N.Y. Committee to Celebrate
National Tap Dance Day
Our shows have been produced since 1989's first New York City show produced by Delilah Jackson's Black Patti Project. At our Tap Extravaganza® shows we have been able to give major audience exposure to 33 dance companies and duos, and 48 individual dancers since 1990.
We have also presented free events on National Tap Dance Day with a variety of musical themes (from 1991-1995) and produced the Young People’s Tap Conference featuring young dancers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New England. During this time, we have honored over 26 tap legends, groups and friends of tap with the following awards:
The Flo-Bert Awards
The Flo-Bert Honorees for Lifetime Achievement in Tap Artistry Flo-Bert Awards (named for 1920s entertainers Florence Mills and Bert Williams) recognize those who have advanced the artistry of tap through performance, teaching and choreography.
Past honorees include Ernie Smith, the Copasetics, the Original Hoofers, Peg Leg Bates, the Nicholas Brothers, Cab Calloway, the Silver Belles, Cotton Club Girls, Cholly Atkins, Paul Draper, Maceo Anderson, Gene Kelly, Ann Miller, Lionel Hampton, Henry LeTang, Melba Huber, Ruth Williams, Phil Black, Bross Townsend, the Radio City Rockettes, Donald O’Connor, Sali Ann Kriegsman, Milt Hinton, Gregory Hines, Dr. Barry Harris, Brenda Bufalino, Bunny Briggs, Leonard Reed , Savion Glover, Delilah Jackson, Jeni LeGon, Jane Goldberg, Frank Owens, Stanley Donen, Ernest "Brownie" Brown, Tommy Tune, Dianne Walker, George Wein, Arthur Duncan, Mable Lee, Frankie Manning, Harold “Stumpy” Cromer, Nabuko “Cobi” Narita, LaVaughn Robinson, Jerry Ames, Ralph Guild, Jo Rowan, John Bedford, Bob Audy, Yvette Glover, Deborah Mitchell, Jean Bach, Maurice Hines, Peggy Spina, Mercedes Ellington, Prince Spencer, American Tap Dance Foundation, Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, Randy Skinner, David Gilmore, Johnny Brandon, Charles Goddertz, Heather Cornell, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Ben Vereen, Susan Goldbetter, Jacqui Malone, Karen Callaway Williams, Paul Ash, Kazu Kumagai, Andrew Nemr, Reggio McLaughlin, Barbara Duffy, Rod Ferrone, Sue Samuels, Lisle Atkinson, Gloria Williams, Bernice “Boom Boom” Brooks, Laraine Goodman, Carmen de Lavallade, Bill Irwin, Max Pollak.
The Charles "Honi" Coles Award for Mentoring
The Charles “Honi” Coles Award was established in 2001 to remember the important contributions to tap dance made by Charles “Honi” Coles and his generosity to young dancers. Recipients of the award have been Jimmy Slyde and LeRoy Myers (posthumously), as they have been mentors to many young dancers.
The Peg Leg Bates Award
The Peg Leg Bates Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance was established in 1999 to remember the life work of Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates. Aside from being a successful performer, teacher and businessman, after retiring, he would appear before youth groups, senior citizens and handicapped groups to spread his philosophy of being involved, no matter what life hands you and encouraging a drug-free and educated society. Quoting Mr. Bates: “Life means: do the best that you can with what you have got, with all your mind and heart. One can do anything in this world if one wants to do it bad enough.” His daughter, Melodye Bates Holden, has graciously consented to let the New York Tap Committee carry on the memory of Peg, a past Committee member, with this award. The first award went to dancer, teacher and record manufacturer Danny Hoctor in 1999. In 2000, Buster Brown received the award.
The New York Tap Committee's Positive Role Model Awards
Established in 2000 at the Young People's Tap Conference, the first recipients of these awards were longtime teachers, dancers and choreographers Marion Coles, Eleanor Harris, Mable Lee and Charles Goddertz.
The Nobuko “Cobi” Coles Award
The Nobuko "Cobi" Coles Award started being awarded in 2016. The first recipients were Pearl Silverfine and Walter Taylor.
Through the years special recognitions have gone to Sammy Davis Jr. (accepted by his mother, Baby Sanchez), Baby Sanchez (a dancer in her own right), Marion Coles, George Hillman and Jerry Lewis as well.