Writing in Dance Magazine in 1969 about Tap Happenings, those weekly tap dance jams at the Bert Wheeler Theater in New York City, critic Patrick O’Connor commented on dancers Sandra Gibson and Leticia Jay, the two sole female performers: “Gibson, the first of the red hot ‘soul’ mamas does a number, as does Leticia Jay, […]
Since she was little, Hannah Kravec, 16, had been watching videos of dancers she revered perform on the Inside/Out stage, a serene venue overlooking the Berkshire mountains on the campus of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Suddenly last summer, she was dancing on it herself as a student in the school’s tap program. “It was […]
When Michelle Dorrance put on her first show as Dorrance Dance in 2011, in a shared evening with Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, a charismatic teenager was featured in both choreographers’ works. Critic Gia Kourlas described Caleb Teicher in The New York Times as “a sleek dancer who possesses a beguiling combination of a relaxed upper body with […]
It’s that time again: Everyone’s looking at the year to come and thinking about what they might want to get out of it. So we asked our cover stars from Dance Magazine‘s 2018 issues what they’re hoping for. Their answers spanned everything from more growth and more touring, to more family time and more rest. […]
Perhaps the most precious tradition in tap dance is honoring the elders, reflecting a belief that dancers cannot tap a sound without re-sounding the steps of the masters. This show of gratitude is not nostalgic but regenerative: the practice of realizing the future from the past while making one’s own inscription on the tradition. And […]
In 1989, Congress passed a resolution naming May 25—the birthday of tap legend Bill “Bojangles” Robinson—as National Tap Dance Day, and it has been celebrated annually on that date ever since. For years, the May issue of Dance Magazine featured a tap dancer on its cover to coincide with the holiday and highlight the form. […]
There may be six musicians playing right behind her, but in “Evolution of Tap Dance,” a viral video from music group Postmodern Jukebox, tap dancer Sarah Reich is clearly the bandleader. Her transitions are seamless as she guides the band from a sultry, understated rendition of the bossa nova classic “Wave” to a hard-hitting tribute […]
At 18, Baakari Wilder was flying high. The tap dance kid, who began lessons at 3 in a community center in Laurel, Maryland, was dancing every night on Broadway as part of the hand-selected cast of the George C. Wolfe/Savion Glover vehicle Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk. But in the middle of […]
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.