Master tap dancers Honi Coles and Cholly Atkins demonstrate favorite tap steps and routines from the time of World War One ("Over the Top and Through the Trenches") to the mid-sixties ("Bebop").

by Brenda Bufalino

A classic documentary exploring the tradition of jazz & tap dance, the essence that sets it uniquely apart from other dance forms, featuring The Copasetics. Each featured dancer speaks of his life and his art, revealing creative spirit and individuality that have personified each artist through their long careers.

by Christian Blackwood

Illuminates the New York driven renaissance of the once-flourishing art form. Blackwood shows how the triumphs and defeats of many great dancers from the past were mingled with the rejuvenation of this art form by a class of talented newcomers. The whimsically fast-feet of the Nicholas Brothers, Honi Coles, John Bubbles, the Copasetics, and many more tap legends, make this a film that is not only a pleasure to watch but that offers a glimpse into the past, present, and future of an authentically American art form.

By Bill Hancock

Documentary on jazz tap dancer Baby Laurence (Laurence Donald Jackson) whose own voice and words are used to tell the story of his dance career and how he was inspired by jazz musicians such as Art Tatum and Charlie Parker.

by George Nierenberg

Examines various styles of jazz tap dancing through the work of masters Steve Condos, Jimmy Slyde and Chuck Green. About Tap asks, "How does an artist discover his own individual style?" and answers it by sharing the performances and recollections of three tap dance greats.

Syndicated TV special about the making of the movie TAP, starring Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Savion Glover features tons of behind the scenes clips and classic movie footage of legendary hoofers.

By Dave Davidson

Documentary on the life and work of tap dancer Peg Leg Bates, much of it told in his own words. Profusely illustrated with archival footage, including many scenes of Bates dancing at different times of his life on stage, in films, and on television.

by June Cross, John Baynard

Takes viewers on an epic journey across the racial divide, into the hidden world of Hollywood and Black vaudeville and deep into the painful, complicated relationship between an abandoned daughter and the mother who gave her (June Cross) away.

French TV version of the great documentary about Charles 'Honi' Coles from 1996. With Lena Horne, Marshall Stearns, Cholly Atkins, Tommy Tune, Brenda Bufalino and dancers of the time.

Tap dancer and performer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949) is profiled. Included: his childhood, vaudeville and Broadway careers, and screen partnership with Shirley Temple, as well as his personal life.

by Barry Dornfeld, Carole Boughter

LaVaughn Robinson, a National Heritage Fellowship award winner, was a tap-dance virtuoso on the big-band circuit in the 1940s and ’50s who became a master teacher and a major force in tap’s revival. Mr. Robinson was part of an extraordinary generation of child dancers who rose to stardom after sharpening their tap skills in Philadelphia street competitions.

An admiring portrait of the Silver Belles, a troupe of veteran Harlem tap dancers between the ages of 84 and 96, is a valuable historical document and a useful how-to movie about making the most of old age. Bertye Lou Wood, Cleo Hayes, Marion Coles, Fay Ray and Elaine Ellis, the indefatigably spirited dancers who still perform in matching glitter-encrusted costumes, met in the 1930’s as chorus dancers and reunited in 1985.

(until June 25, 2020)

The first major film documentary to examine the performer’s vast career and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America.