Dianne Walker
Encyclopedia
Dianne Walker is a tap dance
r, also known as Lady Di. Her thirty-year career spans Broadway, television, film, and international dance concerts. Walker is the Artistic Director of TapDancin, Inc. in Boston
, Massachusetts
.
, Jimmy "Sir Slyde" Mitchell and Jimmy Slyde
. In 1979, she began a professional dance career. She later performed with Collins & Company and became one of the Directors of the Leon Collins Dance Studio, Inc. in Brookline, Massachusetts
.
She is considered a pioneer in the resurgence of tap dancing. The Boston Herald
has called her "America's First Lady of Tap." Prominent contemporary tap dancer Savion Glover
and his peers affectionately call her “Aunt Dianne” in acknowledgment of her unique place as mentor, teacher and confidante.
She is often seen in jazz clubs (and festivals) around the US. A memorable appearance was at the Rainbow Room in New York City with Ruth Brown
, Grady Tate, Al McKibbon and Sir Roland Hanna. Jazz Festival appearances include North Sea (The Hague), Pouri (throughout Europe), Chicago Jazz Festival
and Montreal Jazz Festival with Gregory Hines. Dianne was featured in both the original Paris production and the two year Broadway run of Claudio Segovia and Hector Orezzoli’s musical Black and Blue
. She is also in the PBS production of Black and Blue directed by Robert Altman
. She was the only female to dance in the famed “Hoofers Line” which included Jimmy Slyde
, Ralph Brown, Buster Brown, Lon Chaney, Chuck Green
, Bunny Briggs
and Savion Glover
.
While on Broadway, she performed “Memories of You”, a soft shoe choreographed by Cholly Atkins
. She was also Assistant Choreographer and Dance Captain for the show’s Tony Award
winning choreography and recreated choreography for a European tour of Black and Blue. She was featured in Fascinating Rhythms, a thirteen-city Dance Umbrella tour with Jimmy Slyde, Savion Glover and bucket drummers Drummin Too Deep. She has appeared at the Smithsonian on several occasions honoring such distinguished artists as Cholly Atkins and Jeni LeGon, and a special lecture/performance entitled "Women in Tap." She also completed a year long engagement of Savion Glover’s Concert Tour, entitled "Footnotes," with Jimmy Slyde, Buster Brown and Cartier Williams.
She is featured in the motion picture Tap
, starring Gregory Hines
and Sammy Davis, Jr.
; PBS Great Performances' ”Tap Dance in America”; the documentary, Honi Coles: The Class Act of Tap; the documentary, Songs Unwritten...Leon Collins; and most recently as the principal commentator in the PBS release JUBA.
Ms. Walker holds a master’s degree in education. She has taught at numerous colleges, including Harvard, Williams College, the University of Michigan, and UCLA. She has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council Jacobs Pillow, and the New England Foundation for the arts. She was a participant in the Dance USA Task Force on Dance Education and in 1997 represented the United States as an adjudicator for the World Tap Dance Championships held in Dresden, Germany. She is on the board of several tap dance organizations and was appointed, by the governor of Massachusetts, to a seat on the board of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a post she has held since 1996.
She is quick to recognize her debt to many of the tap legends that have given to her so generously throughout her career, such as Honi Coles, Cholly Atkins
, Eddie Brown, Nicholas Brothers
, Peg Leg Bates
, Steve Condos
, Henry LeTang
, Prince Spencer, Gregory Hines
, LaVaughn Robinson
and many others. Leon Collins died in 1985, leaving Dianne to continue as one of the directors of his school (1982–1995).
, she was presented with the Tapestry Award for excellence in teaching from Thelma Goldberg of the Dance Inn in Lexington, Massachusetts
. In 1998 she became the youngest dancer and first woman to receive the Living Treasure in American Dance Award from Oklahoma City University
. She received the “Savion Glover Award for Keeping the Beat Alive” in St. Louis, Missouri in 2000. In 2003, she received a Flo-Bert Award
, presented by the New York Committee To Celebrate National Tap Dance Day, in recognition of her lifetime achievement regarding tap dancing. In 2006, Dianne's lifetime achievements were honored at a luncheon in Flint, Michigan
. This award ceremony was sponsored by Tapology, Artistic and Excutive Director, Alfred Bruce Bradley and the Mott Foundation. In 2005, she received another lifetime achievement recognition (Rhythm Bound) from director Sas Selford of the Vancouver Tap Dance Society. In 2004, Walker received the Hoofers Award from Tap City NYC and was also presented with an award in Los Angeles, in memory of Gregory Hines
. That same year she was presented with The Humanitarian Award from Jason Samuels Smith of the Debbie Allen
Dance Academy.
