Professors tap up the dance floor

By Hannah Kintner, Staff Writer kintner13@up.edu

Do you ever wonder what your professors do for fun outside of class? Well, when they're done teaching biology or Spanish, some of your professors brush up on their flaps and paradiddles. At the beginning of this semester, biology professor Tara Maginnis started a beginner's tap class in Howard Hall, and a dedicated group of faculty has made tap dancing a weekly ritual.

While the Thursday night tap class started with a mix of students and faculty members, the latter have been the tried and true tappers. Half a dozen professors and faculty members meet every week on the ancient stage at the end of the basketball court in Howard Hall to learn from Maginnis.

"Dr. Magginis has organized it in a way where I leave class every day with an actual little thing that I can do," German professor Allie Hill said. "Like an actual step or a little routine, so we're building up to a long routine, and that's been really fun."

The class is advancing quickly. As the attendees learn new choreography to "It's Alright" by Huey Lewis and the News every week, Hill says she finds herself practicing everywhere she goes.

"My husband will hear me tap dancing in the bathroom while brushing my teeth, and today actually in class my students were doing a group work activity and some of them caught me tapping," Hill said. "They're just like 'What's all that sound?' and it was me."

While most people are only familiar with Broadway style tapping, Maginnis focuses on a style called Rhythm tap.

"It's heavy and fun and rhythmic and creative and loud and obnoxious," Maginnis said.

Maginnis began tap dancing when she was only three years old, and in her teens she took the train into New York City for classes every day after school. Since moving to Portland three years ago, Maginnis has lacked a tap dancing outlet, so she decided to change that. She practiced in the Crab Lab-a biology research lab that she supervises- but was not satisfied.

"It had been too long. I've taught adult classes since the early '90s, and then at the end of my dissertation and my post-doc I just got too busy," Maginnis said. "I need to come back to this. I need to do it again."

Maginnis' tap class meets every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Howard Hall.

Vision for the future

The class has advanced past a beginner's level, but students with past tap experience are welcome to join at this time. In the fall Maginnis plans to start a new beginner's class, and if interest is great enough, she hopes to become an adjunct dance instructor and teach credit-earning classes for students.