Tap Legacy Foundation, Inc.

Preserving and Advancing the Art of Tap Dance.

Announcements

Tap Legacy™ at the TED Residency

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You might have seen this announcement a few months ago, but if you missed it, we wanted to let you know about some very exciting news. Our co-founder, Andrew Nemr, was recently awarded a TED Residency. As part of the inaugural class of residents, Andrew will be spending his time developing the Tap Legacy™ Digital Archive. The vision of the archive is unique in its effort to reflect the oral tradition of tap dance in the digital space. Andrew is currently working with anthropologists, sociologists, big data scientists, programmers, and experts in the field of oral history to develop a platform that will serve to bring to greater light the rich history of tap dance and related vernacular dances.

As part of the residency, Andrew will also be giving a TED Talk on the underlying idea of oral tradition as way of remembering. Unfortunately the event is not open to public, nor will it be live-streamed. However, we will be sharing the talk here once it is published online.

About TED
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.

We’ve Got a New Logo!

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If you’ve been a fan of the Tap Legacy™ Foundation, and recently visited our website, you might have noticed something different. Along with the new site, a concise set of streamlined initiatives, we unveiled an updated logo.

Designed in 2002 to by artist Scean Mitchell, the Tap Legacy logo has indeed stood the test of time. However, while updating the website, we thought we’d revisit it, too. Taking feedback that we’ve received in the past and looking towards our future, we collaborated with artist Reggie Black, inspirational engineer and current TED Resident, on an update.

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By maintaining the key elements that have made our logo timeless – the shape of the stamp, the typeface itself – while making simple updates we hold true to the Tap Legacy™ Foundation’s values of holding fast to that which has informed who we are while advancing with the needs of the community today.

We’re really happy with the new look, and we hope you like it, too!

Contact us with Email

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Over the weekend we experienced a problem with our email servers. If you sent us any communication in the past 5 days it is highly likely that we didn’t receive it. We’re back online and want to hear from you. You can contact us via this form or by sending an email to address listed here.

Tap Legacy Launches Bunny Briggs Tribute Website

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Online – On the celebration of what would have been Bunny Brigg’s 93rd birthday, the Tap Legacy Foundation, Inc., launches BunnyBriggs.org. With a new design and mobile-friendly layout, BunnyBriggs.org is the latest in the foundation’s series of Tribute Websites. A thorough biography including online and print sources, a concise listing of Brigg’s body of work, and a page about the Bunny Briggs Memorial Fund (a new assistance program), make up the information that is now easily accessible online through this new resource.

Bunny Briggs was one of few remaining hoofers to have made significant contributions to the art of tap dance throughout the growth of the art form – from the days of the big bands, through the lean years, and during the resurgence. Featured in the movies TAP and No Maps on My Taps, as well as the often cited film recording of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts, Bunny’s style, technique, and improvisational approach were all his own.

The Bunny Briggs Tribute Website is the first of the series to sport the new, more user and mobile-friendly design which will come to the rest of the series in the coming weeks. Other sites in series include dedications to Gregory Hines, the Copasetics, Henry LeTang, and Buddy Bradley, among others.

About the Tap Legacy Tribute Websites

Information about Tap Dance Legends is spread across a multitude of sources, including print, video and audio recording, and online resources. For some dancers, little is available online. The Tap Legacy Tribute Websites aim to correct that by providing a single source for the exploration of a particular dancer’s career and contribution to the art of tap dance. Thoroughly researched and continually updated Tribute Websites are launch with permission and include biographical information, concise listings of accomplishments, video recordings from YouTube, links to other online sources, and related Tap Legacy programming.

About the Tap Legacy Foundation, Inc.

The Tap Legacy Foundation, Inc., was established in 2002 by tap dancers Gregory Hines and Andrew Nemr with a charter to Preserve and Advance the Art of Tap Dance. With a vision to build a cultural center for tap dance in New York City, the foundation’s programming aims to reignite the oral history upon which tap dance relies upon. This is accomplished through the production of events and resources that facilitate discussion and promotion of the art of tap dance, while honoring its past and supporting its future through assistance and scholarship programs.

The Tap Legacy Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Tap Legacy™ is a trademark of the Tap Legacy Foundation, Inc.

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Bunny Briggs Las Vegas Services

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Bunny Briggs was often soft spoken, that is until you began to talk about tap dancing. How it should be done; who was better; talking about the music. All these topics would fuel the conversation with emotion from the experiences of almost 80 years of dancing alongside some of the most famous musicians of his time. Bunny started dancing as a child, and would go on to become known as “Duke’s Dancer”performing often with the Ellington Orchestra, among his many other musical collaborators.

In light of Bunny’s passing on November 15th, there has been an outpouring of love and support on social media as well as remembrances on various websites, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal For those in the Las Vegas area, you are invited to celebrate his life in person at a memorial service this Friday.

Bunny Briggs Memorial Service on Friday December 12th, 2014

Visitation from 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon.
Funeral Mass Service from 12:00 noon. -1:30 p.m. approximately

Service to be held at:

Saint Francis of Assisi
Roman Catholic Church
2300 Sunridge Heights Parkway
Henderson, NV 89052
(702) 914-2175

Burial immediately following services:

Palm Eastern Mortuary (Dignity Memorial)
7600 S Eastern Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada 89123
(702) 464-8500

Celebration/Reception following the burial.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Bunny Briggs Memorial Fund, c/o Tap Legacy Foundation, 138 W 25th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10001. (Make checks payable to Tap Legacy Foundation – be sure to write Bunny Briggs Memorial Fund in the memo).

It is our honor to establish and coordinate the Bunny Briggs Memorial Fund, on behalf of the family, to help ensure that Bunny is laid to rest and his life celebrated with dignity and in line with his last wishes.

Bunny Briggs has left us, but he has left much for us.

Photo Credit: Karen Zebulon

Happy National Tap Dance Day!!!

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This year marks the 25th Anniversary of National Tap Dance Day, a legislation passed by the United States Congress in 1989. We are happy to celebrate this special occasion with two special announcements.

Leading up to Tap Dance Day, Tap Legacy launched a Thunderclap Campaign in an attempt to get #tapdance to trend. We did it! We reached our campaign goal of more than 500 supporters and with them will have sent #tapdance to more than 1.6 million connections. This is the first social media celebration to celebrate Tap Dance Day and we’re so thankful for everyone who joined to make it a great success!

Today we are also very pleased to launch a site dedicated to Tap Dance Day, now a global phenomenon. The site includes the full text of the original legislation that established National Tap Dance Day as law, as well as a recounting of how the legislation came to be.

We’re always glad to have a reason to celebrate this art form that we all love. Happy 25th National #TapDance Day!!!