Tap!: The Greatest Tap Dance Stars and Their Stories, 1900-1955

by Rusty E. Frank

From the vaudeville era, through the Astaire-Rogers movies, to the intricate artistry of bebop, tap has dominated American dance with its rhythm, originality, and humor. This book collects the voices and memories of thirty of America's best-loved tap-dance stars and two hundred rare theater, film, and publicity photographs. Here Shirley Temple recalls her magical duo with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson; Fayard Nicholas describes his days at Harlem's Cotton Club performing with Cab Calloway; Fred Kelly visits his and his brother Gene's Pittsburgh dance studio; Hermes Pan reminisces about his work with George Gershwin, Ginger Rogers, and Fred Astaire; and, in a chapter new to this edition, Toy and Wing tell about their days as the world's leading Asian tap duo. Appended with the most comprehensive listing of tap acts, recordings, and films ever compiled—newly updated for this paperback edition—Tap! brings to life the legends of one of America's most cherished and enduring art forms.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

358 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

Reviews

[Jennifer Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I enjoyed the bios and first hand accounts of those I grew up watching and some of those I had never heard before. But there were 30 dancers covered in this book, and I honestly was bored for like a third of them.

[Grant Haralson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! 30 historic tap dancers share their stories in their own words. Each chapter begins with a brief history of whatever scene that tap dancer most influenced and/or was influenced by. This book is for tap dancers, tap dance historians, and theatre historians. It creates such a detailed first-hand history of the American theatre and tap scene before 1955, even including glimpses of what it was like for these artists to perform in Europe. And it ends perfectly with Brenda Bufalino, who is of course still alive and tapping today (as of this writing).
The book’s appendices are spectacular resources, as well. They include a glossary, an exhaustive list of tap dancers and tap acts, an exhaustive list of tap dance on film, and even an exhaustive list of tap dance on record/audio recordings, as well as reference books, films, and videos.

[Wendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own 3 copies of this book. One that I keep in my studio, one by my nightstand for easy reference, and one that I keep in my teaching bag in my car. It is an excellent read. The interviews are delightful, and it helps you really get a sense of who these delightful dancers actually were. A true tap dancer knows how important it is to study the greats who came before, and to have 30 of them all together in one book is priceless.

[Arthur Dong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rusty's delightful and intimate look into the lives of entertainers inspired me to begin writing my first book, Forbidden City, USA: Chinatown Nightclubs, 1936-1970.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give it five stars if Frank tied the artists' individual stories together a bit more with an overview, although there is an extremely helpful glossary at the end. But the interviews are flat-out wonderful. I recommend that you boot up your compuer before you dip into an interview, and then happily get lost in Youtube clips of the performers as you "hear" them "speak". These seem to be transcriptions, so the performers' voices come through loud and clear. But you want to watch them tap!

All of the interviews are fascinating, but I was particularly engaged by the people who had worked with Bill Robinson, especially Shirley Temple. Her description of their work methods on the pictures in which she partnered with him were really endearing.

And there is the delight of stumbling onto people of whom you have no knowledge, and then seeing how great they were in performance. I teach American Musical Theatre, and this book is going on my syllabus.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read the whole thing, but would recommend to enthusiastic tappers out there; like me.
I've read the stories of my favorite ones so far, Gene Kelly,The Nicholas Brothers, to name a few. Very interesting to learn about the childhood of black tap dancers. Chapters include text with interviews with actual people!
Forward by Gregory Hines. Great man.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book if you are interested in tap dancing and dancers. It includes interviews with some of the most accomplished tappers and I could almost hear them talking. Really interesting!

[Ilyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading this and again enjoying the anecdotal interviews with the best of the tappers from 1900-1955.