A single dancer performing a quick-tempo tap routine in which speed, rhythmic accuracy and the clarity of every sound are on show, entered in an age section and a level and judged within a three-minute limit.
A fast tap solo is one dancer performing one routine in tap shoes at a brisk tempo. The defining demand is speed with control: quick shuffles, flaps, riffs and travelling steps have to land on the beat with every sound still distinct. At pace, a blurred or missing tap is heard immediately, so the item rewards dancers who can keep the rhythm clean while the feet move fast.
On the Dance Blitz Eisteddfod template, which this page is written from, Fast Tap is a separate class from Slow Tap and from the general Tap section offered to younger entrants. It is listed for the 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under and 15 and over age sections only. Each age section runs at three levels: Specially Restricted for dancers who have never been placed in that style, Restricted for those placed in Specially Restricted but never first in Restricted, and Open for those who have previously won Restricted. That gives fifteen sections for this one style. Age is taken on the first day of the competition, and boys and girls compete together.
A round is a single performance. The dancer is announced, the music starts and the adjudicator watches the full routine. The time limit printed for solos is three minutes including tags, so the music should be cut to fit. The source syllabus prints no marks or criteria, so the template installs a default score out of 100 and none of the criteria on this page are taken from it. The printed awards are a trophy for first place and a medal for second and third in each age section.
For a coordinator using eTalenter, the item is run like any other solo: register the dancer in the right age section and level, record the adjudicator's mark out of 100, and the placings follow. The template does not print rules about shoes, floor surface or music, so those are for the organiser to publish, particularly how the stage floor will be prepared, since tap is heard through the surface.
Where Fast Tap Solo is run
In eTalenter data Fast Tap Solo appears on four dance templates, including Dance Blitz Eisteddfod, an Australian solos and duos/trios eisteddfod held in New South Wales, where it is one of the styles offered from the 8 and under section upwards. Tap is a long-standing section in dance festivals and studio competitions, and splitting it into fast and slow classes is one way an organiser can compare dancers on tempo as well as on technique. This page claims only what the data shows.
- Australia
Key facts
- Individual entry; boys and girls compete together; no language requirement.
- Offered in the 8/u, 10/u, 12/u, 14/u and 15/o age sections, each at Specially Restricted, Restricted and Open level: fifteen sections on this template.
- Time limit: 3 minutes including tags.
- No criteria are printed; the template scores each section out of a default 100.
- Awards printed: a trophy for first place, a medal for second and third, given at the end of each age section.
- Idea starters, not rules: a shuffle-based routine that speeds up in the last sixteen counts, a short stop-time break that shows off clean sound, or a routine themed on a clock or a train gathering speed.
On eTalenter, Fast Tap Solo is filed under Dance and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 4 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Fast Tap Solo is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 2–3 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Fast Tap Solo
What a Fast Tap Solo panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Clarity of sound at speed: each tap should be heard as a separate, even sound; blurred shuffles and swallowed beats are the most common marks lost in a fast routine.
- Rhythmic accuracy: steps should sit exactly on the music, with no drifting ahead of the beat as nerves speed the dancer up.
- Control and posture: an upright, relaxed upper body and weight held over the balls of the feet, so speed does not turn into stiffness or stamping.
- Difficulty matched to level: a Specially Restricted dancer is better served by a clean, simple pattern than by steps beyond their control; Open dancers are expected to show range.
- Performance and finish: focus and enjoyment through the hardest passage, use of the whole stage, and a firm, deliberate ending inside the time limit.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Fast Tap Solo under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Fast Tap Solo
How entrants and their teachers usually get Fast Tap Solo right on the day:
- Learn every step at half speed first and count it aloud, then raise the tempo in small stages only while each sound stays clean.
- Record the practice with sound on and listen back for uneven or missing taps, which are easier to hear than to feel.
- Build stamina by running the whole routine three times in a row, because the final section is where speed and clarity usually slip.
- Check the level rules before entering: placing first in Restricted moves a dancer to Open in that style from then on.
- Cut the music so the routine ends a few seconds inside three minutes, including any tags.
- Tighten the screws on the taps and wear secure shoes; practise on a hard floor close to the one in the venue.
- Rehearse the entrance and final pose as carefully as the middle, because first and last impressions shape how the whole routine is remembered.
- After a lower placing, ask for the adjudicator's comments, pick one speed point and one performance point, and work on those before the next event.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fast Tap Solo judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What is a fast tap solo?
One dancer performs a single tap routine at a quick tempo, where the speed, the evenness of the rhythm and the clarity of each sound are what stand out.
How is Fast Tap different from Slow Tap?
They are separate classes on the Dance Blitz template. Fast Tap is built on speed and precision, while Slow Tap leans on control, weight and musical phrasing. Each has its own sections and placings.
How long can the routine be?
On this template, three minutes including tags. Other organisers set their own limit.
Which age sections run Fast Tap?
On the Dance Blitz template, 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under and 15 and over, each at Specially Restricted, Restricted and Open level. Younger entrants take the general Tap class instead.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Fast Tap Solo in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Fast Tap Solo, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
