On stages and screens both big and small, it’s been impossible not to see—and hear—tap dancing thriving and finding new audiences lately, even during the pandemic. Broadway’s forthcoming Funny Girl revival will see choreography from Ayodele Casel. The recently departed Flying Over Sunset featured the work of Michelle Dorrance. Dancer Caleb Teicher captivated audiences alongside […]
Sarah Reich’s crystal-clear sounds, expert musicality, and vivacious energy have solidified her as one of this generation’s tap greats. A Culver City, CA, native, Reich began tapping at age 5. At 12 years old, she started going to clubs to learn salsa, where she began mixing tap steps with salsa and merengue movement, creating what’s […]
So WHY isn’t there more video evidence of this hidden talent? Chris Evans, the Hollywood star possibly best known as Steve Rogers (aka Captain America), told The New York Times yesterday that he’s really, really into tap. So into it, in fact, that he’s making time to take private lessons twice a week right now—even […]
Are you looking to improve your tap skills? Barbra Duffy’s new book, Tap into Improv: A Guide to Tap Dance Improvisation may be just the thing to help you take your tap dancing to the next level. This book contains exercises and tips that will help you develop your musicality and artistry. With over two […]
Tap has always depended on one dancer passing her knowledge down to another. So when you watch a famous hoofer perform, you’re also seeing—and hearing—her tap heritage. “In tap, through a teacher or a mentor, you’re not just learning the steps or rhythm,” says Jared Grimes. “You’re learning who you are. And that identity is […]
In “Sunday Candy,” one of Caleb Teicher’s popular “Chance Raps | Caleb Taps” videos, the Bessie Award-winning performer has as much to say with his upper body as he does with his feet. In one section, his hands whack the air in front of him as though he’s at a drum set; in another, they […]
These days, tap dancers can reach huge audiences through social media, where videos from stars like Chloe Arnold and Sarah Reich have gone viral. But in the 1920s and ’30s, the best way for tappers to gain a following was to have an act on the vaudeville circuit, which allowed them to perform in theaters […]
Remember when Maddie Ziegler taught Jimmy Kimmel a thing or two from Sia’s “Chandelier” video? Well, the producers at “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” tried something similar, and though I hate to say it, it didn’t go as well. On Monday, Katie Holmes appeared on Ellen’s show to promote her new film, Miss Meadow. Ellen brought […]