Tip, tap, tap. The musical sound created by the tapping of the feet during tap dancing not only sounds great, but like other forms of dance, does wonders for the body.

"You have to be extremely co-ordinated to do tap. It can be extremely fast, so it's great for your cardiovascular workout, for your heart," said Dr Jennifer Mamby-Alexander who has been tap dancing on and off for the last eight years. Mamby-Alexander was one half of Di Rhythm Duo, who performed a tap routine at the Powerful Women and Men Perform for Charity last Sunday at the National Indoor Sports Centre.

Uptempo routine

"Like that piece we did on Sunday, when I'm finished with a piece like that which is so explosive, I feel like I've burnt about 2000 calories in two minutes," said Quida Lewis, choreographer of the piece and who performed with Mambay-Alexander.

The uptempo routine was done to dancehall music; Shaggy's That Girl, Beenie Man's Nuff Gal, and Busy Signal's Step Out; a testament to the versatility of the dance genre.

Lewis originally learnt to tap 19 years ago in the Netherlands. "You're working constantly with shifting of your body weight and also with the muscles in the legs and the buttocks and the stomach," said Lewis who teaches rhythm tap, the uptempo version of tap dancing, at her studio, Rhythm Life Movement Studio.

Tap is suited for children as young as seven to the elderly.

Indoor exercise

It's exercise that requires few props. "It's an indoor exercise, it's fast and just a lot of fun. The only thing you really need are shoes and a wooden floor," explains Mamby-Alexander. A 90-minute class at Rhythm Life Movement Studio costs $1000.

"While tap dancing, you're not thinking that 'oh I'm doing something to lose weight', you're not going to think like that because you just want to learn the steps," Lewis said. However, she has personally experienced the weight loss benefits over the years.

While it caters to most age groups, it's far from a walk in the park.

"You will be challenged because there is a lot of jumping and a lot of moving and the focus, it's very intense," explains Lewis.

"If you want to get out of the usual stuff and you want to experiment with something that's different, tap is different," Mamby-Alexander said.

Rhythm Life Movement Studio located at 12 Surbiton Road. Tel: 439-7219.