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Choreographer Baakari Wilder doesn't chat; instead, he scats instructions to members of the Tappers With Attitude Youth Ensemble.

It's all about the "sha, sha, sha, sha, bam, bam, bam," he whispers during a rehearsal for "Let's Talk" at the Knock On Wood Tap Studio in Silver Spring.

Soon the group is tip-tapping away as their teacher stares at their scuffed black shoes. Although Wilder calls the students "brilliant," it is obvious he still isn't satisfied "You have to fix that rhythm," he tells them.

Baakari decides it's time to teach by tapping. The former Broadway hoofer begins by sliding his right foot back and down, then bringing his left foot up, then pounding it into the wooden floor with a hard tap, which is unusual for this self-described "soft tapper."

"You must keep everything congruent," he advises as the students watch with reverential respect.

This isn't just another rehearsal for this award-winning ensemble. They are preparing to dance at Knock On Wood Tap Studio's 15th anniversary "Tap Dance Jam and Party"on Friday.

Founded by Yvonne Edwards and Renee Kreithen, it is one of only a few studios in the nation that exclusively teach tap dance.

With Wilder acting as host of the two-hour party, anyone and everyone is welcome to don their tap shoes and participate in what he calls an "open mic club scene." A live band will perform and individuals can sign up, either by phone or in person.

No matter the number of tappers coming to the event, "we will make room for them," says Victoria V. Moss, artistic director for Tappers With Attitude. Improvisational tap dancing will take place in three studios, with Moss pointing out that each dance session may have "four to 20 people [tapping] in circle. "People can come in and out."

She advises the folks who plan to sit on the sidelines to "get into the moment. You never know when an 11-year-old will get up and start dancing with Baakari [Wilder]."

Certainly, both Wilder's professional and personal pedigree will amp up the event's cool factor. He took lessons from Edwards more than two decades ago while learning tap in an after-school program at the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda. By age 12, Wilder was opening for tap dancer Savion Glover at the Kennedy Center, and after studying at New York University, performed the lead role in Glover's "Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk" on Broadway. He still performs around the world, but the Washington area is now home.

And like some of 5,000 students who have taken classes at Knock on Wood, Wilder gives plenty of credit to "Miss Yvonne" [Edwards].

The 75-year-old Edwards is still tapping, even after weathering two knee replacement surgeries. Her obsession with tap began as a child growing up in the District, where "ballet was on top and tap was on the bottom."

Although she trained in ballet, she wasn't thrilled with its rigid structure, "where your legs go only where they are supposed to go." From the start, Edwards saw tap as "friendly and offering a sense of community that is not bound to tradition."

Obsessed with an art form, for years after working all day at her government job, Edwards would grab her tap shoes and dance or teach. Upon retiring from her 9 to 5, Edwards had more time and Kreithen asked her to teach a group of "tiny tappers" for a Holton-Arms after-school program in the late 1980s.

The two women had already created Tappers With Attitude Youth Ensemble, but by 1994, Edwards was dreaming of a studio devoted to tap. Together, they created their first studio in Takoma Park. Soon, they were growing out of the tiny space and after an unexpected flood ruined its floors 11 years ago, the studio moved to its Silver Spring space. 

Knock on Wood is housed in the basement of the SunTrust high-rise off Georgia Avenue. The brick building may feel white-collar corporate, but Knock On Wood is anything but uptight. Filled with comfy oversized chairs and couches, its brightly colored walls are decorated with posters. The sound of tapping fills the air in the three studios with floors made of sprung maple.

Even amid the celebration fever, Edwards is aware that owning and operating one of the nation's only tap studios hasn't been easy.

"Tap goes in and out of favor. When it's on Broadway or on TV, people want to tap," Edwards admits.

With an outlay of some $5,000 a month, and too many "dabblers" taking an occasional class, Knock On Wood is struggling. Its owner isn't interested in adding other dance forms to its classroom schedule.

"We don't want to lose our focus," she explains.

But Moss isn't so sure: "We don't feel this change shifts our focus. It expands it. If we want to stay in existence, we need to expand, and this doesn't mean less tap or less quality tap."

Moss sees change as inevitable, with the studio working to add flamenco, Irish step and hip-hop. Like tap, they emphasize the percussive and rhythmic qualities of dance.

Edward's almost feverish devotion to tap is echoed by Courtenay R. Swinton, the studio's acting studio director, "I was a late bloomer, learning it for fun in New York. I love the percussive movement, and I felt it all through my bones."

Regardless of Knock On Wood's future, Edwards offers tappers some advice: "You don't stop tap dancing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop tap dancing."

Knock On Wood Tap Studio will host its 15th anniversary celebration with a "Tap Dance Jam and Party" from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday at its studio at 8700 Georgia Ave., Suite B, Silver Spring. Enter the studio via the stairwell on the side of the building. A silent auction is also planned. Tickets are $10. Call 301-495-0395 or visit tapperswithattitude.org.