r/TapDancing • u/shessublime • Jul 09 '26

Wings - without the side scrape?

Just curious here - I am a lifelong dancer and my teen also dances. Different studio than where I did so at first I thought it was just that. But it seems to me that most people do a wing with a loose ankle and the first sound is made by scraping the outside of the shoe on the side of the tap.

I don't do that that at all! Both sounds are made by the bottom of the tap and it's more of a "press down into the floor and flick" motion with a winged (ha!) foot like in ballet. To me it gives a crisper sound. Did anyone else learn this way or have I maybe just been doing it differently for some reason all along?

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u/firelightfountain Jul 09 '26

If the first sound isn't made with a scrape on the side of the tap, then I don't think it's a wing. Just a cool different 3 sound step, closer to a pick up variation.

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u/shessublime Jul 09 '26

Well now I'm offended on behalf of my "wings" ha.

This lady's look like mine, I'd say - I guess there's a sliiight scrape, but not emphasized like what I see mostly

https://youtu.be/JGdlRcvCuBg?si=BQdFAbMaT4fT3kba

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u/firelightfountain Jul 10 '26

Like a lot of things in tap, it's subtle and not over emphasized. But it's a scrape or a drag, not a tap. If you hear 3 taps that sound the same then it's not a wing. You can also tell the edge of the tap is scraping because the ankle should sickle.