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
r, also known as Lady Di. Her thirty-year career spans Broadway, television, film, and international dance concerts. Walker is the Artistic Director of TapDancin, Inc. in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Career
She began her dance training in Boston with Mildred Kennedy-Bradic and later studied with Leon CollinsLeon Collins
Leon Collins was a famous American tap dancer.Collins was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began tap dancing at an early age, and later worked professionally with various groups, with partners and later big bands until the 1960s when tap dancing began to fade.During this interim, he restored cars,...
, Jimmy "Sir Slyde" Mitchell and Jimmy Slyde
Jimmy Slyde
Jimmy Slyde known as the King of Slides, was a world-renowned tap dancer, especially famous for his innovative tap style mixed with jazz....
. In 1979, she began a professional dance career. She later performed with Collins & Company and became one of the Directors of the Leon Collins Dance Studio, Inc. in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
.
She is considered a pioneer in the resurgence of tap dancing. The Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
has called her "America's First Lady of Tap." Prominent contemporary tap dancer Savion Glover
Savion Glover
Savion Glover is an American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer. As a learning prodigy, he was taught by notable dancers from previous generations. Glover is currently interested in restoring African roots to tap...
and his peers affectionately call her “Aunt Dianne” in acknowledgment of her unique place as mentor, teacher and confidante.
She is often seen in jazz clubs (and festivals) around the US. A memorable appearance was at the Rainbow Room in New York City with Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
, Grady Tate, Al McKibbon and Sir Roland Hanna. Jazz Festival appearances include North Sea (The Hague), Pouri (throughout Europe), Chicago Jazz Festival
Chicago Jazz Festival
The Chicago Jazz Festival is a popular and well-known four day free celebration of jazz at Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park in downtown Chicago. It is run by the Jazz Institute of Chicago during Labor Day weekend, integrating both world-famous and local artists...
and Montreal Jazz Festival with Gregory Hines. Dianne was featured in both the original Paris production and the two year Broadway run of Claudio Segovia and Hector Orezzoli’s musical Black and Blue
Black and Blue (musical)
Black and Blue is a musical revue celebrating the black culture of dance and music in Paris between World War I and World War II.Based on an idea by Mel Howard and conceived by Hector Orezzoli and Claudio Segovia, it consists of songs by artists such as W. C...
. She is also in the PBS production of Black and Blue directed by Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
. She was the only female to dance in the famed “Hoofers Line” which included Jimmy Slyde
Jimmy Slyde
Jimmy Slyde known as the King of Slides, was a world-renowned tap dancer, especially famous for his innovative tap style mixed with jazz....
, Ralph Brown, Buster Brown, Lon Chaney, Chuck Green
Chuck Green
Charles "Chuck" Green was a famous American tap dancer.Green was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia. He would stick bottle caps on his bare feet as a child and tap dance on the sidewalk for money. He won third place in a dance contest in 1925 in which Noble Sissle was the bandleader...
, Bunny Briggs
Bunny Briggs
Bunny Briggs is an American tap dancer who was inducted into the American Tap Dancing Hall of Fame in 2006.Briggs was born in Harlem, New York on February 26, 1922. At one point he thought about becoming a Catholic priest but instead began performing as a tap dancer and singer. He performed with...
and Savion Glover
Savion Glover
Savion Glover is an American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer. As a learning prodigy, he was taught by notable dancers from previous generations. Glover is currently interested in restoring African roots to tap...
.
While on Broadway, she performed “Memories of You”, a soft shoe choreographed by Cholly Atkins
Cholly Atkins
Charles “Cholly” Atkins was an American dancer and vaudeville performer, who later became noted as the house choreographer for the various artists on the Motown label.-Biography:...
