Who is United Taps? Mainly it's myself (Rod Howell) and my wife Jennifer. We started this company in 2006 (although the website was online in 2005) to serve the needs of the greater tap community.
How long have you been tapping and who did you train with? I (Rod) started tapping when I was 9 (I'm 36) and I mainly took from Gregg Russell. I started teaching tap classes at age 14 and my teacher moved away my sohpomore year in high school, so I basically taught myself after that.
What kind of shoes do you wear and why? This question comes up a lot. I currently wear a pair of Capezio K360's. I previously wore a pair of Docker dress shoes I converted to tap shoes. Prior to that I wore a pair of Nike tennis shoes that I converted to tap shoes. Before I answer why I've made these choices, I'll give you a little of my shoe history. My first tap shoes were black patent leather. Then I moved up to a basic tie up tap shoe (like Capezio cg55). At around age 13 or 14 I started wearing Capezio K360's up until 2002/2003. I had a serious case of tendonitis in my ankles and I found that Capezio Tap Sneakers offered more cushion and thus slightly reduced the tendonitis (stretching helped a lot more). Up until late 2009 I have been using the tap sneakers because I need the cushion but the taps are terrible. The shoe also offers very little arch support. So in late 2009 I converted a pair of Nike tennis shoes into tap shoes. Unfortunately, I've been having problems with my big toe so I made a pair of tap shoes out of a pair of dress shoes which has helped my big toe slightly. Currently I'm back in apair of Capezio K360's.
Have you been on TV or in any movies? I performed on a TV show called SoapNet with my former student Drew Tyler Bell, and I also wrote the music for the performance. I haven't been in any movies, and truth be told, I don't actually like to perform. I know that's odd for a tap dancer, but I'm just more into choreographing and teaching.
Did you do this website yourself? YES! I basically taught myself how to do it and I've switched software more times than I can remember (CoolPage, Easy Website Creator, Coffee Cup, iWeb, and now Freeway Pro). If you go to archives.org you can do a search for unitedtaps.com and it will show you older versions of the site. I'd like to think I've come a long way.
What kind of music do you write? It's hard to describe but I liken it to soundtrack music mostly. You can go to my music pages and see samples of me tapping to the music to get an idea of what it's like.
Where do you teach? I teach at 3 Studios in Southern California. Talent Factory in Chino, Pam Rossi's Dance Ten in Moorpark, and Studio 13 in Simi Valley.
Do you teach on convention or do traveling workshops? Mostly no. I did some when I was younger (L.A. Connection, Encore, 3D dance Network, L.A. Underground, L.A. Elite, etc.) but I don't really like to travel and I prefer to teach kids that I already know simply because I know what I can and can't do with them going into the class. At a workshop or convention you don't really know what you can do until you start seeing the kids tap. Having said that I do teach for Gregg Russell's Tap into the Network held in Southern California (This year there are other locations as well, though I don't believe I'll be teaching at those). Also, there are a few people who I've worked with for a long time that I would probably travel for and I'm also not immune to a good financial incentive;)
What got you interested in tap dancing? I saw Corky Pigeon tap dance on a TV show called Silver Spoons when I was a kid and told my mom I liked it. She had tap danced when she was younger (June Cassidy Dancer) and was only too happy to sign me up for classes. I mostly liked it although as I got older I kind of had a love/hate relationship with it. Part of that was not being able to do it on my terms (no performing, no traveling, etc.). I love doing stuff online though. It's a way to teach a thousand classes but only actually doing it once.
Do you do custom choreography? Yes but I rarely travel to do it. I almost always do it by video. Generally someone tells me what they want (song choice, difficulty level, and length) and I create it for them. Sometimes they'll provide me with a video of the kids tapping so I can better gauge their level. I do solos, duos, trios, groups, etc.
Who are your favorite tappers? The Nicholas Brothers. I love to watch them. They are such a fantastic mix of feet and showmanship.
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