Dance Magazine: As youngsters, my brother, Gregory, and I went to the Apollo Theater in Harlem to watch tap greats like Teddy Hale, Bunny Briggs, the Step Brothers and Coles & Atkins. Most of those guys would come on the stage and just tap. They were making it up as they went along, and that’s what made them so exciting to watch. Later in our career, we paid homage to those legendary hoofers in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club.
1 comment:
I adore everything about this article! From its mentioning and honoring of black pioneers in tap, to Maurice Hines recollection of his experiences and growth as a professional dancer, and it s overall message of not staying confined to one area and continuously exploring other genres of dance in order to expand your craft and skill sets. Tap dance holds a special place in my heart because I immediately fell in love with the art form when I started taking tap classes in middle school. It's so unique compared to many other forms of dance in that it overly personifies your feet and the sounds produced by giving it rhythm and sound separate from the music being utilized. Additionally, I knew the Nicholas Brothers were going to be mentioned within this article because how can they not be! This duo is absolutely ridiculous in talent and absolute icons within the tap dance field. As well as the other tap dancers he mentioned! I truly hope more people engage in tap even if its just to view some of the prominent dancers/figures within the field.
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