My first introduction to Tap dancing was through the films of the great Fred Astair, little did I know I would be putting on a pair of shoes my self, years later. I still have a special admiration for Fred, as his contribution to the technical aspects of scene shots, sound and choreography are second to none on the silver screen. Later though, I would find out that there was more to tap dancing, much much more than I could ever have imagined.

Gregory Hines, my he rest in peace, was my first great influence and it was through him and his films that I learned there was a lot more to tap than the big Holly Wood musicals. After seeing 'White Knights' I followed his films and finally came upon the film 'Tap'. This was a great film for many reasons. It had the new with young Savion Glover, the current Gregory Hines and old, where Gregory appears in a jam scene with Sammy Davis JR, Sandman Simms, Jimmy Slyd, Bunny Briggs, Frank Condos and Harold Nicholas along with a few others. This was really the high point of the film and, for me in particular, where I began to become interested in tap history beyond the movies..

I eventually decided to get some shoes and have a go for my self and this lead to a need to understand the roots of this art form. I found out it was difficult, at least here in the UK, to find such factual information, but I persevered and learned quite a lot from the various sources I was fortunate to come across.

The more I learned the more I began to understand how much was either missing or lost due to the passage of time because there was little interest in the art form at the time. Tap dancing was not thought of as an art form until much much later at a time when many of its founders had long since passed away and were not around to receive adulation for their contribution to the art. Fortunately some accounts from surviving dancers and the work of some independent studies have put together most of the history of the dance.

Whenever I put my shoes on I spare a thought for all those past that contributed to tap dancing and I consciously try to let the historical legacy flow through my feet. I may not be able to make any great technical dance contribution, but at least I can help keep the art, the history and the memory of the tap dancing pioneers alive. This is my modest contribution to the subject matter of tap, this time the subject being The Hoofers Club.

Tony Curtis

Email Address tc@ukonline.co.uk