (favored in rhythm tap) or a sleeker character or Broadway shoe. Sound on the competition floor also depends on the surface: a sprung wood floor rings very differently than a hard, dead stage.
- Why is tap judged differently from other styles?
- Because the dancer is producing the music, judges are listening as much as watching, so clarity, tone, and rhythmic accuracy matter in a way they don't in a silent lyrical or contemporary piece. A visually clean routine can still score poorly if the sounds are muddy, mistimed, or dragged behind the beat. That's why many competitions place a dedicated tap specialist on the panel to catch the details in the footwork.
- How many tap dance competitions are there?
- We track 50 upcoming tap dance competitions across the US and Canada. Every major studio-competition brand includes tap categories at most of their tour stops.
Browse competitions by other styles
Competition categories vary by brand. Always verify category eligibility, age divisions, and registration deadlines directly with the competition before submitting entries.