Tappin' In
When tap dancer Danny Daniels could not attend his award ceremony in New York for Tradition In Tap, producers Avi Miller, Ofer Ben and Germaine Salsberg took the award to California to present to Daniels. A group of friends joined Daniels at his home to celebrate the presentation. Skip Cunningham presented the award on behalf of Tradition In Tap.
Daniels is probably the most decorated of all dancers. He’s had seven Broadway shows, winning the Tony and Astaire for “The Tap Dance Kid.” He has received six Tony nominations, twice as a performer and four as a choreographer. He has choreographed eight movies, numerous nightclub acts, more than 300 television shows and most recently the short movie, “Tap Heat.”
“The highlight of my career was collaborating with Morton Gould to create “Tap Dance Concerto,” said Daniels. “I met Gould when I was in “Billion Dollar Baby” on Broadway. Gould had written the score for the show. I had been thinking about choreographing, so I went to Gould’s office to ask him about some music. He looked at me with a far away look in his eyes and asked, “How would you like to work on a tap dance concerto with me?”
“I had always been crazy about his music and jumped at the chance,” said Daniels. He worked closely with Gould, developing and creating the steps in his basement studio.
Daniels premiered the concerto November 21, 1952 with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra. For the next ten years, he performed the work throughout the world with major symphony orchestras, including the London and Berlin Symphony orchestras. In America he performed with many symphonies including Boston, Los Angeles and the New York Philharmonic. Some of the conductors he worked with were Leonard Bernstein, Victor Young and Morton Gould. Many of the symphony halls had never had tap performed there. Daniels feels that the concerto elevated tap to a higher level.
“When I did the Tap Dance Concerto, I figured I had done everything I wanted to do. Anything that happened after that was gravy,” said Daniels.
Lots of things did happen after that. In 1962, Daniels helped launch the career of Liza Minnelli. He had been asked to direct a revival of “Best Foot Forward,” a show he had danced in twenty years earlier at the age of 16. It was directed by George Abbott along with dance director, Gene Kelly.
“I agreed to do the show if I could get some really talented people,” said Daniels. His dance student, Christopher Walken, knew Liza from an acting class and suggested that Daniels look at her. “When she auditioned for me, I thought she was great,” Daniels recalled. She got the job. Many years later Liza sent for Daniels when she made the movie, “Stepping Out.”
Daniels taught Steve Martin to tap dance in preparation for the movie, “Pennies from Heaven.” Steve Martin didn’t dance at all,” said Daniels. “My son and I worked with him two or three hours a day for three months. He was absolutely determined to look like a professional dancer and was a wonderful student. I said to him ‘Steve, the more you learn, the more we can do.’ He worked his brains out.” Martin later wrote Daniels that he was formerly known as a comedian and now he is a tap dancer and a comedian.
As a choreographer, Daniels moved into television with series for Martha Raye, Ray Bolger, Patrice Munsel, Perry Como and Judy Garland. He choreographed specials for Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Bing Crosby, Milton Berle, Arthur Godfrey and Dick Van Dyke. In 1960 he won an Emmy for “Fabulous Fifties” and again in 1972 for “The John Denver Show.”
In 1974 he opened his Dance America School in New York and produced a complete syllabus of dancing for dancers, teachers and future generations. He developed a special camera for dance that moved smoothly on a dolly, and he also produced great music for tap.
Daniels has devoted his life to dance since the day his father enrolled him as the first student of Tommy Sternfield in Albany, New York when he was five years old. “My dad was a ‘Mama Rose’ and my mother made my costumes,” said Daniels.
He studied ballet with Vincenzo Celli, Mme Anderson, Anton Vitzak and with teachers at the American School of Ballet. From 1950 to 1954 he taught tap at the Jack Stanly Dance School. “Jack gave me most of his private students along with the classes. They were my bread and butter when I wasn’t working on Broadway,” said Daniels.
More recently, he choreographed “Tap Heat” with Arthur Duncan and Jason Samuels Smith. Thanks to people like director Dean Hargrove, who loves the old dance movies, and producer Jeff Peters, this short movie about tap was made with the help of their friends.
Other faculty members at Tradition In Tap were: Jimmy Tate, Horace Turnbull, Robert L. Reed, Maggie Danielsen, Mark Santoro, Rod Ferrone, Michael Minery, Shea Sullivan, Kathleen Cirioli, Ofer Ben and Avi Miller.
For the event, Maggie Danielson and her sister Mary, recalled many dance events with Daniels. Jimmy Tate spoke about being the first “Tap Dance Kid” and Mark Santoro recalled experiences working with Daniels. Daniel’s brother spoke briefly about his brother’s dance career. I was unable to attend as I have been recovering from a heart attack, but I sent a videotape about Daniels from my previous interviews with him.
Robert L. Reed, Jo Rowan and John Bedford received Tradition In Tap awards for their work in presenting nine doctorates to master tap dancers at Oklahoma City University. From the original nine, only three are still living: Prince Spencer, Jeni LeGon and Bunny Briggs. Prior to the awards, Jimmy Slyde, who died on May 16, was remembered by Robert L. Reed.
Tradition hosted a Participants Showcase, video presentation by Hank Smith in addition to the awards panel. Daniels contribution to dance on Broadway, television and movies will long be remembered as a performer, director, producer, and choreographer. Tap is proud to honor Danny Daniels.
Read more of Melba’s columns on www.melbasdance.com. Editor’s Note: We hope that you will join all of us at Dancer in wishing Melba a speedy and full recovery from her heart attack.