A single dancer performing a slow-tempo tap routine in which weight, phrasing and the quality of each sound matter more than speed, entered in an age section and a level and judged within a three-minute limit.
A slow tap solo is one dancer performing one routine in tap shoes to unhurried music, often a ballad or a lilting swing number. With fewer steps per bar, nothing can be hidden: every sound is exposed, so the item rewards control, tone and musical phrasing rather than quickness. Long pauses, drags, heel drops and stretched-out shuffles all have to be placed exactly, and the dancer has to stay in character through the silences as well as the taps.
On the Dance Blitz Eisteddfod template, which this page is written from, Slow Tap is its own class beside Fast Tap and the general Tap section. It is listed for the 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under and 15 and over age sections, each at Specially Restricted, Restricted and Open level, giving fifteen sections. Levels follow the template's own wording: Specially Restricted for dancers never placed in the style, Restricted for those placed but never first in Restricted, and Open for previous Restricted winners. Boys and girls compete together.
A round is a single performance of up to three minutes including tags. The source syllabus prints no marks or criteria, so the template installs a default score out of 100 and nothing on this page is presented as a printed rule. A solo of this kind usually shows one idea developed through the music: a gentle opening phrase, a build in texture, and a settled ending.
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, and the placings follow. Because slow tap is judged by ear as much as by eye, it is worth telling entrants in advance how the stage floor will be prepared and whether a microphone or a live floor sound is used.
Where Slow Tap Solo is run
In eTalenter data Slow Tap Solo appears on four dance templates, including Dance Blitz Eisteddfod, an Australian solos and duos/trios eisteddfod, and other regional Australian eisteddfod-style dance templates. Splitting tap into slow and fast classes lets an organiser compare dancers on musicality and control separately from speed. 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.
- Also listed on three other Australian dance templates, so the class is a regular feature of that eisteddfod style.
- Idea starters, not rules: a ballad with a single held pose at each chorus, a lullaby routine with soft brush and heel sounds, or a slow routine that quietly doubles its tempo in the final eight counts.
On eTalenter, Slow 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, Slow Tap Solo is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 3 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Slow Tap Solo
What a Slow Tap Solo panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Tone and clarity: each sound should be full and even; slow music exposes weak ankles and uneven weight, so dull or scraping taps cost marks.
- Musical phrasing: steps should follow the shape of the melody, with pauses placed deliberately instead of filling every beat.
- Control of weight and balance: smooth transfers, steady holds and quiet landings show the dancer is leading the steps rather than being pushed by them.
- Difficulty matched to level: a Specially Restricted dancer gains more from a clean, simple routine than from steps beyond their control; Open dancers are expected to show range.
- Performance and presentation: expression, focus through the silences, use of the stage and a settled, deliberate ending inside the time limit.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Slow Tap Solo under Scoring Setup, or start from the full group dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Slow Tap Solo
How entrants and their teachers usually get Slow Tap Solo right on the day:
- Choose music with a clear pulse and room to breathe, then mark where the phrases begin and end before choreographing anything.
- Practise each step on its own at a very slow count, listening for the exact moment of every sound.
- Record rehearsals with sound on and listen for scraped or uneven taps, which are easier to hear than to feel.
- Work on holds and balances: practise finishing every phrase on a still, steady pose before moving on.
- 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.
- Rehearse on a hard floor similar to the venue, with the shoes you will wear on the day.
- After a lower placing, ask for the adjudicator's comments, pick one tone point and one performance point, and work on those before the next event.
Frequently asked questions
Is Slow 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 slow tap solo?
One dancer performs a single tap routine to slow music, where tone, weight and musical phrasing stand out more than speed.
How is Slow Tap different from Fast Tap?
They are separate classes on the Dance Blitz template. Slow Tap leans on control, weight and phrasing, while Fast Tap is built on speed and precision. 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 Slow 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.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full group dance judging criteria guide, or browse every dance competition item.
Try Slow Tap Solo in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Slow Tap Solo, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
