APSU's Lewis publishes tap dance textbook

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Dr. Lisa Lewis, Austin Peay State University associate professor of Health and Human Performance, has spent much of her life in a pair of tap shoes. As a young dancer, she trained under tap legends such as Gregory and Maurice Hines and Al Gilbert, and she later traveled the country during her career as a professional dancer.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Dr. Lisa Lewis, Austin Peay State University associate professor of Health and Human Performance, has spent much of her life in a pair of tap shoes. As a young dancer, she trained under tap legends such as Gregory and Maurice Hines and Al Gilbert, and she later traveled the country during her career as a professional dancer.

But it wasn’t until Lewis started teaching tap that she realized something was missing. There were no beginner-level textbooks on tap dancing for high school or college students. That is no longer the case. In June, Human Kinetics published Lewis’ new book, “Beginning Tap Dance,” as part of its interactive dance series.

“It’s the very first tap textbook that a university can pick up and use,” Lewis said.

The book is unique because it is based on the online tap dance classes she previously taught at Middle Tennessee State University. Those classes included online videos demonstrating dance moves.

“When I proposed this book to Human Kinetics, I proposed the online component,” Lewis said. “This book allows users to go online and watch my videos, so it’s very interactive.”

The book demonstrates basic tap dance techniques, while also discussing the history of the art form and the science behind the movements. The accompanying online videos give beginners a visual reference when learning to dance.

“This book is geared for university dance programs that would want to incorporate tap,” Lewis said. “It’s for high school dance programs or anyone who wanted to just teach themselves to dance. You could pick up this book, and with the videos teach yourself to tap dance.”

“Beginning Tap Dance” is available now at amazon.com. For more information, contact Lewis at lewisl@apsu.edu.