Some Philadelphia Community Tap Dance History

By Pamela Hetherington

In May 1996, Beverly (Wasser) Rolfsmeyer, an original member of Jane Goldberg’s Sole Sisters Company, produced the first National Tap Dance Day Festival at Pleasant Playground in South Philadelphia. In May 1997 and May 1998, Beverly joined forces with Peggy Leiby to create a small production company called “Philly Tap.” This was a non-profit organization and received funding from city and state organizations. In these two years, the Festival celebrations took up a whole weekend and expanded to a few locations around the city, including the steps of the Art Museum, the CEC, a large stage at Penn’s Landing and the Painted Bride. The lineup grew to include tap dance legends LaVaughn Robinson, Germaine Ingram, Henry Meadows, Pete Briglia, Barbara Duffy, Jane Goldberg, Tap Team Two, Nicole Kostura Hockenberry, Buster Brown and Jimmy Slyde. Mayor Ed G. Rendell published a City Proclamation in May of 1998 calling Philadelphia “The Capital of Tap Dance.”

In 1999 and 2000, Tap Team Two and Company produced National Tap Dance Day Festival events at the Arts Bank, the Gallery Mall, the Painted Bride and the CEC. In 2000, the concert event at the Arts Bank featured one of the first commissioned works by Robyn Watson.

In interim years, Robert F. Burden, Jr. conceptualized his event,“24 Hours of Tap” on National Tap Dance Day, during which he would tap dance on Broad Street and other locations for a full 24 hours in honor of tap dance.

From 2003 to 2014, Philly Tap Challenge “On Fire” was produced by Jaye Allison and presented by New LEJA Dances and The Philadelphia Civic Ballet. Classes, events and concerts occurred around the city at the University of the Arts, the Performance Garage, the Kimmel Center, the Arts Bank, the CEC, and Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center. Invited tap dance luminaries included Maurice Hines, Germaine Ingram, Dianne Walker, Chloe Arnold, Jason Samuels Smith, Dormeshia, Tap Team Two, the Nicholas Sisters, Geri Kennedy, LaVaughn Robinson, and Rusty Frank. Jaye spent many years conceptualizing and producing a multimedia artistic piece called “Virtual Quilt” that brought the work of The Silver Belles to the present-day generation.

From 2008-2014, Pamela Hetherington produced ‘open mic’ style tap dance and jazz music shows called “Tap Teaser.” Over those years, there were 13 shows that included hundreds of Philly-area tap dancers and jazz musicians and occurred at the CEC, Painted Bride, Ethical Society and LaRose Jazz Club. It presented the history of the Libby Spencer Dancers over several of those shows.

In 2016, Jim Hamilton produced the Philadelphia Rhythm Festival at Rittenhouse Soundworks. This festival was a 3-day event featuring master classes, workshops and performances in Drums, Percussion, Tap Dance, and Body Rhythm and featuring Dormeshia, Jason Samuels Smith, Dormeshia & musicians Loire Cotler and Glen Velez.

Pamela Hetherington produced large-scale National Tap Dance Day Festival celebrations from 2016-2023, under the auspices of a grassroots organization called “The Philadelphia Community Tap Project,” spanning such locations as the Singing Fountain in South Philadelphia, the Shambles at Headhouse Square, City Hall Courtyard, Girard Avenue and finally, 1501 N. 31st Street. In 2019, the PCTP was awarded a commendation from the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives for its work to bring tap to North Philadelphia.

Sound Space Performing Arts, directed by Pamela Hetherington, was Philadelphia’s only percussive dance studio from June 2015- February 2024 and spanned three locations: 1525 North Bailey Street, 2511 West Girard Avenue and 1501 North 31st Street. Out of that studio, many tap dance projects occurred, including Take It Away Dance, The Philadelphia Jazz Tap Ensemble and Philadelphia Youth Tap and many tap dance professionals came through to teach for the community, including Heather Cornell, Deborah Mitchell, Dormeshia, Ray Hesselink, Max Pollak, Vanessa Sonon, Barbara Duffy, Christiane Matallo, and Claudia Rahardjanoto.

The Brewerytown Tap Dance Festival occurred from October 18-20, 2023 and was financially produced and presented by Pamela Hetherington at Sound Space Performing Arts, Brewerytown Garden, and Solar Myth, with the production assistance of Conner Kelly and Kathryn Schweingruber. It included the following people: Tim Brey, Robert F. Burden, Jr., Manny Chacon, Brian Davis, Rochelle Haynes, Conner Kelly, Robin Passmore, Theresa Pelicata, Bethlehem Roberson, Gina Roche, Nora Theberge, Robyn Watson, Tim Yue, Diane Monroe, Chris Coyle, Germaine Ingram, Sam Harris, Corinne Karon, Erica McIlveen, Mikey Mester, Adam Abrams and Emmy Rota.