TAP ELLINGTON Slated for Tap City 2017 at Jazz at Lincoln Center

Tap City, the NYC Tap Festival, will celebrate jazz legend Duke Ellington and his contribution to the world of tap dance at "TAP ELLINGTON," on Friday, April 14 at 7pm, The Appel Room at JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER, 10 Columbus Circle.

The evening, presented in association with Mercedes Ellington, will celebrate Ellington's music as well as his unique legacy of introducing, promoting and presenting tap dancers to audiences all over the world. TAP ELLINGTON is a highlight event of the American Tap Dance Foundation's Tap City Festival week (July 8-15).

Master of ceremonies Tony Waag and the Duke Ellington Center's Big Band conducted by Eli Yamin will join together in honor of this icon of American Jazz with tap dance performances by emerging raw talent, contemporary soloists and leading tap masters including Brenda Bufalino, Ayodele Casel, Mercedes Ellington, Lisa La Touche Ensemble, Caleb Teicher, Sarah Reich, Sam Weber, Josette and Joseph Wiggan, the New American Tap Orchestra and others.

Duke Ellington composed a number of songs specifically for tap dancers, and many of America's greatest tap dancers worked with Duke Ellington. Ellington wrote tunes such as Bojangles and the Tap Dancers Blues (to be performed at TAP ELLINGTON by Mercedes Ellington and Tony Waag), and incorporated the seminal tap dance solo David Dance Before the Lord into his Concert of Sacred Music, often performed by tap dance virtuoso Bunny Briggs and the elegant rhythm tap dancer Buster Brown (1960's to 1980's). The Library of Congress "Tap Dance in America" Database, created by Constance Valis Hill, lists 195 records in their search engine under Ellington/Tap Dance.

"Tap is a form of music, and tap dance has inspired numerous jazz musicians throughout history and can claim a partial creative credit and ownership to the development of jazz music," said Tony Waag, ATDF Artistic Director. "TAP ELLINGTON" celebrates a marriage of jazz music and tap dance, and Duke Ellington is a key figure in the perpetuation of the idea that tap dance IS music and tap dancers are indeed musicians that create music with their feet.

"Both the late Tap master Charles "Honi" Coles and the late legendary jazz drummer Max Roach have been quoted as saying that tap dancers contributed to the invention and development of Bebop. Throughout history, tap dance has influenced jazz, and jazz certainly influenced tap dance," said Mr. Waag.

IF YOU GO:

"TAP ELLINGTON"
Jazz at Lincoln Center - The Appel Room
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10023
TICKETS: General $75; Children 17 & under/Student/Senior: $50 www.jazz.org/events/t-6400

TAP CITY, The New York City Tap Festival, celebrates the organization's ongoing commitment to establish and legitimize tap dance as a vital component of American dance through creation, presentation, education and preservation. ATDF is in a unique position as both a promoter of the new and preserver of the living history of tap dance.

LINEUP - TAP CITY, the NYC Tap Festival, July 8 through July 15:

· MONDAY, JULY 10 - "Tap Treasures Tour" - An afternoon/evening tour (2-8pm) will visit legendary theaters and rehearsal spaces, marking pivotal moments in tap dance history.

· TUESDAY, JULY 11- Copasetic Boat Ride - 6:30-9:30pm - Circle Line Marina, Pier 83 - Opening social event and cruise around Manhattan with live band, performances and jam. To purchase visit: Boat Ride Tickets atdf.org/ClassesRegistrationIndex.html

· WEDNESDAY, JULY 12 - Tap Dance Awards -7pm - The Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre, Symphony Space 2537 Broadway at 95th Street - Film presentations and performances will honor Ayodele Casel & Sam Weber, recipients of this year's Hoofer Awards; The Jerome Robbins Dance Division of The New York Public Library, recipient of this year's Tap Preservation Award, and inductees Duke Ellington and The Cotton Club Girls and Boys into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame. VIDEO TICKETS $15.To purchase visit: Tap Awards Tickets www.symphonyspace.org/event/9583/Other/tap-city-tap-awards

· FRIDAY, JULY 14 - "Tap Ellington" Show - 7pm- Jazz at Lincoln Center - The Appel Room, 10 Columbus Circle - A musical celebration of Duke Ellington's life, music and unique legacy of introducing, promoting and presenting tap dancers to audiences all over the world. Master of ceremonies Tony Waag and the Duke Ellington Center's Big Band conducted by Eli Yamin join together in honor of this legendary icon of American Jazz with tap dance performances by emerging raw talent, contemporary soloists and leading tap masters including Brenda Bufalino, Ayodele Casel, Mercedes Ellington, Caleb Teicher, Sarah Reich, Sam Weber, Josette and Joseph Wiggan, the New American Tap Orchestra and others. TICKETS: General $75; Children 17 & under/Student/Senior: $50 www.jazz.org/events/t-6400

· SATURDAY, JULY 15 - "Tap Future" ALL STUDENT SHOWCASE - 5pm -Symphony Space, Peter J. Sharp Theatre - Tap City puts ALL of its students on stage in a fun show of youth, teen and adult students. Tap dancers will perform for each other in an informal performance featuring the newly minted work from all of the Tap City Residencies from the Youth, Pre-Professional and Adult Programs. TICKETS General $40; Children 17 & under/Student/Senior: $20 To purchase visit: Tap Future Tickets www.symphonyspace.org/event/9601/Dance/tap-future-tap-citys-all-student-showcase

For more information, visit American Tap Dance Foundation (ATDF), read the The American Tap Dance Foundation Mission, and learn more about American Tap Dance Foundation Programs.

PLUS, TWO ADD-ON EVENTS!

"No Maps on My Taps" and "About Tap," digitally restored documentaries by George T. Nierenberg that helped revitalize tap dancing in the early 1980's, will premiere July 7 at the Quad Cinema to coincide with New York's annual citywide Tap City festival. Later this year, the two films will premiere on Turner Classic Movies. Milestone Films restored the work from the original camera negatives.

Dueling Performances (Tap Dancers) will feature Caleb Teicher and Sarah Reich, both of whom will also appear in Tap Ellington, on Thursday, July 13 from 5-6pm in Union Square (Summer in the Square). More on "Summer in the Square" below. Also below is our press release on Tap Ellington and the rest of the Tap City lineup.

SUMMER IN THE SQUARE:

Jul 13 Dueling Performances [Tap Dancers]
Thursday, July 13, 2017
5:00pm 6:00pm

Join us on the South Plaza's main stage for a dueling performance. Artists at the top of their trade will perform their best work to determine who is the ultimate champion of their art. The judge? YOU. Each week experience a different performance - pianists, electric violinists, guitarists, beat boxers, DJs, dancers, artists and more - and decide who the dueling performance champion is.

Celebrate Tap City in Union Square as four incredible tap dancers battle it out. We welcome to the stage Caleb Teicher & Company (CT&Co) vs. Sarah Reich's Tap Music Project. CT&Co presents new work the blends traditional American dance forms in a modern context, while the Tap Music Project focuses on tap as a percussive instrument. Prepare to be tapping your feet to this fantastic match up. Watch the performance on Union Square's South Plaza (near 14th Street).