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From the vaudeville era, through the Astaire-Rogers movies, to the intricate artistry of bebop, tap has dominated American dance with its rhythm, originality, and humor. The book collects the voices and memories of thirty of America's best-loved tap dance stars together with 200 rare theater, film, and publicity photographs. Here Shirley Temple recalls her m agical duo with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson; Fayard Nicholas describes his days at Harlem's Cotton Club performing with Cab Calloway; Fred Kelly visits his and his brother Gene's Pittsburgh dance studio; Hermes Pan reminisces about his work with George Gershwin, Ginger Rogers, and Fred Astaire; and, in a chapter new to this edition, Toy and Wing tell about their days as the world's leading Asian American tap duo. Appended with the most comprehensive listing of tap acts, recordings, and films ever compiled; newly updated for this soft-cover edition; TAP! brings to life the legends of one of America's most cherished and enduring art forms.

About the Author:

Rusty Frank is a Tap Dancer and Lindy Hopper, producer, choreographer, writer, and dance preservationist. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book TAP! The Greatest Tap Dance Stars and Their Stories 1900-1955, the producer and choreographer of the stage revues "Swingin' The Century - The Big Band Show" and "Jazz Tap." Rusty is the producer of the one-hour television special in production, "TAP! Tempo of America" (recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Grant). Rusty has been a professional dancer since her college days, and has performed throughout the world and locally at such locales as The Hollywood Bowl, Disneyland, and the Derby. She is part of the Smithsonian Institute's Jazz Oral History project, a contributing author in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Dance, the Danish National Encyclopedia, Jazz: The First Century, and The American National Biography. Rusty has appeared in many dance documentaries, including the BBC's "Fascinating Rhythms - The Story of Tap," and Bravo's "This Joint Is Jumpin'."

Quotes:

• "If you like tap dancing and tap dancers - this is the book."
  – Gene Kelly
  
  
• "[A] wonderful book that belongs on the shelf of anyone who cares about American culture."
  – Los Angeles Times
  
  
• "I found myself wishing that Rusty Frank's new book would go on and on forever. She has caught the living history of American tap from the voices of the dancers who made it."
  – San Francisco Chronicle
  
  
• "My hat goes off for Rusty Frank for writing one of the most definitive statements on tap dance in recent years."
  – Charls 'Honi' Coles