With so many tap dancers making the cut this year on the hit TV show So You Think You Can Dance we thought it was time to take a moment and remind our students of some of the great tappers & hoofers who paved the way for today’s generation of tap dancers.
Many dance students today can’t name any pioneers of tap with the exception of perhaps Fred Astaire & Gene Kelly. At Dance Fever Charlotte, students are greeted when they walk out of our dance classes in Charlotte with pictures of the Nicholas Brothers, Gregory Hines, and Saveon Glover hanging on the wall in front of them. These photos serve as a reminder of the rich dance history of the United States.
Luckily, today’s technology gives dance students unprecedented access to video clips of the tap greats right on their own home computers. Below are some of our favorite tap dance pioneers along with a link to Youtube videos of them live in action.
Jimmy Slyde – the ultimate jazz hoofer who appeared to glide & slide across the stage
Saveon Glover introduces Jimmy at the White House
Nicholas Brothers – combined jazz rhythm with tap, incredible acrobatics, ballet and always pretty hands. Fred Astaire once called their “Stormy Weather” performance the “greatest tap dance number ever filmed”
Nicholas Brothers in “Stormy Weather”
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson - credited with bringing tap up on its toes due to his light and swinging footwork
the “Little Colonel” scene with Bill and Shirley Temple
Coles & Atkins - Honi Coles & Cholly Atkins made up a dynamic duo – always wearing handsomely tailored suits, the duo opened with a fast-paced song-and-tap number, then moved into a precision swing dance and soft-shoe, finishing with a tap challenge in which each showcased his specialty. Atkins went on to be hired as the chief choreographer for Motown where he gave acts like the Temptations their signature moves.
Coles & Atkins do a soft shoe tap to “Taking A Chance on Love”
Dance Fever Charlotte offers tap dance classes in Charlotte for ages 3 to adult. For more information on the dance lessons in Charlotte we offer go to www.dancefevercharlotte.com
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