All That Tap crowns the six-day St. Louis Tap Festival that includes master classes, a tap jam improvisation, and a participants’ showcase, taking place July 23-28 at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel, 7730 Bonhomme. For more information, check tapheritage.org or call the St. Louis Tap Festival hotline at 314-531-8277.          

Founded in 1992 by tap master Robert L. Reed, the St. Louis Tap Festival is the only regional event that preserves the great legacy of tap dance by bringing veteran masters of tap to St. Louis while showcasing the best of today’s talent. The event is produced by the Robert L. Reed Tap Heritage Institute, Inc.

Black and Blue; first female performer in Noise/Funk; tap spokesperson for Capezio; tap advisor for Dance Magazine..

●  “Wizdom” - Rashad Rounds, hip hop artist; has appeared in Ebony Eyes, Soul Train and Pretty Willie videos; has toured extensively with Pretty Willie, Vibe Magazine, Star and Heroes, Radio One Q95.5 High School Tour and Marty Casey Productions

●  Rod Ferrone, new vaudevillian actor, choreographer, singer, guitarist, hat trick artist; performs and teaches internationally including with Dance Umbrella, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center

●  Dr. Jimmy Slyde of Boston; renowned for his hallmarks of melody and tone; 2003 Guggenheim Fellowship for Choreography; 2002 Honorary Doctor of American Dance, Oklahoma City University

●  Harold Cromer, age 91, began as tap dancer on roller skates in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen; debuted on Broadway in Du Barry Was a Lady with Ethel Merman, Gypsy Rose Lee, Betty Grable; appeared in theaters with Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Count Basie                  - MORE

●  Shelley Oliver, Canadian-born tap dancer, choreographer, and educator; artistic director of The Shelley Oliver Tap Dancers performing with David Leonhardt Jazz Group touring jazz festivals and concerts worldwide; founding member of Manhattan Tap

●  Karen Callaway Williams, first female tap dancer in Riverdance–The Show; only female tap dancer and dance captain in Riverdance on Broadway; featured performer with symphony orchestras including Indianapolis, Baltimore, Cincinnati Pops, Toronto; charter member of New Jersey Tap Ensemble

●  Logan Miller, 18-year-old Arnold resident, protégé of Robert L. Reed,  listed among the top 20 tap dancers age 20 and under in Dance Spirit Magazine in 2005; specializes in technique and style of Four Step Brothers; recently awarded $50,000 scholarship to New York’s Hofstra University which he plans to attend this fall to further pursue dance and film

●  MADD Rhythms, diverse young tappers from all over the city of Chicago, ages 11 to 26, co-directed by Bril Barrett, formerly of Rierdance national tour, recently completed Absolute Tap tour and Amsterdam’s Broadway Soul Jam

●  Robert L. Reed III, son of Robert L. Reed, who performs and teaches worldwide; toured with Savion Glover in the 2003 international Noise/Funk

●  St. Louis Hoofers Club, featuring young dancers from age 9 1o 19 from Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado, under the direction of Robert L. Reed

These artists are not performing but are teaching during the St. Louis Tap Festival:

●  Dr. Prince Spencer began dancing 50 years ago with “The Four Step Brothers,” first black artists to play at Radio City Music Hall. 2002 Honorary Doctor of American Dance, Oklahoma City University

●  Melba Huber of McAllen, Texas; has had 50-year-plus career as world famous tap teacher and author, in 1996 was first non-New Yorker to receive Flo-Bert Award at Lincoln Center for “life achievement in improving the art and skill of the tap dancer”

            The St. Louis Tap Festival is supported in part by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; Regional Arts Commission; and National Endowment for the Arts.