About Tapping and Teaching

I’m pleased that you are joining us to explore the joyous world of tap. The kind of tapping I learned -- hoofing with soul that connects to the world around us. My teachers included famous dancers like Jimmy Payne Sr. and Ernest “Brownie” Brown, the legendary Vaudeville, Broadway, and film veteran who was my partner for 16 years.

I was in the second grade when I saw my first tap dance performance, and soon after I started putting bottle caps on the bottom of my shoes trying to imitate tap dancing on the concrete sidewalk. I explored other art forms, but that feeling of “I got to tap” never went away. So later in time, I began to dance in the Chicago subway stations, an underground world full of people from all walks of life. I learned how to perform down there by watching how people reacted. I developed my style of hoofing flat-footed, rather than just on the toes, so that the sound of tapping could be heard over the noise of the trains etc.

My 16-year partnership with Ernest “Brownie” Brown who had cofounded the famous Copasectic Tap Company, let me learn steps and sequences of generations of elite tap dancers. After a while people started asking me to teach them what I knew about how to tap with this particular style and with soul.

Teaching allows me to pass along the art of this great dance tradition, even as I enjoy taping and creating dances myself. So here we are.

I’m eager to share with you what I’ve learned about hoofing that connects heart and soul and sound. Put on your shoes, and let’s dance.

Art in the form of Education

Reggio "the Hoofer" brilliantly revives the history of tap, by taking the audience on a journey through the sounds of his feet. Reggio traces this American art form back to its foot stomping roots in Africa, the vibrant, intricate steps and tap routines of Vaudeville, onto the dynamic, high-energy of the Harlem Renaissance, and the Broadway Musical. This program encourages audience participation including the young, the aging and people with disabilities. There is also a question and answer session.

Through the enthusiastic and sincere objective of preserving this art form Tap dancing seems to make everybody happy and energetic.

The Story of the Chair Dance

The Chair Dance began in New York in Harlem at the Hoofer's Club, a famous hangout of some of the most legendary tap dancers in the world. This place was given to tap dancers to come and dance or practice. Dancers that didn't have a place to stay, would come there and try to get a little sleep. But the owner didn't allow sleeping, and if caught they would be thrown out.So the dancers, while sitting in a chair, would tap their feet and try to take a little catnap. This developed into the Chair Dance.

This dance was performed on stage and made famous by "The Copasetics". Reggio has been partnering for 13 years with the 90 year old Earnest "Brownie" Brown, the only living, dancing "Copasetic".

The Story of the Cane Dance

The Cane Dance is a song and dance routine, performed to the music of "Old Man Time". This was the signature routine of Cook and Brown.