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Andrew Nemr

Artist // Speaker

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Archives for May 2014

Happy Tap Dance Day

May 25, 2014 By Andrew

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National Tap Dance Day, initially recognized as May 25, 1989, has been celebrated annually ever since the US Congress passed the bill that very year. Now in it’s 25th year the day helps shine a light on the art form so many of us love. Whether in New York City or around the world, tap dance day is celebrated in fine fashion all around the world, from Japan to Sweden, Moscow to Brazil.

Want to learn more about Tap Dance Day and it’s history? Check out the Tap Legacy Foundation‘s brand new website dedicated to this day of celebration.

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Filed Under: Education Tagged With: National Tap Dance Day, Tap Legacy

A Weekend of Celebration – Tap Dance Day

May 23, 2014 By Andrew

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How do you celebrate such a special day as Tap Dance Day? You get all your friends together, you reminisce, you dance together, you learn some new things, you give a few scholarships away, you get an award, you hang out some more, and then you do something completely new. This upcoming weekend will be full of celebrations for me, and I am so grateful to be able to share such moments.


Getting all your friends together…

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On Saturday evening I will be receiving the Flo-Bert Award for Lifetime Achievement and Excellence in the Art of Tap Dance. There is no way that I would be able to accept such an honor without sharing the moment with those who’ve given so much to the crazy visions I’ve had over the years. On the boards, those people have been the members of Cats Paying Dues. So we’re planning a special something for the Tap Extravaganza. It’s been such a blast to reconnect with company members from as far back as 2005 (I can’t believe it’s almost been 10 years), and I’m looking forward to sharing the stage with them on Saturday night at the 25th celebration of National Tap Dance Day.


Learn some New Things…

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The Tap Legacy Foundation is launching a brand new website on the 25th Anniversary of National Tap Dance Day. TapDanceDay.org will feature the first full documentation of the establishment of National Tap Dance Day, and serve as a platform for the continued celebration of the art form on an annual basis. It’s been great to learn about where the idea for the legislation came from, who was involved, and even some precursors to the bill that no one knew about!! Read the full story when the site launches this Sunday May 25th.


Giving a few Scholarships away…

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The Tap Into Freedom Summer Intensive Social Media Scholarship winners (sponsored by SoDanca) will be announced on Sunday, May 25th, the 25th Anniversary of National Tap Dance Day!!! There’s time to get in on the Ruben Sanchez Dancewear Scholarship (for new customers only, purchase required) if you haven’t already. Otherwise note that early registration ends on May 26th!


I get an award…

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On Saturday night at 7:00pm at the Norman Thomas High School Auditorium, I will be one of four recipients of the Flo-Bert Award for Lifetime Achievement and Excellence in the Art of Tap Dance. I am humbled beyond belief to receive the same honor that had been bestowed on the men and women whom I’ve looked to for wisdom during the entirety of my journey as a tap dancer. What an honor. Come and join me at the Tap Extravaganza!!! (Tickets available at the door)


You hang out some more…

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During the 1989 PBS special, Tap Dance in America, Gregory Hines says that tap dancers don’t often get together, and so when we do we take the chance to hang out. So this Saturday night, we’re going to take the chance. After the Tap Extravaganza, I’m going to make my way to The Cutting Room (44 East 32nd Street, off Park Ave.) just to hang. This is the venue where I performed Andrew Nemr and Friends a few times last season. It has a great vibe, long bar, and lots of room for people to chill. Come by and hang!!!!


And now for Something Completely Different…sort of…

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On Sunday, the actual day, May 25th, Bill Robinson’s birthday and the 25th Anniversary of National Tap Dance Day, I’ll be doing something I’ve never done before. I’ll be giving a sermon at Graffiti Church. But like most of my public speaking, I’ll be tap dancing while doing it. My faith has been an integral part of my life, and I try not to hide it, but actually giving a sermon is definitely new territory for me. I’ll be speaking at 10AM and 6:30PM. If your curious or interested, come see and hear me do something new.


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Filed Under: Performance Tagged With: Cats Paying Dues, Tap Into Freedom

Andrew Receives Flo-Bert Award

May 15, 2014 By Andrew

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On Saturday, May 24th, on the eve of the 25th Anniversary of National Tap Dance Day, Andrew will receive the Flo-Bert Award for Lifetime Achievement and Excellence in the Art of Tap Dance. He will be sharing this special occasion with fellow recipients (and friends) Kazunori Kumagai and Reggio McLaughlin. The awards ceremony will be part of this year’s Tap Extravaganza, produced by the The Jazz Center of New York and The New York Committee to Celebrate National Tap Dance Day, to be held at the Norman Thomas High School.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

A Market Culture.

May 14, 2014 By Andrew

I posted this on facebook in a minor fit of frustration and thought I’d extrapolate on it a little here. Here’s the original post:

Aren’t there things of value left in this world that aren’t quantifiable? I just saw a postcard from an arts organization that defended the value of the arts by citing economic figures (number of people engaged, number of people employed by arts orgs, dollar value of not-for-profit industry, etc.).

Whatever happened to the joy of hearing a child sing a song that was taught to them by someone they loved? —— Mr. Economist, measure that. Intergenerational love, oral tradition, history, individual voice and story, identity, all wrapped up in a singular moment that has ZERO MARKET VALUE. That’s the kind of art I want to fill the world.

Shortly after I posted the update, one of my friends left this link in the comments to an A.O. Scott article about the arts and money.

