Copyright 2009
Taps Are Talking: Women In Tap is a theatrical dance production celebrating fast feet, fabulous women and the previously untold story of the history of female tap dancers. At the heart of Taps Are Talking: Women In Tap is the celebration of tap dance as an art form, paying tribute to its cultural roots as an American indigenous dance, and giving voice to the lost stories of female tap artists, both historical and present day. The show weaves together the stories of 11 extraordinary female tap dancers who range in age from 21 to 86, and who represent an array of ethnicities, social class and points of view. Their stories create the context and script for Taps Are Talking: Women In Tap. Click here for more about the Women In Tap interviews.
Taps Are Talking: Women In Tap discovers the meaning and value of tap dance as a voice for women, and the impact that race and gender have had on the development of this dance form in terms of both personal expression and performance opportunities over the years.
The dancers in Taps Are Talking: Women In Tap all have something to say with their tap dancing. In fact, they have a lot to say. Some have felt heard, others have not. Katherine Kramer describes herself as a “Storyteller … communicating very intimately with an audience.” Barbara Duffy feels “Tap dance is the communication … in countries that don’t speak English, and where I don’t speak the language, we communicate.” Delno Polk Bailey, seeing tap as an extension of her African American roots, says, “Listen. Just listen. You’ll find each step is different. Listen. It’s like a drum. It’s like the Africans when they beat their drums. Each staccato is its own sound. It’s different. The tap is talking. The tap is talking.”