ATDF's Gala Mixes Tap with Comedy
Former Saturday Night Live cast member Ana Gasteyer is revisiting the dance world tonight, when she hosts the American Tap Dance Foundation’s spring gala. (Let’s hope her jokes are more en pointe than those from the less-than-hilarious routine she delivered last April at YAGP’s gala…ba duh tshhh.) Gasteyer’s no stranger to the proscenium stage—remember when she played Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway back in ‘06? The classically trained singer also appeared in three other Broadway productions throughout the 2000s, and her latest Weight Watcher’s TV ad features singing and dancing.
But even if Gasteyer gives a performance on par with her famous Margaret Jo McCullen “Delicious Dish” SNL sketch, she’s still not going to come close to the dancers’ spectacular feats. The gala includes an all-tap version of Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham’s From the Horse’s Mouth, a structured improvisational work that invites artists of varying backgrounds to dance together. (Click here to read Deborah Jowitt’s experiences with the production.) Some of the stars slated to perform: Brenda Bufalino, Tony Waag, Max Pollak, Randy Skinner, Susan Hebach, Kazu Kumagai, Jason Samuels Smith, and Cartier Williams. There will also be performances by members of the Hebach-directed Tap City Youth Ensemble, Tap City Junior Ensemble, and the ATDF Youth Program Students, and the evening’s proceeds support the Gregory Hines Youth Scholarship Fund. The lineup alone is enough to knock any tap enthusiast’s socks off, and who knows what other surprises are waiting to be unveiled.
Held at Symphony Space at 95th Street in Manhattan at 6:30pm. Details and tickets, here.
Photo of Brenda Bufalino’s feet by Amanda Gentile, Courtesy ATDF.
