Improvised tap dance. Live music.

London’s premier improvised tap dance and live music event for 15 years!

Michele Drees Trio has provided excellent music for 16 years.
This month with the fantastic
Gabriel Keen on Piano.
Al Swainger on Bass
Michèle Drees Drum kit.

Featuring tap dancers from around the country and live music from The Michèle Drees Trio.

““If you haven’t been to the London Tap Jam before, you have been missing out on a night of live music, tap dancing, and a hell of a lot of cheering from the crowd.””
— Evening Standard
“Some batter and blister the stage with a frenzy of beats, others adopt a gentler approach, skipping melodiously across the music”
— Time Out
“There are dancers who make the hair on the back of your neck prick up – who’d have thought tap could do that?”
— The Times




Donate

Help ensure the future of tap dancing to live music in London by donating to London Tap Jam!

We believe we are the longest running Tap Jam in the UK with live music.

For 15 years the Michèle Drees Trio has provided top musicians for both expereinced, top professtionals, Tap Masters and beginners of every level to improvise with a great trio.

This is a unique event and needs the support of everyone that LOVES Tap Dance.

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Have you heard of the black American tap dancer Johnny Nit, a celebrated Broadway star in the 1920s, who after travelling to England to appear in the show Blackbirds in 1926/1927, stayed on to be highly successful in the UK and Europe for many years? Thank you so much to @tap_dance_research_network_uk for hosting a fascinating and hugely important talk last night, by @seanmayesmd and @sarahinthepark, about their research efforts to uncover the influence of Harlem on dance in the UK theatres in the 1920s, including tap dancers such as Johnny Nit and Buddy Bradley. This was a taster to their upcoming book “An Inconvenient Black History of Musical Theatre 1900 to 1950, which is available for pre-order. Https://linktr.ee/bhbmt. @bh_bmt Make sure you check out their book and also if you haven’t already, connect with the brilliant @tap_dance_research_network_uk Thank you so much for introducing us to this important Black British dance history and for introducing to us Johnny Nit! Someone we should be very familiar with! 🎥 Stepping Fast! Featuring Johnny Nit (you can find the full clip on You Tube) #londontapjam #johnnynit #TDRNUK #tapdance #tapdancer #tapdanceinuk #tapdancehistoryisblackhistory
@londontapjam wishes everyone a Happy National Tap Dance Day, which is celebrated on the birthday of the late great tap dancer Bill Bojangles Robinson. Above is a clip from the biographical film about Bill Robinson called “Bojangles” from 2001 starring Gregory Hines and also featuring Savion Glover. You can check it out on YouTube. In this clip, an older Robinson is confronted by a young tap dancer, played by Savion Glover, representing the future of tap, which at the time was John Bubbles. On this day we celebrate the black American artform of tap dance and in particular Bill Robinson, who paved the way for future African American performers in so many ways. He broke the “two coloured” rule (a black person could not perform on his/her own on stage) to become the first black soloist to perform in white theatres. He also refused to wear black face on stage, he was the first black performer to headline a mixed-race Broadway production and in 1935 and he and Shirley Temple became the first black and white couple to dance together onscreen. In 1936 he was instrumental in the founding of the Negro Actors Guild of America to create better opportunities and depiction on film for black actors. In his biography “Bojangles,” the authors Haskins and Mitgang say “almost nothing stood in his way of demonstrating his demand for social justice, or arguing against injustice.“ Bill was extremely generous and gave away a huge amount of his money to good causes. Bill was one of the greatest contributors to many of Harlem’s relief programmes. He also performed at a huge number of charitable benefits. In one year it is estimated he did an incredible 400 of them. He lobbied President Franklin Roosevelt to implement a better pay deal for black soldiers serving in the war and when he died in 1949, half a million people lined the funeral route of the man who was known as the Mayor of Harlem. #nationaltapdanceday #tapdance #tapdancer #londontapjam #billrobinson #bojangles
Check out @jsamsmith on @cbssundaymorning . As with all black American art forms, tap dance is the history of America. You can see the whole clip by going to @cbssundaymorning And don’t miss @tapfamreunion online May 21 to 25 brought to you by @dormeshia @dgrizzly73 and @jsamsmith #tapdance #tapdancers #musicmakers #tapdancehistoryisamericanhistory #londontapjam
What a fantastic @londontapjam last night! A huge thank you to the incredible @lisalatouche for not only being a truly wonderful host, but for also bringing to the jam the amazing saxophonist @jaleelshaw from backstage in Brooklyn and master drummer @qintommy1957 . What a treat! Special thanks also to the phenomenal @jumaanetaylor and @tkxperience for joining us and to all the other amazing tap dancers, musicians and everyone else that got involved from around the world. And of course a big thanks to our fantastic band leader @micheledrees for dropping by with a wonderful Brazilian tune. Big news! The next London Tap Jam will be in our actual live venue in London in July. Stay tuned for more news. #londontapjam #globaltapjam #community #globalaudience #tapdancersfromaroundtheworld #tapfamily #worldwide #tapdance #tapdancer #improvisation #everyoneiswelcome #sundayfunday #jazzdance #improv #jam #tapjam #london
