Tradition in Tap

I totally had a MOG moment last weekend! I was in a room with more tap legends than I could count on my hands! Miriam Nelson, Ofer Ben, Avi Miller, Debbi Dee, Rusty Frank, Jason Samuels Smith and Dianne “Lady Di” Walker were there, along with a few others.

Tradition in Tap hosted The Miriam Nelson Tap Experience last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you don’t know who Miriam Nelson is, don’t panic. Most people there didn’t either! Now 88, Miriam danced in six Broadway shows, including Higher and Higher and Sing Out the News, and numerous Hollywood movies in the first half of the 1900s, and she is still going! Most recently, she choreographed for Oklahoma!

Saturday afternoon, young and old gathered to hear Miriam’s captivating stories about her dance days. My favorite? She got a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures her second day in Hollywood! Talk about luck! She has worked with celebrities like Doris Day and even choreographed for some Playboy Bunnies.

Later that night, I got to attend the Participants Showcase where everyone taking part in the weekend got to show off his or her stuff. Professor Hank Smith was Doin’ His Thing and more youth groups performed than ever before. Dario Natarelli, a young tapper, was absolutely amazing! Keep an eye out for him in the next few years (trust me, he will be a star!). All in all, it was an amazing weekend, and I was thrilled I got to be a part of it!