Americans pause for birthdays. Every January, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is memorialized. Every February, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are praised. And on May 25, Americans can honor Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. Robinson’s contribution to America? He dropped his heels. For tap dancers, that has made all the difference.
“He caused a stir,” says Lane Alexander, founder and artistic director of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Tap dancers consider themselves drummers, Alexander says. Using heels – not just toes – allows for double the rhythm. “That opened up a whole different world,” Alexander says.
Tonight, one week before Robinson’s birthday, CHRP will celebrate the legend’s influence, serving up birthday cake and presenting four nights of tap for National Tap Dance Day.
Championed by Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) in 1990, National Tap Dance Day was established in recognition of tap as an American invention, Alexander says.
“The resolution talked about the African and Irish roots of tap dance and how this art form is the perfect example of the American experience, as it is rooted in different cultures,” Alexander says.
Tap has evolved in America from its 19th century origins to the popular movie performances of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly to the new style of Savion Glover, who starred in Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk, a Broadway tap musical. CHRP seeks to show audiences the many faces of tap, Alexander says.
Alexander founded CHRP in 1988 after performing at a festival in Portland, Ore. In the past, Alexander had performed to orchestral pieces in shows such as “42nd Street.” In Portland, Alexander says he met “a lot of the African-American tap masters.”
“I was introduced to a whole new world of rhythm tap,” he says. These dancers used jazz music, and when CHRP celebrates Tap Day this year, jazz musicians will accompany the dancers, Alexander says.
Since its inception, CHRP has expanded to include not only the summer festival it was founded to host, but also the National Tap Dance Day festivities and outreach dance programs for Chicago youth. It is the first year-round presenting organization devoted to tap.
Alexander says tap is not widely acknowledged as an art form. “There’s not a university program in the country whose primary focus is tap dance,” Alexander says. “The easy analogy is to jazz music, which only recently began to get recognized as a valid artistic expression. Tap dance hasn’t gotten there yet.”
CHRP brings tap to Chicago by presenting local tap dancers and guest artists. The guests, Alexander says, “infuse (tap) with their own cultural material.”
Similarly, CHRP wants local artists to share Chicago tap with the world. CHRP hosts its Tap Day celebration a full week early because many Chicago artists are invited to perform in other cities. “We stay away from the proper date so that Chicago artists can have their cake and eat it, too,” Alexander says. “Now there are celebrations all over the world.”
The celebrations recognize more than tap innovators, Alexander says.
“This includes youth groups, hobbyists, elder tap ensembles, adult tap ensembles and professional tap ensembles,” he says. “This is about everyone in the community who really loves the art form getting together and having a tap party.”
National Tap Dance Day celebrations drop heels in Chicago tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St. Student tickets are available for $20 by calling (773) 281-1825. The celebration continues through Sunday. For more information, visit www.chicagotap.com. At each intermission, chocolate and vanilla cake will be served to celebrate Robinson’s birthday.
Medill sophomore Megan Brown is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
