2nd Annual FL Tap Dance Festival Opens Friday

The Tap Legacy™ Foundation, Inc. (TLF) returns to Ithaca, NY with the 2nd Annual Finger Lakes Tap Dance Festival. Presented by TLF and hosted by Ithaca College, the three day festival to occur March 30th through April 1st will include tap dance workshops, an informal student showcase and jam session featuring a variety of dance groups from the region, a panel discussion, the screening of rare tap dance footage from the TLF digital archives, and the all-star performance at Ithaca’s historic State Theatre: “Walking in Time.” Bringing the highest level of talent back to the Ithaca area, the scheduled festival faculty include Dr. Jimmy Slyde, recognized as one of the last remaining masters of tap dance, having appeared in the featured films Round Midnight, The Cotton Club, and TAP, and Tony Award-nominated for his role in Black and Blue; Dianne “Lady Di” Walker, a repository of tap dance history and also featured in the landmark productions of Black and Blue and the movie TAP; Rocky Mendes, mentored by Dr. Jimmy Slyde; Michelle Dorrance, a founding member of Savion Glover’s TiDii; Andrew J. Nemr, mentored by the late Gregory Hines and now artistic director of CPD PLUS, and Jason Samuels Smith, featured in Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk and an Emmy award winning choreographer.The festival faculty will be teaching classes ranging in level from beginner to advanced as well as starring in “Walking in Time.” Also scheduled to perform are the Ithaca College Tap Dance Club, Ithaca’s Armstrong School of Dance, the Toronto tap group “Downbeats”, and the jazz band “The ZMQ”. The panel discussion and screenings will be free and open to the public. Prices for other weekend events begin at $3 for the tap jam and showcase, $15 to $25 per workshop class, and $30 for Dianne Walker’s Master Class.Tickets for “Walking in Time” can be purchased for $13 (Students/Senior Citizens) and $19 (General Public) in advance, or $15 (Students/Senior Citizens) and $21 (General Public) at the door. Specially priced accommodations for the weekend are being provided by the Holiday Inn, conveniently located in downtown Ithaca.For more information or to register please visit http://www.fingerlakestapfestival.com or call (212) 714-6867.