There are fewer than five all-tap dance studios in the U.S., and Knock on Wood in Silver Spring is one of them.

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According to Courtenay Swinton, the studio director, it has a simple mission: "We want to preserve the art of tap. And we want to share it with everyone."

The classes accommodate everyone from little kids to teenagers like Trevor Kunz.

"It started when I was watching movies like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers," Kunz, a student, said. "I just kind of fell in love with it and wanted to move from hip-hop, which I had been doing before, to tap."

According to studio co-founder Yvonne Edwards, tap is "an American art form that brings a lot of rhythm and a lot of happiness to a lot people". "And that's why I love to do it," she adds.

Many come because of famous instructor and broadway star Baakari Wilder:

"I'm a tap dancer. I make music with my feet," he said. "I'm one to help them to understand more about timing and how we combine those rhythms."

One of the studio's more famous students was Mya, the singer who was a finalist in last year's Dancing With the Stars.

Mya was once a member of Knock on Wood's elite ensemble Tappers with Attitude. It folded in June, and time may be running out for Knock on Wood. The recession struck the studio hard. A summer fund-raiser provided only a temporary reprieve.

For more information about the studio, visit its website, which includes registration information.

Knock on Wood is located at 8700 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Md., 20910. The phone number is 301-495-0395.