5/5 Tappin' my heart out!
  by bumper (New York, NY)
Because she's a more "mature" tapper, as I am, I've been able to get up to speed very quickly. I studied tap a few years ago, but was totally a beginner. I wanted to get more exercise in my life--this video has given me that, and I'm having so much fun, to boot! Buy it, you'll like it!!

5/5 "just wish there was a sequel"
  by Karen Heinze (Medford, MA)
This is a terrific video, especially for someone just getting into tap. Ms. Franklin starts teaching the basics but quickly combines steps into a routine so you're not just executing a bunch of boring drills, but learning something that looks pretty challenging the first time she does it. She breaks the routines down very well, only teaching a segment at a time, then combines bits until before long, you've mastered the whole thing and you feel like you can tap dance. (Its only when you try and dance the routines at the same speed in which she demos them initially that you fall back to earth). I figure I've taught myself in the convenience of my home for very little $, what it would take me months if not years to learn in a studio. (Or never learn at all - what teacher has the patience to replace my rewind button and show a step over and over?)
Bonnie Franklin is a very motivating teacher, cheerful and patient, with perfect cuing; her love of tap dancing is infectious. I only wish she had made more videos like this.


5/5 Why aren't all instructional videos like this one?
  by MariAnKenobi (Illinois)
There are many things to love about this video. I'll just name a few:
1. Pace. She doesn't spend an agonizingly long time on the steps, but she does take long enough to show you exactly what you need to know with some repetition. This makes the video easy to use over and over, whereas some go too fast and others take so long in the beginning you have to fast forward all the time.
2. Her Outfit. I have owned dance videos in which the instructors wear entirely inappropriate clothing - like black pants, tights and shoes - so that you cannot properly see what their feet are doing. Bonnie wears an outfit that would get her laughed out of town if she wore it on the street, but that makes it SO EASY to see what she's doing! Every single piece of clothing is a different color.
3. Her Enthusiasm. The title is right on. She may hate to exercise, but she LOVES to tap, and that makes the video that much better.
4. Her Connections. It certainly doesn't hurt this instructor's credibility that she has danced with Donald O'Connor...
5. Her teaching style. It may seem minor, but some people find it difficult to mimic dance steps from a video. If she is facing the camera straight on, she moves her right foot but says "left" so that she is a mirror image of you, rather than you having to remember to use your right foot when she uses hers.

Definitely a good buy if you want to learn to tap (though, until you get to the routines and get good at them, it is not strenuous enough to replace your regular cardio workout).

5/5 Fun and Easy
  by Shalla DeGuzman (Bamberg, Germany)
I've taken tap years ago but never really got the hang of it. I've started with this DVD and within the first lesson, I'm learning so much. It's so fun too and it's direct to the point so you can't get bored.

I love it (now I'm looking one for jazz and ballet :)

5/5 Fun even without your taps!
  by D. Allen
This video doesn't require that you get in your leotard and tap shoes. The whole family can do it in their socks and NOT sound like a herd of elephants running through your apartment. Low key and fun. Grade: A+