12/18/09

Story by Peggy Graham

Terrific Tap — 'Thank You, Gregory!'

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Thank You, Gregory! A Tribute to the Legends of Tap is a celebration of tap stars from the time of minstrel shows to contemporary theater and film. Most especially, as the name implies, homage goes to Gregory Hines, an exceptional artist and major ambassador of tap dance.

Thank You, Gregory! will take to the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College. Film excerpts and narration highlight the history, as eight world-class hoofers, a jazz pianist, multi-media projections and narrative create a rich and diverse kaleidoscope of tap dance artistry, romance, rhythms and musical feet.

Lonnie McFadden, Kansas City hoofer and one of the two McFadden Brothers, will present Artists Insights at 7 p.m. Audience members are invited to stay after the show for a “talk-back” with a company member.

The show features tributes to many of the "kings" of tap dance including Fred Astaire, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, John Bubbles, Gene Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers; the leading ladies of Hollywood such as Ruby Keeler, Ann Miller, Eleanor Powell and Juanita Pitts; the eccentric dancers Ray Bolger, Donald O'Connor and Hal Leroy; the incredible concert-tap hoofers Dr. Jimmy Slyde, Chuck Green, Bunny Briggs, and the legacy of pioneering women in the 1970s led by the amazing Brenda Bufalino and numerous unsung hoofers who were often overlooked because of race, gender and social circumstances.

Hines, the suave dancer, singer and actor, died at age 57 on Aug. 9, 2003. This production pays tribute to him and to the numerous legends of tap dance with a fresh and dynamic glance at the past as well as a contemporary look at today’s gifted tap artists whose "soles" they have guided and touched.

Today, tap dance is enjoying another wave of popularity that supports a new generation of hoofers that are at the top of their game, creating fresh concepts and collaborating on innovative ensemble work. They are moving tap into the future as one of the most innovative and exciting dance forms in modern history. And because of that we all say, “Thank you, Gregory!”

Tickets for Thank You, Gregory! are $35 and $25, available by calling the Performing Arts Series box office at 913-469-4445 or online at www.jccc.edu/TheSeries. ###