Tapping into a lost craft
By Vanessa Frigillana
Jan. 14, 2008 9:06 p.m.
Lynn Dally wants to save tap dancing.
As one of leading women in tap, a world arts and cultures professor at UCLA and an artistic director of her own company, Dally remains in a good position to do so.
Dally’s tap career began in her parent’s Columbus, Ohio dance studio. After studying modern dance at Ohio State University, she moved on to work with tap legends such as the Nicholas Brothers and Charles “Honi” Coles, performing at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo.
Dally then moved to Los Angeles and co-founded the Jazz Tap Ensemble, which was the first ever tap ensemble to perform full-length shows.
“We were the first group in America to put forth the idea that tap belonged on the concert stage. It was a big deal,” Dally said. “The mission was to save tap dancing for America and the world. … The idea was, the way to save it was to make something new and not try to reproduce the past.”
But in trying to save a fading art, she encountered unexpected obstacles, as even prominent and passionate tap dancers doubted that tap alone could sustain a show.
“When we first started out they were like, “˜You must be joking. You must be kidding.’ And even some of the old guys, the legends like Charles “˜Honi’ Coles in 1979, 1980 ““ he was like, “˜How could you think to present a whole evening of tap dance? Everyone knows that tap is the act that stops the show and lasts 7 to 12 minutes,'” Dally said. “It was a challenge to open up the bookers’ minds that they could book a whole evening of tap dance.”
Since then, Dally has received numerous grants, commissions and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Irvine and Guggenheim fellowships and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. She continues to serve as the artistic director of the Jazz Tap Ensemble while teaching WAC classes.
Dally’s commitment to the basics of tap and to transforming students into live percussion instruments has left many of her past students with a greater appreciation for the art. Many of them identify Dally’s cheerful disposition as unforgettable and key in evolving their interests in tap.
Third-year economics student Melissa Nishimura studied tap for nine years before coming to UCLA. She enrolled in Dally’s beginning tap dance course last winter.
“Professor Dally was the most exciting teacher I’ve ever had,” Nishimura said. “She always came in to class with all this excitement that made it so much fun. She’s one of those teachers ““ if you’re having a hard or stressful day, she puts a smile on your face right away.”
But the physical and technical aspects of dance are not the only elements that Dally brings to the table. She simultaneously spotlights the historical side of this American tradition through literature and other multimedia.
“She is very passionate about tap,” said third-year international economics student Jacqueline Jung, another of Dally’s students. “She wants us to get a good overall knowledge of both the dance and history of it through movies and books, which I really enjoyed and now greatly appreciate.”
Dally’s commitment to an American classic has sparked interest for the new course WAC 145, “History of Tap Dance in America,” which debuted this quarter.
In addition to her work at the university, Dally is noted as one of the most influential women in tap. That reputation was acknowledged by the California Arts Council, who commissioned Dally to direct and choreograph a full-length piece entitled “American Tap Masterpieces: The Hollywood Journey” about the history of tap, which toured up and down California last October and November.
Dally’s most recent project centers on influential female figures in tap. The weekend of Feb. 8, UCLA will host the first ever “Women in Tap” conference, with tickets on sale through WAC.
“We need to honor the women now as we go into this next generation where all the older legends are gone,” Dally said. “And bringing them all to one place at one time has never been done before.”
With busy weeks ahead, Dally continues to pass on her love for tap through classes, running a company and honoring the legendary women who have shaped this American dance form.
“This conference is about the fact that the women (in tap) have not had that much attention,” said Dally. “So many women contributed to the history of tap in these last 30 years, like me as a founder of a company and a choreographer.
“So one of the big points about this conference besides the individual artistry of each one of these women is that most of them have choreographed substantial bodies of work.”
Dally hopes that by spreading her enthusiasm, she will keep pushing tap into the modern era.
“It’s a time when there’s lots of information to share with each other through the generations and there’s never been a platform for that to happen,” Dally said.
