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Read the press release here.

'Tap City' Brings Week of Dance Classes and Shows to NYC

MANHATTAN — Get those toes tappin' — the annual tap festival is coming to town.

Hundreds of tap shoes will clack all over Manhattan starting Saturday, as the West Village-based American Tap Dance Foundation shuffles into its weeklong annual festival. 

The Christopher Street-based nonprofit, which is celebrating its 25th year of teaching tap and putting on performances, will host free beginners' classes, an awards ceremony, a boat ride and more. 

Tony Waag, the foundation's artistic and executive director, said the group's upcoming "Tap It Out" dance performance will demonstrate the joy of tap and tear down some misconceptions. 

"Tap It Out is not only an opportunity to celebrate the form, but also to expand and challenge the limited perception that tap dance is either old-fashioned, only for the exceptionally talented or too immature to be taken seriously," he said in a statement. 

The dancer Jason Samuels Smith will receive an award from the American Tap Dance Foundation Wednesday, July 11, 2012.
The dancer Jason Samuels Smith will receive an award from the American Tap Dance Foundation Wednesday, July 11, 2012.
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Facebook/Jason Samuels Smith

The festivities kick off Saturday at 12 p.m. in Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. Waag and Brazilian tap dancer Christiane Matallo will teach a free beginners' class from noon to 3 p.m. in the park's plaza near East 122nd Street and Madison Avenue. Participants can drop by at any time, and tap shoes will be available for use. 

Tap dancers and fans will shuffle ball-change on the Hudson River Monday. The foundation's dancers, staff and admirers will set sail at 7 p.m. from Pier 83, just west of 42nd Street, for a cruise with live music and "dancing, dancing, dancing," according to the foundation's website. Beginners' tap classes will be offered on the cruise, as well as a class in "Motown moves." 

Tickets to the boat ride cost $35 in advance and $40 on the boat. They can be reserved by calling (646) 230-9564. 

Stars of the tap world will be recognized at the Tap City Awards Ceremony Wednesday, starting at 7 p.m. The event will be held at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at 111 Amsterdam Ave. at 65th Street on the Upper West Side. 

Alice Whitman and the early 20th century vaudeville group The Whitman Sisters will be named into the foundation's International Tap Dance Hall of Fame, along with vaudeville dancer Charles "Cholly" Atkins. 

Brisk, jazz-style dancers Jason Samuels Smith and Max Pollak will both receive the foundation's Hoofer Award, which recognizes tap dancers for their contributions to the form and inspiration to young dancers. 

Tickets to the ceremony cost $10 each and must be reserved in advance by calling (646) 230-9564. 

On Thursday, youth and adult students will tap their hearts out on Broadway at the Symphony Space theater at 2537 Broadway at 95th Street for the Tap Future All-Student Showcase. All ATDF students will show off the routines they have practiced this year. 

Tickets cost $22 in advance and $25 the day of the show. Students, seniors and Symphony Space members pay $12 each. Tickets can be reserved online, by calling (212) 864-5400 or at the Symphony Space box office Tuesday through Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. 

Tap City will conclude Friday, July 13 with Tap It Out, a free public event on the World Financial Center Plaza. The show, which is part of the River-to-River Festival, will combine professionals and students in mini-shows that will start at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.