. She was also Assistant Choreographer and Dance Captain for the show’s Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
winning choreography and recreated choreography for a European tour of Black and Blue. She was featured in Fascinating Rhythms, a thirteen-city Dance Umbrella tour with Jimmy Slyde, Savion Glover and bucket drummers Drummin Too Deep. She has appeared at the Smithsonian on several occasions honoring such distinguished artists as Cholly Atkins and Jeni LeGon, and a special lecture/performance entitled "Women in Tap." She also completed a year long engagement of Savion Glover’s Concert Tour, entitled "Footnotes," with Jimmy Slyde, Buster Brown and Cartier Williams.
She is featured in the motion picture Tap
Tap (film)
Tap is a 1989 film drama written and directed by Nick Castle. It stars Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.-Plot:Max Washington, just released from prison after serving time for burglary, is a talented tap dancer...
, starring Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
; PBS Great Performances' ”Tap Dance in America”; the documentary, Honi Coles: The Class Act of Tap; the documentary, Songs Unwritten...Leon Collins; and most recently as the principal commentator in the PBS release JUBA.
Ms. Walker holds a master’s degree in education. She has taught at numerous colleges, including Harvard, Williams College, the University of Michigan, and UCLA. She has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council Jacobs Pillow, and the New England Foundation for the arts. She was a participant in the Dance USA Task Force on Dance Education and in 1997 represented the United States as an adjudicator for the World Tap Dance Championships held in Dresden, Germany. She is on the board of several tap dance organizations and was appointed, by the governor of Massachusetts, to a seat on the board of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a post she has held since 1996.
She is quick to recognize her debt to many of the tap legends that have given to her so generously throughout her career, such as Honi Coles, Cholly Atkins
Cholly Atkins
Charles “Cholly” Atkins was an American dancer and vaudeville performer, who later became noted as the house choreographer for the various artists on the Motown label.-Biography:...
, Eddie Brown, Nicholas Brothers
Nicholas Brothers
The Nicholas Brothers were a famous African American team of dancing brothers, Fayard and Harold . With their highly acrobatic technique , high level of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many the greatest tap dancers of their day...
, Peg Leg Bates
Peg Leg Bates
Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates was an Afro-American entertainer from Fountain Inn, South Carolina.Bates lost a leg at the age of 12 in a cotton gin accident. He subsequently taught himself to tap dance with a wooden peg leg...
, Steve Condos
Steve Condos
Steve Condos was an American tap dancer. He was a member of the Condos Brothers, with siblings Nick and Frank....
, Henry LeTang
Henry LeTang
Henry LeTang was an American theatre,film, and television choreographer and a dance instructor.-Biography:Born in the Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan, LeTang was the second son of Clarence, born in Dominica, and his wife Marie, who emigrated from St. Croix. The couple owned and operated a radio...
, Prince Spencer, Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
, LaVaughn Robinson
LaVaughn Robinson
LaVaughn Robinson was an US tap dancer, choreographer, and teacher.A virtuoso tap dancer, Robinson perfected a high speed, low to the ground, a cappella style of dance that was characterized by elegance, precision, and clarity of sound...
and many others. Leon Collins died in 1985, leaving Dianne to continue as one of the directors of his school (1982–1995).
Awards
In 1997 in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, she was presented with the Tapestry Award for excellence in teaching from Thelma Goldberg of the Dance Inn in Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
. In 1998 she became the youngest dancer and first woman to receive the Living Treasure in American Dance Award from Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban, private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
. She received the “Savion Glover Award for Keeping the Beat Alive” in St. Louis, Missouri in 2000. In 2003, she received a Flo-Bert Award
Flo-Bert Award
-History:Named for eminent African-American performers Florence Mills and Bert Williams, the awards began in 1991. Its non-profit organization, Flo-Bert, Ltd., which makes the selections, was founded by historian and researcher Delilah Jackson in 1989. The organization is sponsored by the New York...
, presented by the New York Committee To Celebrate National Tap Dance Day, in recognition of her lifetime achievement regarding tap dancing. In 2006, Dianne's lifetime achievements were honored at a luncheon in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
. This award ceremony was sponsored by Tapology, Artistic and Excutive Director, Alfred Bruce Bradley and the Mott Foundation. In 2005, she received another lifetime achievement recognition (Rhythm Bound) from director Sas Selford of the Vancouver Tap Dance Society. In 2004, Walker received the Hoofers Award from Tap City NYC and was also presented with an award in Los Angeles, in memory of Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
. That same year she was presented with The Humanitarian Award from Jason Samuels Smith of the Debbie Allen
Debbie Allen
Deborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities...
Dance Academy.