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How to Do the Shim Sham in Tap Dancing

Dancer Leonard Reed and his partner Willie Bryant created the shim sham or shim sham shimmy dance step back in the 1920s because they needed a finale for their routine. The name came from a club where they performed but the name was embellished and became the shim sham shimmy when one of the chorus girls shook (shimmied) her shoulders. The following steps will help you to learn this fancy footwork.

Things You'll Need

  • Tap shoes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Stomp the right foot. Keep in mind that a stomp bears no weight.

    • 2

      Spank step on your right foot. A spank equals a back brush.

    • 3

      Do the above step starting on the left foot.

    • 4

      Stomp on your right foot.

    • 5

      Brush ball change on your right foot. Keep in mind that the “change” occurs on the left.

    • 6

      Stomp spank (back brush) step on your right foot.

    • 7

      Put the steps together: Stomp, spank step, reverse, stomp, brush ball change, stomp spank and step.

    • 8

      Listen to the count: eight and one two and three four and five six and seven.

    • 9

      Know that you will be making 12 sounds, or taps.

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Tap Dance

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