Story & Lesson Highlights with Victoria Moore of Indio, CA

We recently had the chance to connect with Victoria Moore and have shared our conversation below.

Victoria, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I’m being called to step into a bigger spotlight and use my voice on a much larger stage than I ever imagined. For decades, I was comfortable teaching dance classes, choreographing, and staying in my lane as a performer and educator. But when I created Tap for All—a program that opens the door to dance for people with disabilities and seniors—I realized this wasn’t just about teaching dance. It was about shifting an entire culture of what it means to be a dancer.

For a long time, I was afraid of the visibility that comes with being the one to challenge old norms in the dance world. It felt safer to let others lead those conversations. But my calling has become too strong to ignore. Now, I’m speaking at universities, collaborating with national organizations and professional integrated dance companies, and working to make inclusion the future of dance education.

Stepping into that role has been both terrifying and exhilarating. But when I see the joy on those with disabilities, or when a senior in memory care taps with my mittens for the first time, I know that my fear is small compared to the impact this work can have.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Victoria Moore, a lifelong tap dancer, educator, and founder of Tap for All—an inclusive program that makes the joy of tap dance accessible to people with disabilities, seniors, and anyone with mobility challenges.

What makes Tap for All special is that it’s more than a program—it’s an entire ecosystem. I’ve created adaptive tools like Tap Mittens and Tap Boards, written the book Tap Dance for All—Adapting Instruction for Disability and Mobility Impairment, and developed courses, certifications, and an online video library that help educators, studios, and therapists bring true inclusion into their classrooms and communities.

My own journey has taken me from Broadway stages and dance competitions to recovering from six surgeries and reimagining how dance can meet people exactly where they are. Along the way, I realized how many people have been left out of the dance world—and I couldn’t ignore that calling.

I’m not just teaching tap—I’m teaching possibility.

Today, I collaborate with professional integrated dance companies, universities, and community programs to show that rhythm belongs to everybody. My vision is to spark a ripple effect, empowering the next generation of dance teachers to see inclusion not as an afterthought, but as the future of dance itself.

Because Tap for All isn’t just about dance steps—it’s about opening doors.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
A moment that shaped how I see the world came when I realized just how exclusive and closed the dance world can be. For so long, dance was presented as something reserved only for those with a certain body type, physical ability, or age. I grew up immersed in that culture—it was simply “the way things were.” But as life unfolded—through my own surgeries, watching my brilliant tap-teaching mother sidelined after decades of choreography, and meeting people who longed to dance again but were told they couldn’t—I began to see the unspoken rules of our art form in a stark new light.

That realization was heartbreaking, but it also lit a fire in me. Dance is rhythm, joy, expression—it’s the heartbeat of being human. And yet so many people were left outside the studio doors, unseen and unheard. That moment of awakening reshaped everything I thought I knew about dance.

It’s what inspired me to create Tap for All. I wanted to challenge those old narratives and reimagine what it means to be a dancer. Today, when I see someone slip on a pair of Tap Mittens and place a Tap Board on their lap—bringing the floor up to their hands or table so standing is no longer a barrier—I see a world where doors that were once closed are finally opening. And that, to me, is what dance should be about.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The greatest wound in my life was losing my best friend—my mom. She wasn’t just my mother; she was my mentor, my collaborator, and the person who shaped so much of my artistry and teaching. When she passed, I felt broken. We had been working together on a book, and after her death, I couldn’t bring myself to continue. It felt too painful, like moving forward without her meant leaving her behind.

Then COVID hit, and suddenly I had nothing but time and silence. In that space, I realized that not finishing the book was the opposite of honoring her—it was silencing both of us. So, I decided to finish what we had started. Page by page, through tears and memories, I poured my heart into it.

When I finally sent it out, I found a publishing company that not only loved the book but wanted to help me bring it to life. On the day I received their email with a contract, I felt a wave of emotion wash over me. It was as if my mom was right there, saying, “We did it.” That moment was the beginning of my healing.

Completing the book wasn’t just about putting words on a page—it was about reclaiming my voice, honoring hers, and carrying forward the labor of love we had begun together. It taught me that resilience isn’t about bouncing back to who you were before loss. It’s about finding a way to rebuild forward, carrying love with you into the next chapter.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
The belief I am committed to, no matter how long it takes, is that dance belongs to every body. I’ve seen firsthand how exclusion has shaped the dance world, and I’ve made it my life’s work to change that narrative.

Tap for All is not just a program—it’s a movement. It’s the book my mom and I began together, the adaptive tools I invented, the courses and certifications I’ve developed, and the collaborations I’m building with universities and professional integrated dance companies. All of it is rooted in one belief: inclusion isn’t an accessory to dance—it is the future of dance.

This is work that will outlive me, and I’m okay with that. Change on this scale doesn’t happen overnight. But whether it takes ten years or fifty, I’m committed to planting the seeds and nurturing them so that the next generation of dance educators will inherit a world where accessibility and artistry are inseparable.

I believe that every tap of a mitten, every rhythm played from a lap board, every student who feels seen and included—it’s all part of a much larger ripple. And that ripple is what keeps me committed, no matter how long it takes.

Because inclusion isn’t the future of dance—it’s the heartbeat of dance, and I won’t stop until the world feels it.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
The story I hope people tell about me is that I opened doors. That I took an art form that, for too long, shut people out and found ways to bring everyone in. I hope they say I was a teacher who redefined what it means to be a dancer—not by lowering the bar, but by lifting the floor so that everybody had a place in the rhythm.

I want to be remembered not just for what I created—Tap Mittens, Tap Boards, my book, and programs—but for the joy those tools unlocked in people who had been told “no.” My legacy isn’t about products; it’s about possibility.

Most of all, I hope the next generation of dance educators will say, “Because of her, I realized inclusion wasn’t optional—it was essential.” If that’s the story told when I’m gone, then I’ll know I lived my purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.victoriamooretap.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriamooretapofficial/ https://www.instagram.com/tapdanceforall/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-moore-4b560945/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaMooreTapDance