Tap City, the New York City Tap Festival, was launched in 2001 in New York City.[1] Held annually for approximately one week each summer, the festival features tap dancing classes, choreography residencies, panels, screenings, and performances as well as awards ceremonies, concert performances, and Tap it Out, a free, public, outdoor event performed in Times Square by a chorus of dancers. The goal of the Festival is to establish a "higher level of understanding and examination of tap’s storied history and development.” [2]
| Location | New York City (various locations) |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 2001 |
| Founded by | Tony Waag |
| Artistic director | Tony Waag |
| Festival date | Held every year over 7 to 10 days in July |
| Website | www |
History
editTap City was designed to bring attention to New York City’s tap community.[3] Its first iteration was held from July 7 through July 15, 2001, at various studios and performance spaces around Manhattan. Chaired by Hoagy Carmichael Jr., and Gregory Hines, the Festival began with an open jam session at the Broadway Dance Center in midtown Manhattan. Over the ensuing eight days, an international roster of over 90 performers appeared, which according to the New York Times, writing the day before the event, was to include "well-known tapsters like Jimmy Slyde, Prince Spender of the Four Step Brothers, Brenda Bufalino, Jane Goldberg, Lynn Dally, the Silver Belles and Gregory Hines. Many of the performers will also teach classes."[4]
Venues over the years have included The Joyce Theater, the Duke on 42nd Street, Symphony Space, Chelsea Studios, the Hudson River for a waterborne tap jam, and the amphitheater at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Festival highlights
editHighlights of the festival now include:
Tap Awards
editFilm presentations and performances honor recipients of the Hoofer and Tap Preservation Awards and inductees into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame.
International Tap Dance Hall of Fame
edit2002
- Fred Astaire
- Jeni Le Gon
- Baby Laurence Jackson
- Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson
- Eleanor Powell
- John W. Bubbles
- Steve Condos
- The Nicholas Brothers
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
- Jimmy Slyde
- Mable Lee
- Two-Man Comedy Tap Team - Cook & Brown
- Two-Man Comedy Tap Team - Stump and Stumpy
2009
- Brenda Bufalino
- The Class Act
2010
2011
2012
- Alice Whitman and the Whitman Sisters' Legacy
2013
- James Buster Brown
- Paul Draper
2014
- Carnell Lyons
- Gene Kelly
2015
2016
- Harriet "Quicksand" Browne
- Master Juba
- Original Copasetics
- Ludie Jones
- The Apollo "Number One" Chorus Line
2017
- Duke Ellington
- The Cotton Club Girls and the Cotton Club Boys
2018
- Ralph Brown
- Tap Happenings
2019
2020
- Arthur Duncan
- The June Taylor Dancers
2021
- Paul and Arlene Kennedy
- Hal Le Roy
Annual Copacetic Boat Ride
editThe Festival officially kicks off every year on the Circle Line with performances and a tap jam accompanied by a live jazz band.[5]
“Main stage” concert performances
editThe festival includes at least one Mainstage event. Recent iterations include Tap Forward, which featured new work created and performed by soloists, contemporary tap ensembles, new talent and so-called "tap dance masters.”[6]
Tap it Out
editThe festival finale, which features hundreds of tappers dancing in tandem in a free public, outdoors event.[7]
References
edit- ^ "American Tap Dance Foundation Presents TAP CITY Festival Throughout July, Broadwayworld.com". July 2012.
- ^ "Tap City is Back, The Dance Enthusiast". June 2015.
- ^ "Masters of Tap Dance: Tony Waag".
- ^ "Terpsichore Taps to Town, The New York Times, Jennifer Dunning". The New York Times. July 6, 2001.
- ^ "The Copacetic Boat Ride, Musical America, by Rachel Straus". July 2011.
- ^ "Tap City is Back: Broadway Showbiz". July 2015.
- ^ "150 Dancers and 300 (Count 'Em) Feet, The New York Times, by Brian Seibert". The New York Times. July 2012.