A cancer diagnosis didn’t stop Hines from offering to perform at the inaugural festival for a symbolic five dollars.

Tap Fest provided the encouragement Smith needed to make it happen. In an interview, Smith recalled how Gregory Hines’ enthusiasm about his idea for the first L.A. Alicia Niwa won in the junior category, while Olivia Hussey finished first in the older division. Although Zoom didn’t allow for the dancers to share a physical space, they were able to emulate tap’s traditional face-off through alternating turns. An all-ages jam kicked off the first evening, followed by a virtual cutting contest mid-week. In the evenings, I joined participants from across the United States and multiple continents for tap events that were adapted for Zoom. Their pre-recorded classes were available at any time throughout the week. Alongside Smith, the faculty boasted tap luminaries Derick Grant, Star Dixon, Dormeshia, Tony Merriwether, Chris Scott and Ivery Wheeler, to name a few. My all-access festival pass provided a link to masterclasses and choreography courses in tap at every level, as well as complementary electives like jazz, African and kathak. What does it mean to study tap today? And what responsibilities do dancers and tap educators have? How can we work together to recognize tap as a vibrant and beloved African American dance form? Fred Astaire is a household name his black tap coach John W. You cannot respectfully undertake the study of tap without exploring how racism has impacted the art form and its dancers. Yet, a strong sense of community emerged throughout the week, as well as important discussions on race, history and the future of tap. Like so many dance festivals this summer, migrating master classes and events to an online format was no small undertaking. Tap Fest is led by award-winning artist Jason Samuels Smith, co-directed by Emilie Koenig and produced by dance screen legend Debbie Allen through the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.

Lawrence welk dancers