PRESS Release July 17, 2008
Tapology: Tap Dance Festival - October 23 - 26, 2008 - Flint, Michigan.
Tapology Tap Dance Festival for Youth announces the sixth annual Tap Dance Festival held in Flint, Michigan. Formerly Bradley’s Tap Festival for Youth, the weekend dance event features Tap Dance artists from all over the United States, and provides a historical look at the roots of tap dance and how the art form affects contemporary entertainment. Festival weekend will afford youth across the USA and Canada the opportunity to train with experts from Broadway, and internationally known stars of the dance right here in their own back yard. Featuring Harold Cromer, Arthur Duncan, Mable Lee, Acia Gray, Derick Grant, Michelle Dorrance, Cartier Williams, Alexandria Bradley. Author and Historians Jacqui Malone and Daniel Dawson and more.
Tapology: Tap Dance Festival for Youth
Stars and Youth Interact in Intensive 5-Day Event in Flint, Michigan
Honoring Harold "Stumpy" Cromer
October 23 - 26, 2008
Flint, Michigan – October 23 – 26, 2008 – Tapology Tap Dance Festival for Youth announces the sixth annual Tap Dance Festival held in Flint, Michigan. Formerly Bradley’s Tap Festival for Youth, the weekend dance event features Tap Dance artists from all over the United States, and provides a historical look at the roots of tap dance and how the art form affects contemporary entertainment. Festival weekend will afford youth across the USA and Canada the opportunity to train with experts from Broadway, and internationally known stars of the dance right here in their own back yard.
Dancers like Harold "Stumpy" Cromer, Arthur Duncan of the Lawrence Welk Show, Dianne “Lady Di” Walker, and Mable Lee have been exciting audiences for more than 70 years with their irrepressible style, personality and showmanship. New and upcoming generations of artists like Cartier “Big Coop” Williams of New York, Derick Grant, Michelle Dorrance - recently featured on Dance Magazine's cover, Acia Gray - author of "Souls of Your Feet", and the Bradley Sisters – Flint natives, have been setting the entertainment world on fire with their new interpretations of this indigenous American Art form.
Unlike most other festivals of this nature, Tapology is open to participants of all skill levels, from beginning to advanced; and ages 8 – 80. While there are specific highly skilled classes offered to those with long experience, there are also classes offered for the student who has never put on a tap shoe. One of the major workshop highlights are the senior workshops, lead by Mabel Lee and Harold Cromer. This is an event for anyone who has ever wanted to dance!
The festival is an intensive 4 day weekend of dance workshops led by hot and experienced tap stars, a historical perspective on tap dance by author Jacqui Malone, hosted by Flint Public Library, a Luncheon in honor of The Roller Skating Tap Dancer From Hell's Kitchen - Harold Cromer; the Tap Competition – all student dance competition – judged by professional artists with $1,000 in prize money, and the professional Tapology Performance at Whiting Auditorium.
Festival Weekend will kick off with a special opportunity for local Community School youth to interact with this year’s artists. They will spend two days, taking an introductory class, watching a professional performance, and getting historical perspective at Flint Public Library, Flint Youth Theater and Flint Institute of Music from noted authors and historians Jacqui Malone and Daniel Dawson.
“This festival is a way of letting students of dance; see that there are professional opportunities and career possibilities for dancers in the United States and abroad. Many young people spend years dancing, only to abandon this healthy, recreational and professional activity because of a perceived lack of opportunity. We want to change that notion by bringing the dance stars, who are living their dreams and changing the stereotypes right here to Flint. It’s also a way to encourage the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices by those who are not currently dancers. All are welcome at this festival,” says Alfred Bruce Bradley, CEO and Originator of the festival, now in its fourth year. The Tapology Tap Dance Festival was the first to open this type of exposure to beginners as well as experienced and advanced dancers.
Beginning dancers, returning dancers, as well as advanced dancers and instructors will find tap dance workshops, historical perspective, and the chance to see the masters at work in their own performance.
The dance and history weekend ends with "Tapology", the Concert. Comparable to stage performances seen on Broadway in New York, this show is an inspiration to anyone who loves excellence in dance and a must see for anyone who is not planning a trip to New York this fall! Tickets are $20 & $25, available at The Whiting Box Office
810 237-3337.
There are also a limited number of scholarships available for the festival. Applications can be downloaded online at http://www.tapology.org
If you are an individual, school, dance instructor or studio owner interested in attending this year’s festival, get brochures, applications, schedules, directions, accommodations and more information from: http://tapology.org or call Tapology at: (810) 787 – 0197.