Skip to main content

Tap Dancing Through History

Tue, 02/18/2020 - 15:35

Two upcoming events incorporate tap to teach some important lessons

Omar Edwards, center, is featured in the film, "4 Little Girls: Moving Portraits of the American Civil Rights Movement," which will be shown at the Parrish Museum on Saturday.
Courtesy of the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center

Tap dancing has made a big comeback in recent years, and two upcoming events will incorporate the dance form to illustrate important events in American history.

On Saturday at the Parrish Museum in Water Mill, Kerri Edge, a filmmaker and choreographer, will present "4 Little Girls: Moving Portraits of the American Civil Rights Movement," a film featuring Omar Edwards, a professional tap dancer who has appeared on Broadway in "Bring In 'da Noise, Bring In 'da Funk" and has performed at the White House. The film tells the story of the children who were killed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1963, in a bombing at their Alabama church.

Admission to the event, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m., is $12; free for students and members of the Parrish. It is co-sponsored by the Edge School of the Arts, which was founded by Ms. Edge, and the Hamptons United Methodist Church.

On Monday at 4 p.m., Mr. Edwards will present "Tap Dancin' Is Music" at the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, co-sponsored by the Hayground School. This free show, with audience participation, promotes tap dance both as an American folk art and a way of making music. It "explores the history and significance of tap from its beginnings when African-American slaves were deprived of their drums by slave owners and instead created rhythms with their feet," according to a release.

Young tappers have been encouraged to bring their own tap shoes to the child care center on Monday to take part in the interactive show.
 

Villages

Holy Week Services From Bridgehampton to Montauk

Holy Week services begin on Sunday, and churches here have special schedules throughout the week. 

Mar 21, 2024

Steinbeck Park’s New Tenant Has a History

The mystery over a painted bronze statue of John Steinbeck and his dog Charley, which suddenly appeared in Sag Harbor’s Steinbeck Park this week, has been solved. 

Mar 21, 2024

Beloved Bartender to Lead Montauk St. Patrick's Parade

Steve (Puck) Dolan retired from the Montauket in December after 38 years, but Montauk isn’t done with him just yet: He will serve as grand marshal of the 62nd Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick’s Day parade, which will liven up the hamlet with belated Irish cheer on Sunday starting at noon. 

Mar 21, 2024

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.