Tap jams in NYC are jumping - tap dancing jam sessions in New York, NY nightclubs

Dance Magazine, Sept, 1994 by Cynthia R. Millman

NEW YORK CITY--Unbeknown to many dance enthusiasts, an impressive roster of tap dancers can be seen at weekly jams in two New York City nightclubs. La Cave on First hosts tap jams on Wednesdays, Deanna's on Sundays.

Dancing has a way of keeping the old spry and the young in awe of the old. This is certainly true in the tap world. La Cave features veteran hoofers Jimmy Slyde (who emcees the evening), Lon Chaney, Chuck Greene, and James "Buster" Brown. All appeared in Black and Blue on Broadway; Slyde also appeared in the film Tap, starring Gregory Hines.

Representing the younger, very international set, with their own impressive list of credits, are Ira Bernstein, Ginger de Paris, Ted Levy, Max Pollak, Van Porter, Roxane Semadeni, Taka, Herbin Van Cayseele, and members of duet acts Toe Jamm and Hotfoot. Savion Glover, who danced in Jelly's Last Jam and Black and Blue as well as in Tap, is a regular. His mother, the singer Yvette Glover, occasionally drops in to belt out a few tunes with the three-piece combo that also accompanies the dancers. Several even younger tappers hold down the fort at the funkier Deanna's.

At both jams participants appear schedule permitting, and a variety of guests drop in.

The tapping at the jams is "done to jazz music and emphasizes the dancer as a musician, as opposed to Broadway-style choreography," says Max Pollak of the dance troupe Manhattan Tap. One at a time, performers strut their stuff. Most, but not all, improvise. The individuality of each dancer is stunning. Pollak explains that this is because "everyone has a different goal. We each focus on different elements of tap: speed, the African roots, line, swinging with the band, inventiveness, or just having fun."

One can't help being drawn into the extraordinary atmosphere at both jams. Sightlines at these places can be poor, but New Yorkers take it all in stride as they mix with Europeans, Japanese, and the not-so-occasional celebrity, the whole lot caught up in the performers' tap euphoria. Perhaps most striking is the camaraderie among the dancers, with Slyde serving as the nurturing granddaddy to them all.

Both tap jams run from 10 P.M. to about 1:30 A.M., with each ninety-minute set ending in a group jam. As one customer commented enthusiastically, "This is a real tap-o-rama!"

La Cave on First, at 1125 First Avenue, will relocate near Columbus Circle as La Place de la Park sometime in October. For information, call (212) 759-4011. Deanna's address is 130 East Seventh Street; telephone (212) 505-5288.