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The Dance Enthusiast Asks: Brenda Bufalino

About the Future of Tap Dancing
Talking Tap Literacy — Brenda Bufalino with The Dance Enthusiast
Getting Ready for the July 23rd Forum "WRITING ON TAP: Everything Your Always Wanted to Know About Tap, But Were Afraid to Ask"
Bufalino will be speaking at “WRITING ON TAP: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Tap But Were Afraid To Ask” at the American Tap Dance Foundation ,154 Christopher Street, #2B on Saturday, June 23th, 2012 from 12pm-4pm- hosted by the Collective for Dance Writing and New Media and American Tap Dance Foundation.
* "WRITING ON TAP:Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Tap But Were Afraid to Ask" Admission: 0 (cash at door only)
Due to limited space, advance reservations are required.
PLEASE RSVP: collectiveDWNM@gmail.com
June 19th, 2012
TDE: When did you begin tap dancing?
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Charles "Honi" Coles with Brenda Bufalino; Photo Courtesy of the American Tap Dance Foundation |
BB: I found him when I was 17-years-old — I moved to New York City when I was 17. I studied with him for a short time. He had a studio on 52nd Street. I had been studying with Stanley Brown ( who had a famous show business school) in Boston so I assume it was Stanley who pointed me in Honi Coles' direction. He [Coles] tried very hard to get me work as a tap dancer then, but every time he tried, they would hire me as an Afro-Cuban or Calypso dancer. Fourteen years later, we got back together and that's when I produced the documentary, "Great Feats of Feet: Portraits Of the Jazz Tap Dancer" featuring Coles and The Copasetics. We began to perform together. It just came full circle. He and I had a lot to do with creating the tap renaissance.
Brenda Bufalino on Her Legendary Mentors and Teachers
BB: Absolutely. Tap composition is a new form that we're dealing with. It hasn't really been addressed. I'm very excited to get a literary audience talking about this and seeing it it in a fresh, new way.
Brenda Bufalino on Being A Black Dancer in a White Body
BB: We had to bring the writers up. The former New York Times dance critic and author ,Jennifer Dunning and the former Village Voice dance critic, Deborah Jowitt really learned about the art form and different artists. Then suddenly they were more or less gone. Now there is a new crop of writers that pretty much don't know anything. It takes a long time to develop knowledge about what a tap dancer is doing. I can remember when I read a review where the writer only said, "they danced fast and they wore blue suits."
How did American Tap Dance Foundation come to fruition?
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Brenda Bufalino Leading A Master Class at the American Tap Dance Foundation;Photo by Tony Waag |
TDE:Where would you like to see American tap dance in the future?
BB: I would like to see good tap dancing on Broadway. I really hope we can have a sustained venue. We saw it a bit with Savion Glover with “Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk” and Gregory Hines but there's much more to do in that area. I would like to see more tap on film. It's so un-targeted and it's the most exciting dance form there is right now. I would like to see it being expanded and available to a wider audience. The work is being done, but the work isn't being seen.
Remembering Charles "Honi" Coles
More Tap Fun with Brenda Bufalino