TAP DANCE HALL OF FAME

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The Class Act - Brenda Bufalino
2009 Inductee

Brenda Bufalino and her work occupies a singular and historic place in the world of tap dancing. As a brilliant performer and choreographer, as an inspired teacher and mentor, and as a force in the development of tap dancing throughout the world, Bufalino has brought recognition to the form, has inspired countless new dancers, and is a pivotal figure in the understanding and preservation of tap for past generations and those to come. In her  “Cantata and the Blues,” a virtuoso piece using her trademark spoken and sung monologues with tapped passages, Bufalino speaks and dances the many influences in her work, the music of her Mother’s singing, the wave of the train conductor she sees as a child from her back yard in Swampscott; from Professor O’Brien and Honi Coles, and her Scottish Grandfather; from “Chopin and Basie and Ellington, too.”  Her dances and her words embody the lyricism and rhythmic intensity of the cultural currents and contradictions that are jazz and are her. She is big enough for all of it, “for all of them who live in me."

Recognized throughout the world as a leading exponent and innovator in the tap world, Bufalino performs, lectures, and teaches master classes and workshops throughout the United States, Germany, Italy, England, France, Israel and Australia. She has appeared as a guest soloist in such prestigious arenas as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, The Apollo Theater, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Smithsonian Institute and the Kennedy Center. Bufalino’s one-person shows, "Cantata & The Blues", "Journal Of A Woodpecker," "Unaccompanied," and the Tap Opera "Gertrude's Nose", have delighted audiences in New York City, on tour throughout the U.S. and abroad. She appeared Off Broadway in "The Courtroom" directed by, and starring Bill Irwin, and she produced and directed the award winning documentary, "Great Feats of Feet: Portraits Of the Jazz Tap Dancer" featuring Charles "Honi" Coles and The Copasetics. Bufalino performed in concert with the late Charles "Honi" Coles, touring America, England and France. Together Bufalino and Coles choreographed "The Morton Gould Tap Concerto" and performed it with the Brooklyn and Norwalk Symphony, as well as The Detroit Symphony and The Hudson Valley Philharmonic.

In 1986, in order to develop her choreographic concepts of tap fugues and counter-rhythms, Bufalino created The American Tap Dance Orchestra. The stunning move was a first in tap dancing, and her “Haitian Fight Song,” and many other compositions, add dimensions to the orchestral and choreographic possibilities of tap dancing that were and are unique in the world of dance in general and tap in particular. ATDO's concert, stage and film highlights include: PBS "Great Performances/Tap Dance in America," "A Night of Tap at the Apollo Theater," "The International Festival of the Arts in Central Park," and seasons at "The Joyce Theater," and "Dance Theater Workshop." International appearances include performances in Bermuda, Germany, and Rome. For the State Department the company performed in Turkey, Cyprus, Poland and the Baltic States. In 1989, Bufalino and the ATDO created Woodpeckers Tap Dance Center in Soho, producing classes, workshops and performances featuring both National and International tap artists. Then and now, Bufalino offers profound learning, salted with anecdotes and stories, always rooted in deep understanding of music, of metaphor, of performance itself as a pathway for spirit and history. Bufalino has been awarded numerous National Endowment Fellowships and is a NYFA Fellow. Bufalino has been honored by the Tap Community in New York City and Boston with the prestigious "Flobert Award" for outstanding achievement, “The Hoofer Award” in 2003 at Tap City and "The Tapestry Award" for her contributions to the field of tap dance.

The International Tap Dance Hall of Fame Award acknowledges Branda Bufalino’s central place in tap history and in the hearts and souls of tap dancers.

Ann Killkelly

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