In the 1980’s ______ rose to become rhythm taps most respected star
gregory hines
what was hines upbringing? who was he? how did he become so famous?
born in the washington heights section of NYC in 1946, began to dance at age 3 and became professional by age 5 with brother maurice; admired as a gracious performer with extraordinary talents as a song and dance man onstage, in film, and on tv; played max washington in the movie tap; chosen by hoofers to carry on traditions
significance of newport jazz festival in july of 1989
first time 2 women were presented on center stage with the copasetics; reached its apex when chuck green, sandman sims, honi coles, and the copasetics performed at lincoln centers avery fisher hall
what was “by word of foot”
historic weeklong tap “teach in” produced by jane goldberg and her changing times dance company. it had the largest gathering ever of rhythms taps leading dancers
what did dance critic sally sommer say about “by word of foot”
waxed on about the black male veteran dancers who had participated in this festival, she only gave mild congrats to the producers; believed that to continue the art more blacks needed to be taught
what did sally sommers critique of “by word of foot” spark
a controversy over who should and should not be a part of black rhythm tap traditions
the white tuxedo (who did she replace, where and how much was the tuxedo, where else have we seen the tuxedo in history?)
brenda bufalino replaced bunny briggs, found the tuxedo at a salvation army for $25, we have seen the whitman sisters, eleanor powell, and judy garland wear it before
why did females reject the traditional female clothing/costumes/shoes
rejected high heels and flimsy costumes to free themselves from gender associations; women wanted focus to be on their skill
_____ was presentes at the village gate in march of 1984 (produced by Pamela Koslow and directed by Mercedes Ellington) The show combined tap dance veterans and the younger women
the tapping talk show
produced by the changing times tap dancing company, _____ was directed by constance valis hills in June of 1985
Sole Sisters
Produced 16 months later, _____ was a reorganized and tightened version of the 1985 production
New Sole Sisters
“for most of the 20th century, theatrical tap dance had been the province of the soloist;…”
in taps beginnings it was a solo art, from the plantations and vaudeville it was made for individuals to express themselves, making it a group activity takes away from what the style was built on
tapestry
a 45 minute long a capella duet choreographed by Bufalino and performed by bufalino and Pat Giordano; premiered at the kilmert gallery in woodstock in 1979
cantata and the blues
collaborated by bufalino and duncan, premiered at the ballroom in NYC in 1984; the show was personal and combined song and spoken monologue with jazz and classical music to act as a frame for highly complex jazz and rhythm tap passages
lynn dally
founded the Jazz Tap Percussion Ensemble in 1979
linda sohl-donnell
met foster johnson backstage at a performance of Tap 2 at UCLAs Royce Hall and began private lessons with him
dianne walker
black woman committed to making social connections with young generations of african american dancers
savion glover
took his first tap class with john fredo; at age 12 auditioned for a young tappers workshop which led him to his broadway debut in “the tap dance kid” as the title role willie, performed in 300 shows before it closed
national tap dance day
when tap was resurrected in 1989 it inspired younger generations; on november 7, 1989 george w bush designated may 25th as national tap dance day
what were some of the responses of those who had gathered in Boston for the New Tap New Directions Festival when asked what was “new” in tap?
“what’s new in tap? Get off the word ‘new’ think in terms of possibilities” said Jane Goldberg; “i’m wary of that question” said Lynn Dally; “‘new tap’ was just a marketing ply for new audiences” said jeremy alliger
stomp
the show was created in Brighton, England, debuted in Scotland in 1991 and opened orpheum theatre on a february 27, 1994, was billed to be a “percussive extravaganza” for the working man
tap dogs
an australian dance revenue billed as a 90 minute rough, tough, and rocking reinvention of tap for the 1990s; created by Dein Perry and ended up one upping STOMP
why was there a need for tap festivals in the 1990s?
established venues for masters go teach the language of tap and develop dancers in the ranks; allowed for year round teaching in a setting that offered many exposers of tap
Boston dance umbrellas jazz festival
held from may 28-June 10 in 1990; was produced by Jeremy Allinget and offered a 2 week celebration of the art of jazz tap that included performances, demonstrations, workshops, films, and a mini festival performance, the performance included work choreographic premieres by Honi Coles and Savion Glover
La Cave (Jimmy Slyde)
opened by the 68 yr old tap master jimmy slyde; first jazz night club to materialize the idea of instructional improvisation performance and one of the last remaining tap headquarters for masters like slyde, chuck green, and honi coles to mentor the young for free
why did younger students call la cave “university of La Cave”?
jimmy slyde liked that they called it this because they were learning more than just dance, they were learning how to handle themselves and finding themselves combinations
“it was to tap dancers in the 1990/ what the hoofers club was to dancers in the 1920s and 1930s” (la cave)
shows that la cave provided a testing ground for discipline, ballsiness, and creativity of young dancers; also gave the ability to see once a week the accomplished mastery
swing 46 (james buster brown)
held evening tap jams to live music by the “swing 46 tap dance trio”; brown mentoring several generation of dancers from late august of 1997 until his passing in 2002; became one of the most beloved teachers in the tap community from this
cafe 41
place where young dancers would congregate after the closing of swing 46; went there for a dinner and performance called “on tap!”; the music in the performance was by the Lafayette Harris trio and produced by karen Zebulon with a number of rotating hosts such as tina pratt and buster brown
riverdance
an irish musical and step dancing spectacular; shower ancient gaeslic music, dance poetry, and song to be at the heart of the irish culture; began on april 30, 1994 as a 7 minute intermission act and expanded into a full length musical in early 1996
who was nicknamed “sponge”; he had been regarded as a “savior of tap dance-the ultimate copier and absorber if tradition-and yet also the saving grace of taps near decline
savion glover because at his broadway debut at age 9 as the title character in “the tap dance kid” he had been considered the artistic grandson of the most revered figures in jazz tap dance
ayodele casel
the first and only woman dancer of NYOT Company; when she partnered with glover critics described her as beautiful and exotic, but the duo as the sexiest adjectives they could muster up
in 1998 savion glover founded his own tap company, what was the name of his company
named NYOT for “not your ordinary tappers” which debuted on April 2, 1998
Jason Samuels Smith
spotted by gregory hines in a tap dance who called him “possibly the next greatest” when it came to skill level in feet; this put him in the same league as honi comes, baby laurence, and John Bubbles
Omar Edwards
was part of the NYOT where he was known for his hard hitting and funk driven style; when melinda huber reviewed his solo “what the world needs now she described him as “exciting” with a “smooth style”
describe the history and significance of the show in relation to gender
during the women’s movement of the 1970s women wanted to wear low heeled oxfords to fit in with men; after time they brought heels back to prove they could dance like men in them
reviews of tap
critics don’t care about taps background the way dancers do and base their reviews on the present taking away from the past and creativity dancers put in
what was significant about joan acocella review of glover’s “improvigraphy”
she was impressed by his first half 40 minute solo with five piece jazz band but hated the second half with the ensemble because they used pre recorded music, changed costumes btw numbers, and changed the lighting all the time; disapproved because tap dance was “fundamentally a solo form”