Photo from Wikipedia courtesy Carl Van Vechten
Tap dancers, and tap dancing fans, will get together at the Uptown Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway on May 24 to celebrate National Tap Dance Day.
The holiday happens every year on May 25, the birthday anniversary of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and celebrates tap dancing as an American art form. Robinson was a tap dancer and actor who worked in vaudeville, on Broadway and in movies. He’s best known for his dancing with Shirley Temple in the 1930s.
National Tap Dance Day has been celebrated in Kansas City since 1993 in venues around town through panel discussions, story telling and dancing.
City In Motion Dance Theater and Billie Mahoney are putting together this year’s celebration at the arts bar. It will celebrate the 136th birthday of Robinson. All levels of tap dancers over the age of eighteen are invited to participate in a jam session led by Mahoney. Mike Ning will be on keyboard, and Victor Perelmuter on drums and musicians are invited to bring their instruments and join in the jam session. Jazz and tap dance enthusiasts are invited to join in.
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