Contact: Gayle Hooks, Jazz Tap Ensemble
310 – 475-4412 jtensemble@aol.com
For Immediate Release
WOMEN IN TAP
CONVERGE AT UCLA'S KAUFMAN HALL
(January 18, 2008) On February 8-10, Lynn Dally, Artistic
Director, Jazz Tap Ensemble will make history again! Dally,
an adjunct professor at UCLA's Department of World Arts and
Cultures first made history as the co-founder of Jazz Tap
Ensemble, the first dance company to bring rhythm tap dance
to the concert stage with live jazz music. Now, Dally is
gathering four generations of women who are making a
difference in the world of tap dance. Women In Tap the
first ever national conference will bring together 21 tap
artists – dancers, choreographers, scholars, and writers,
and will address the contributions of these women in tap to
the renaissance of tap dance over the past 30 years. A
conference highlight is WOMEN IN TAP the THE LEGENDS, a
full evening performance featuring Dally, Brenda Bufalino,
Dianne "Lady Di" Walker, Miriam Nelson, Acia Gray, Linda
Sohl-Ellison, Heather Cornell, Michelle Dorrance, Josette
Wiggan, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Chloe Arnold, Deborah
Mitchell, Terry Brock, and Barbara Duffy. Don't miss this
opportunity to see four generations of Women In Tap on
stage, at the same time, in the same place! WOMEN IN TAP
will take place on the UCLA Campus, Glorya Kaufman Hall,
February 8-10, 2008. For information on how to enroll in
the conference, go to
www.jazztapensemble.org/womenintap.html or contact Gayle
Hooks at 310-475-4412. To purchase tickets to the Saturday
Evening WOMEN IN TAP Concert, go to
http://www.ticketmaster.com , and type Women In Tap in the
search box or call the UCLA Central Ticket Office at
310-825-2101.
The conference opens Friday, February 8 at noon with
keynote by Sali Ann Kreigsman (NEA, Jacob's Pillow, Dance
Heritage Society), followed by presentations on women in
the
cultural history of tap, issues of gender, race, and more
faced by women in tap. The evening will
showcase the excellent contrast of the very youngest "Next
Generation" tappers in an informal concert followed by a
screening of the award winning documentary "Been Rich All
My Life", which tells the story of the Silver Belles, women
whose careers in tap were lived in the chorus lines of the
famed Apollo Theater.
Saturday will provide panel discussions on topics including
the choreographic contribution of women to the renaissance
of tap from the 70's forward, and an oral history workshop
featuring scholar Constance Valis Hill interviewing "Lady
Di" Dianne Walker about her life on Broadway in Black and
Blue. WOMEN IN TAP the LEGENDS highlight the day and will
feature the Jazz Tap Ensemble quartet, Music Director Jerry
Kalaf.
Sunday will begin with the screening of the documentary on
Dr. Jeni Le Gon, who began her film career tap dancing with
Bill Bojangles Robinson in the 1936 all black feature,
"Hooray for Love". Final panels and dialogues will
summarize the current state of the art and point to new
directions for the future.
Master classes taught by the legends are scheduled
throughout the weekend in Kaufman Hall. A "Choreographers
Gallery", hosted by NY Tap City's Tony Waag, will share
short clips of choreographic inventions by participating
artists.
Bios and Photos available upon request
* * *
Gayle Hooks
Managing Director
Jazz Tap Ensemble
1416 Westwood Blvd. #207
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310)475-4412 (t)
jtensemble@aol.com
www.jazztapensemble.org
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