Episode 131: Acia Gray - Fallout of NEA Cuts

In the wake of major cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts, we speak with tap legend Jane Goldberg about the Changing Times Tap Initiative Grant. Creating new work has always been about piecing together resources to achieve your vision. Tune in as the Tap Goddess of the Lower East Side shares how this grant could be a key piece in your puzzle. https://janegoldberg.org/changingtimestapinitiative/ Support the work of Tap Love Tour through our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/travisknights

Why did one of the longest-running tap festivals in the world just get cancelled? Acia Gray, renowned tap dancer and founder of Tapestry Dance Company in Austin, Tx, joins us for a sober conversation about the philosophical shift and budget cuts at the National Endowment for the Arts. After 25 years of producing the Soul to Sole Tap Festival, Acia is making the difficult decision to bring it to a close. We dig into what this means for the tap dance community, the state of arts funding in America, and the resilience it takes to create space for rhythm over decades.

An open letter to Terpsichore Dance Celebration Support the work of Tap Love Tour through our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/travisknights

This week we are joined by the force behind the Baby Laurence Legacy Project, and star of The Mars Project debuting October 4th-6th, 2024 at Fall For Dance North in Toronto, internationally renowned Tap Dance artist Brinae Ali. In this conversation we discuss balance, artistic inspiration, community impact through art and how you can support the BLLP. Donate to BLLP here: https://givebutter.com/BLLP Learn more about The Mars Project and all things Tap Love Tour here: https://www.taplovetour.com/ Support the work of Tap Love Tour through our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/travisknights

Ian Berg is an incredible, ever rising Tap Dance artist, composer, choreographer, educator and co-founder of the Tap Dance Music Dance group Subject: Matter. In this episode, Ian helps me overcome my skepticism against jazz culture being taught in Institutions of higher learning. Donate to Subject: Matter here: http://www.subjectmattertap.com/contactdonate.html Check out Ian’s Tap Program pitch at Berkeley here: https://vimeo.com/840589479 Support the work of Tap Love Tour through our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/travisknights

This episode, we connect to the Tap Dance scene in Nairobi, Kenya through the co-founder of TapaTapa Tap Dance Group, Stacey Achieng and her student Eileen Musati. It’s a joyful conversation that reveals Stacey’s goal to spread the dAnCe across east Africa, and has host Travis Knights wondering how he can get in on that. Shout out to Tony Waag for helping to make this connection. Connect to Tapatapa here: http://tapatapa.co.ke/ Support the work of Tap Love Tour through our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/travisknights

Tap dancer Molly Smith, director of Chicago Tap Theatre's new production Can You Hear Us Now? The Queer Tap Dance Revolution, joins us to talk about the inspiration behind their latest work. The show runs June 20th - 23rd, 2024 in Chicago. Click here for tickets: https://chicagotaptheatre.com/events Become a Tap Love Tour micro-producer through our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/travisknights

Today we are joined by Brazilian Tap Dancer and Podcaster, Leonardo Dias. Brazil has been hit by record breaking, devastating floods. Leonardo has made a specific call to the international Tap Dance Community for help. So let's show up. Click here to donate: https://ko-fi.com/post/Help-the-victims-of-Southern-Brazil-Flood-N4N5XQXAB

In this episode, dancer, researcher, narratologist, and author Felix Lambert shares some insights he gained from his recently released 7 volume anthology book ‘Watch Your Step: A History of African American Dancing’. Purchase your copy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CLKWDRS9?binding=paperback&qid=1712266061&sr=1-1&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk Join our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/travisknights

This week Travis Knights and special guest Allie Stewart are joined by the co-founder of The Jazz Tap Ensemble, Lynn Dally. The gems that Lynn drops in this episode shine so bright. Visit https://jazztapensemblelegacy.org/ to purchase archives of her decades of work. Join our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/travisknights