This high-spirited chronicle of the quintessentially American dance form spans the tap panorama from its beginnings in the African drum circle to today’s mind-blowing performances. Entertainers like Master Juba of Manhattan’s Five Points and Bubbles of the Hoofer’s Club in Harlem brought tap to a wider public, and its popularity grew with the advent of white minstrel shows, all-black Broadway musicals like Shuffle Along, and—most importantly—movies featuring the likes of Fred and Ginger, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and, later, Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. Filled with classic footage of the greatest tap dancers to take the stage and highlighting the brightest of a new generation, including Jason Samuels Smith, Michelle Dorrance, Michela Marino Lerman, Ayodele Casel, and more.
American Tap is a selection from the 46th annual Dance on Camera Festival, coproduced by Dance Films Association and the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
