The fleet feet that astonished audiences in vaudeville, at the Cotton Club, and on Broadway in the Ziegfeld Follies; that flew down a staircase and lit up the silver screen in Stormy Weather; and that, at the ripe old age of 88, wowed Austinites lucky enough to attend the Soul to Sole Festival Concert in 2003, are tap-tap-tapping their way back to Austin this week. Tapestry Dance Company has been able to persuade dance legend Fayard Nicholas, the elder half of the phenomenal Nicholas Brothers dance team, to return for the fifth Soul to Sole Festival, the company’s annual congregation of hoofers, teachers, and pros in rhythm tap – from Austin Arts Hall of Famer Acia Gray and such familiar Tapestry dancers as Jason Janas, Brenna Kuhn, and Tasha Lawson to international stars Jimmy Slyde, Brenda Bufalino, Sarah Petronio, and Dianne Walker – for five days of classes, panels, screenings, a community tap jam, and a concert featuring the festival’s guest artists performing to live jazz by the Mark Rubenstein Trio. Fayard Nicholas’ graceful turn in 2003 was a treasure, rich with wit and charm and revealing the master showman still bright within his small, now delicate frame. But he was the crown jewel in an evening of gems, a dazzling array of jazz/tap artists celebrating this incredible art form. Highly recommended.
The fifth annual Soul to Sole Festival Concert will take place Saturday, June 4, 8pm, at the Helm Fine Arts Center, 2900 Bunny Run. For more information, call 773-7827 or visit www.soultosole.org.
This article appears in June 3 • 2005.