Advice for a novice tap student

I took Tap for the first time last year, and I am in my 40s. I also signed up for an adult beginner's class, but several of the others did have some tap background. I almost quit after the first class. I couldn't balance, and I couldn't figure out how to shift my weight quickly. It was discouraging! In fact, I waited after that first class and asked the instructor about it, and didn't feel like the advice was very helpful. (I think he said to make sure to lean forward a little. Maybe I hadn't explained my problem very well.) But I stuck with it and was surprised by the improvement of a couple weeks. I did practice every night for the first couple weeks, and I got a little electric metronome. I think if you stick with it a few weeks, you'll feel much more confident. I was lucky to have a small class though (4-8 people), maybe your class is too big? Also, I loved watching the http://www.details.com/blogs/daily-details/2014/11/trivago-guy-makeover.html. I've always been a Gene Kelly fan but I saw this video and signed up for class. :)

If it makes you feel better, tap is just crazy hard to learn. I've taken every kind of dance and tap is so so impossible. I'm mid-40s, in a basic class. My best advice is just to keep with it. For the first six months or so, I couldn't even remember what we did so I could practice at home. I kept at it and eventually just got better. Even after a year, it's a struggle. One that's getting easier every week. But I love it with all my heart. And look up PegLeg Bates on YouTube- he is my spirit animal!

Adding another "keep at it", dance is something that comes over time. The Dance Complex is really the best option in the area. Looks like there's another tap instructor, try that class? Finding the balance for a new type of dance is subtle and not all teachers give the best corrections. Once you find it it'll be great! Take the most basic step and do a lot, make small adjustments to your middle, belly, shoulders while listening to the change of rhythm. Keep at it!

If it makes you feel any better, on So You Think You Can Dance (at least back when I watched regularly), they don't do tap routines because it's too hard to teach in a short period of time. I agree that you need to just practice a lot. As aimedwander said, practice standing on the balls of your feet. Practice shuffle step. All the time. Annoy your friends. You'll get the hang of it!

The thing about the Dance Compex (and most adult classes, really), is that people are coming into the classes with wildly varying backgrounds. There are tons of drop in students who don't turn into regular students, so the teachers are often not giving a lot of corrections or breaking down steps into fundamentals. Some of your fellow students may have been in that class for months, so it would be unfair to them to spend a lot of time on basics. Which is really frustrating when you're the beginner! I recommend that you keep trying for two months and practice in between, then assess. Regarding the balls of your feet thing, can you explain more? If you've been doing ballet, I would think it wouldn't be that different. (Says me, who hasn't seriously done tap for twenty years)