All opinions aside I think the understanding of art needs to be revisited as the cultures of patronage and commoditization have lead to a narrow view of what art actually is. In either of those views art must have an artifact (that is content), and that artifact must have some perceived value that is quantifiable. In the realm of patronage the value is quantified often before the art is created as the patron supports the artist so that they may create work (or a specific work as in a commission). While in the commoditized understanding, the market determines the value of the art, and here we see another level of stratification. Take visual art and the various markets it might engage with – everything from advertising to the fine art gallery.

But what about this:

When she was 18, Johnny Cash gave his daughter Rosanne a list of 100 essential country songs. Were those songs passed on out of commercial necessity? Or so that Rosanne had a greater understanding of the music she found herself interested in? A music that is part of a particular tradition, that no doubt has been affected by the culture of the market so prevalent in America, but is essentially rooted in the stories and experiences of a particular people. By learning this music Rosanne would undoubtedly be learning about its people as well.

Or this:

Is this art? The bond of love evident between a father and daughter sharing in the singing of a culturally relevant song (that is something that they both know AND is of interest to both of them).

I guess the question I’m really trying to ask here is this: In a culture that is so intertwined if not rooted in the market is there any room for creative endeavors that don’t engage with that market? What of the song someone writes only for a friend, the painting someone paints just for themselves, or the dance that is never videotaped, let alone posted or sold. Do any of these have a place in today’s culture? Can the creative endeavor simply be in response to a particular inspiration and not depend on or desire a broader audience or platform?

I ask these questions in the midst of planning my summer touring schedule, having submitted numerous grant applications, and promoted many a self-production, and continuing on this path of being a “professional tap dancer”…but I wonder for the sake of all those whom I have met that say “I can dance, but not like you, you’re good” or “I’m a scientist, I’m not creative” that if we continue down the road we’re on we will end up with a self-imposed culture of stratification, in which everyone is so specialized and defined by the work that we do, we won’t even know how to talk to one another. And that, my friends, would be bad.

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Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Culture, Economics, Music, Oral Traditions, The Arts

Tap Into Freedom Important Dates

May 12, 2014 By Andrew

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There are a couple of important dates coming up for the Tap Into Freedom Summer Intensive. If you haven’t checked it out already, visit the website for all the details. Below you’ll find a list of important dates that are coming up soon.

MAY 20th: Round 1 of the SoDanca Social Media Scholarships end. Haven’t uploaded your video? Don’t wait! Click here for details!

May 25th: Scholarship winners for both the SoDanca Social Media and Ruben Sanchez Dancewear Scholarships are awarded. This is also National Tap Dance Day.

May 26th: Early Registration for the Intensive closes at 11:30 PM.

June 30th: Online registration will close.

We’re looking forward to an amazing 6 days of immersive tap dance training, diving deep into the craftwork to get you from wherever you are to wherever you’re trying to be. Hoping you will join us!!!

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Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Education, Intensive, Scholarships, tap dance, Tap Into Freedom

Get Tap Dance to Trend

May 1, 2014 By Andrew

Celebrate National Tap Dance Day by getting #tapdance to trend

Check this out: The folks at the Tap Legacy Foundation found a great way to show your love of tap dancing with just a few clicks. Their using Thunderclap – a social media “crowdspeaking” platform – to attempt something that’s never been done before: getting #tapdance to trend on National Tap Dance Day. Here is the text from the Tap Legacy Facebook Event:

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OUR MESSAGE:
“Share in the celebration of #TapDance !! Today is National Tap Dance Day AND Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s Birthday!!”

CLICK THIS LINK TO SEND IT TO THE WORLD!!!!
https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/11308-celebrate-tap-dance-day

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT:
We need 500 people to sign up for our Thunderclap campaign. Thunderclap will then send our message on May 25th at 10AM. Thunderclap will only broadcast our message if we get 500 people to join. WHAT IS THUNDERCLAP? Thunderclap is an amazing way to get a message out to the social web. It works by people sharing their social media reach (Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr) in support of a message they believe in.

CLICK THIS LINK TO JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN NOW:
https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/11308-celebrate-tap-dance-day

Then tell everyone you know.

THE MESSAGE:
If we reach our goal, on May 25th Thunderclap will send out the following message: “Share in the celebration of #TapDance !! Today is National Tap Dance Day AND Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s Birthday!!”

THE IDEA:
Can we get Tap Dance to trend on National Tap Dance Day? We think so, but we need you to do it. As tap dance continues to gain popularity everyday let’s take this unique opportunity to celebrate and focus attention on this beautiful art form. In 1989 the United States Congress officially declared May 25th National Tap Dance Day. The date was selected in honor of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson a recognized icon, innovator, and contributor to the art of tap dance – May 25th is his brithday. Since 1989, National Tap Dance Day celebrations have occurred annually throughout the country and have spread internationally along with the popularity of tap dance. The Tap Legacy Foundation wants people to know that tap dance is alive and well all over the world and in all its splendor. Let’s get Tap Dance to trend on National Tap Dance Day. Visit the Tap Legacy Foundation at http://www.taplegacy.org/

***IN ANY OF YOUR TAP DANCE POSTS use the hashtag #tapdance***

WHAT IS A HASHTAG?
Just in case: Hashtags are used to categorize and mark posts on the social web. Sites like twitter and facebook track the popularity of hashtags by usage, and allow users to follow topics by searching for #hashtags. Popular #hashtags are featured on twitter as trending topics. So, next time you post anything related to tap dancing, be sure to include this hashtag: #tapdance

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: National Tap Dance Day, tap dance, Tap Legacy

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