Classic Tap! – Santa Monica, CA

Welcome to Classic Tap: Rhythm and Style!

Date: Sun, Sep 22, 2024

Time: 2:00 – 5:00pm

Location: New Roads School/Moss Theatre Santa Monica 90404

A legacy project celebrating tap masters from the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals! Show includes rare dance clips and never before seen video interviews with iconic tap dancers, along with reminiscences and live performance by dancers who worked with these masters.

After the the performance there will be a reception with fascinating memorabilia on display. Refreshments will be served , while audience and dancers can share stories and steps learned from our honorees.
So dancers ~ please bring your tap shoes!

Tony award winning Danny Daniels had a prolific career, both as a dancer and as a choreographer. After a number of featured dance roles on Broadway, Danny became a choreographer, earning his Tony for “The Tap Dance Kid”. Danny also was the resident choreographer for many TV shows (Perry Como, Martha Raye among others) and was also in demand in films, the most notable being “Pennies From Heaven ” starring Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, and Danny’s student, the amazing Christopher Walken!

Miriam Nelson

Featured dancer in many movies, Miriam worked with the biggest names in Hollywood, as well as choreographing for the Rockettes, the Academy Awards, halftime at the Super Bowl and even opening day at Disneyland! Her book, “Dancing with the Stars” recounts her many stories of working with such Hollywood legends at Paul Newman and Ingrid Bergman. Miriam was the mentor for several of the performers dancing in “Classic Tap!” who are eager to share reminiscences of working with her and to share her influence on their choreography and style!

Pat Rico, beloved teacher and creator of the “Hi Tech Tap Technique” was featured in the movie “Tap” with Gregory Hines and was mentor to Tony Danza, with whom Pat performed numerous times both onstage and on television.

Prolific show business entertainer Leonard Reed, along with partner Willie Bryant created the “Shim Sham Shimmy”, the classic dance performed by all tap dance aficionados!

Louis DaPron, tap dancer extraordinaire and head choreographer at Universal Studios, worked with every major celebrity during the golden age of Hollywood. He choreographed for Donald O’Connor and Ruby Keeler, among numerous others.

Gene Nelson is perhaps best known as Will Parker, the rope twirling cowboy in Oklahoma! ~ but in addition to co-starring in films with Doris Day, James Cagney, Debbie Reynolds and Virginia Mayo (among others) ~ he was also an incredible athlete. He partnered Sonia Henie on ice while still a teenager and toured as a gymnast with Irving Berlin in “This is the Army”. In later years he became a director for film and TV, even directing Elvis Presley, who referred to him as “Mr. Nelson, Sir!” In addition to some fabulous film clips and anecdotes with dancers who have worked with him, we will also be performing a piece of his original choreography.

Reception with refreshments after the performance, hosted by Jason Kincaid!

Share steps and stories with the others, so if you tap ~ bring your shoes!