Tony Waag’s Tap City:
The New York City Tap Festival
The travel cost of this project was supported by the
Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship Fund
July 2003
New York City Tap Festival
consists of 10 days of innovative programmes, tap films, performances,
lectures, and tap jams that take place across Manhattan. Dancers of all ages and nationalities join
together in a celebration of this uniquely American art form.
The festival presents an
important platform for pre-eminent tap artists from around the world; teaching,
performing, exploring and collaborating.
The 2003 New York City Tap Festival celebrated this wonderful genre with
exclusive showcase performances led by some of the great tap artists, including
Ernest “Brownie” Brown, Brenda Bufalino, Sarah Petronio and Jimmy Slyde to name
a few.
All those attending the
festival shared a unique passion for tap coupled with a strong desire to
preserve its history, so that future generations will be able to enjoy and
learn from the work of the many great masters to have influenced the
development of tap over the years.
Throughout the festival there was an ongoing desire to inspire future
generations, and to celebrate the sheer diversity inherent in this art
form. Although room has been found for
more experimental work, the festival provided a strong reminder of the roots of
tap, and reinforced the need to draw from its essence. Everyone involved
greatly improved their knowledge of the dance, of where and how it all
originated, and of the great dancers that paved the way.
Each day consisted of numerous master-classes introducing a wide variety
of techniques such as rumba tap. Lectures looked specifically at the history of
tap, bringing together writers, historians, performers and collectors
presenting a wide selection of tap dance on film, including some well-known
signature pieces and rare footage from private collections. Tap City showcased exciting, vibrant
performances heralding from all over the globe, united under a shared love for
jazz, for tap and for a desire to see it remain popular and accessible. Many of
the younger companies were keen to push the boundaries of experimentation,
fusing music, indigenous culture, and dance forms together with spectacular
results. Alongside this innovative work, the audience was treated to the likes
of Savion Glover’s tribute to Dianne Walker, Ernest “Brownie“ Brown’s
performance of ‘There’ll be some changes made’, and Gregory Hines paying
homage to the contribution made by Sammy Davis Jr. Those attending the festival
left with a strong sense of the inventive and the traditional, of the swing era
generations and of the new school, and most importantly the need to assure tap
retains its rightful place in America’s cultural history.
I personally have gained immensely from this experience. As well as
being an excellent refresher course it has enabled me to establish numerous
contacts around the world. The trip has
led to discussions between musicians and dancers with a view to future
collaborative ventures at jazz venues in England. Plans are already evolving
toward a series of jazz nights featuring performances by tap dancers, jazz
pianists and renowned session musicians.
Attending the NYC Tap City Festival and seeing such original work was
hugely inspirational. The mix of rumba
and tap excited me, as did the combination of Latin, jazz and Afro-Cuban music.
Following this introduction I have made contacts with a view to attending a tap
festival in Cuba in the near future. I
took a number of photographs documenting the NYC Tap Festival that are included
with this report, and have written an article to submit for publication in the Dancing
Times, as well as other magazines and dance newsletters.
First and
foremost I now look forward to passing on my skills and experiences to my young
students. Thank you once again for this wonderful opportunity.