August 21, 2007

Interview with Tap City's Tony Waag

I'm convinced that Tony Waag is one of those people put on earth to help me find my smile when I most need it, and I'm not alone in this feeling. Everyone who has ever seen Tap City loves Tony, its producer, director and often goofily-charming MC.

As artistic and executive director of the American Tap Dance Foundation, Tony has a broad perspective on all facets of this art--from its rich history to its modern revival, dynamic present and future possibilities. Recently, I ran into Tony at a Lincoln Center Out of Doors show where we watched Roxane Butterfly and her tap company, Worldbeats. We agreed to meet again and talk tap.

Listen to audio interview with Tony Waag (MP3 - 32 minutes)

Tony Waag

Photo Credit: Lois Greenfield

Tony Waag Bio

Tony Waag is currently the Artistic/Executive Director of the American Tap Dance Foundation and the Producer and Director of Tap City, the New York City Tap Festival which features an extensive training program for adults, numerous premiere performances, city wide events, tap jams and student showcases, panel discussions, film screenings, annual tap dance awards, and innovative children and teen programs. [Continue reading...]

History of Tap

Tap dance was born in a multicultural, volatile corner of downtown Manhattan called the Five Points. To learn more about its colorful history, see Tyler Anbinder's Five Points: The 19th Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum.

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July 9, 2007

Interview with Tap Superstars Ayodele Casel and Jason Samuels-Smith

Welcome to Great Dance Podcast! My name is Eva Yaa Asantewaa, and I'm delighted to bring you the first interview in this ongoing series of talks with performers, choreographers, master teachers and collaborators devoted to the great art of dance.

Who’s on tap today?

Ayodele Casel and Jason Samuels-Smith-–two of my favorite performers, now appearing in Tap City, New York’s annual festival of all things tap!

Ayodele and Jason--both native New Yorkers and great ambassadors of tap--are not only master performers but also educators. I caught up with them this afternoon at the festival’s workshop site at Chelsea Studios on West 26th Street in Manhattan.

Listen to audio interview (30 minutes - MP3 format)

Ayodele Casel

Ayodele Casel’s career includes not only tap dance but also television, film and stage acting. She toured internationally as the only female member of Savion Glover’s N.Y.O.T. troupe and also toured with the Jazz Tap Ensemble. She has appeared nearly everywhere–from Bill Clinton’s White House to Madison Square Garden at half-time for the New York Liberty! And that’s not to mention her three sold-out, solo tap shows here in New York.

Jason Samuels-Smith

Emmy-Award winning choreographer Jason Samuels-Smith joined the Broadway cast of Bring in Da’Noise, Bring in Da’Funk at the age of 15. Like Ayodele, he also danced with Savion Glover’s N.Y.O.T. troupe. He has been honored by the City of Los Angeles for founding the Los Angeles Tap Festival in 2003, which he continues to direct. In 2004, he launched his own dance company, A.C.G.I (Anybody Can Get It).

Produced by Tony Waag and his American Tap Dance Foundation, Tap City features four nights of performances at the Duke on 42nd Street and numerous workshops, showcases, lectures, films and talks about tap. One of summer’s hottest tickets, it draws performers, dance instructors, students and ardent fans from across the U.S. and around the world.

Tap City runs from Wednesday, July 11 through Saturday, July 14 at 7pm and 9:30pm at the Duke on 42nd Street with a different program each evening. For a full schedule and ticketing details, visit www.atdf.org.

Still Tappin’

And if that’s not enough tap for you, Susan Goldbetter, Circuit Productions invites you to check out some free neighborhood shows this summer:

Composer/percussionist Andy Algire teams up with the Feraba: African Rhythm Tap Dance, Wednesday, July 18 at 1pm at Riverbank State Park, 679 Riverside Drive at 145th Street, Manhattan (212-694-3612) and on Friday, July 20, 6:30pm at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue (718-735-4400).

Max Pollak and RumbaTap–who mix tap with Afro-Cuban rhythms and spiritual traditions--will also appear at Brooklyn Children’s Museum on Friday, August 17, 6:30pm (718-735-4400).

Also, Riverside Park South and Summer on the Hudson presents Tap Happens!, curated by tap dancer/producer Laraine Goodman on Sunday, July 22, 2pm-4pm at Pier 1 (70th Street on the Hudson River), including performances and a free-for-all tap jam (646-263-7926).

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