It’s today! Join us from wherever you are in world for @londontapjam live on Instagram today Sunday 18 April hosted by the fantastic @lisalatouche from Calgary, Canada at 7pm BST (UK)/8pm CEST/2pm EDT (NY). This will be a fun packed event full of amazing tap dance and fantastic live music. Get involved on taps/instrument or vocals or just sit back and have a great time. Our wonderful band leader @micheledrees will be swinging by with a tune or two. We can’t wait! For more info www.londontapjam.com Link in bio ⬆️ This is a FREE event. #londontapjam #globaltapjam #community #globalaudience #tapdancersfromaroundtheworld #tapfamily #worldwide #tapdance #tapdancer #improvisation #everyoneiswelcome #sundayfunday #jazzdance #improv #jam #tapjam #london
This Sunday! Don’t miss @londontapjam this Sunday 18 April guest hosted by the amazing @lisalatouche live on Instagram at 7pm BST (UK)/8pm CEST/2pm EDT (NY). Join us from wherever you are in the world for a fun packed event full of amazing tap dance and fantastic live music. Get involved on taps/instrument or vocals or just sit back and have a great time. Our wonderful band leader @micheledrees will be swinging by with a tune or two. We can’t wait! For more info www.londontapjam.com Link in bio ⬆️ This is a FREE event. #londontapjam #globaltapjam #community #globalaudience #tapdancersfromaroundtheworld #tapfamily #worldwide #tapdance #tapdancer #improvisation #everyoneiswelcome #sundayfunday #jazzdance #improv #jam #tapjam #london
Don’t miss @londontapjam THIS Sunday 18 April at 7pm (UK)/ 8pm CEST/ 2pm EDT (NY) live on Instagram from Calgary, Canada! Our amazing guest host @lisalatouche , was an original cast member of “Shuffle Along or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed” on Broadway choreographed by Savion Glover and directed by George C. Wolfe. Along with the ensemble Lisa was a recipient of the Fred Astaire award for “Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway show” and the A.C.C.A. Actor’s Equity Award for “Outstanding Broadway Chorus”. The show centres on the backstage story of one of the first Broadway musicals with both an all-black cast and all-black creative team. It broke taboos, letting black performers take on traditional roles, sing love songs and tell a real story. For more jam info www.londontapjam.com Link in bio ⬆️. This is a FREE event. 🎥 clip from the Broadway show “Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed" created by George C Wolfe and choreographed by Savion Glover. #londontapjam #globaltapjam #community #globalaudience #tapdancersfromaroundtheworld #tapfamily #worldwide #tapdance #tapdancer #improvisation #everyoneiswelcome #sundayfunday #jazzdance #improv #jam #tapjam #london
The amazing @lisalatouche will be hosting our next @londontapjam live on Instagram from Calgary, Canada on Sunday 18 April at 7pm BST (UK)/8pm CEST/2pm EDT (NY). Join us from wherever you are in the world for a fun packed event full of amazing tap da
The amazing @lisalatouche will be hosting our next @londontapjam live on Instagram from Calgary, Canada on Sunday 18 April at 7pm BST (UK)/8pm CEST/2pm EDT (NY). Join us from wherever you are in the world for a fun packed event full of amazing tap dance and fantastic live music. Join in on taps/instrument or vocals or just sit back and have a great time. Our wonderful band leader @micheledrees will be swinging by with a tune or two. We can’t wait! For more info www.londontapjam.com Link in bio ⬆️ This is a FREE event. Originally from Canada, Lisa’s credit highlights includes original cast member of Shuffle Along on Broadway choreographed by Savion Glover and directed by George C. Wolfe. With the cast she performed live at the 70th annual Tony Awards. Along with the ensemble she was recipient of the Fred Astaire award for “Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway show” and the A.C.C.A. Actor’s Equity Award for “Outstanding Broadway Chorus”. Some of her previous overall performance highlights have also included touring with Savion Glover in his production of STEPZ, and also being a cast member of STOMP. She was in the original ensemble of Dormeshia’s "Sophisticated Ladies" performing weekly at The Cotton Club in Harlem and also a member of Jason Samuel Smith's company A.C.G.I. Lisa La Touche has performed, choreographed and taught worldwide on various independent projects and was also faculty member of the School of Jacob's pillow under the direction of her mentor Dianne Walker. She is currently guest faculty at Broadway Dance Center and artist in residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation. She has also performed with Michele Drees Jazz Tap Project. #londontapjam #globaltapjam #community #globalaudience #tapdancersfromaroundtheworld #tapfamily #worldwide #tapdance #tapdancer #improvisation #everyoneiswelcome
Have you seen the amazing Sarah Reich’s AKA @sourtaps fantastic new video as part of her Covered in Taps series? It’s a cover of Georgy Porgy by Toto and features Sarah Reich, @enrique.rosario1 and @_nina.maxwell on taps and the musical arrangement & choreography is by Sarah. You can watch the whole video on YouTube. Also, if you haven’t already, check out her album New Change. #sarahreich #tapismusic #londontapjam
Here we have a few of the extraordinary women tap dancers of the 20s/30s and 40s. These black women were not only having to create and navigate a career for themselves in a time of segregation and incredible prejudice, but they were also competing in
Here we have a few of the extraordinary women tap dancers of the 20s/30s and 40s. These black women were not only having to create and navigate a career for themselves in a time of segregation and incredible prejudice, but they were also competing in the traditionally male world of tap. They are truly amazing pioneers of the dance who’s achievements have largely been written out of tap dance history. 🎥 1 - Juanita Pitts was known at the time for dressing and dancing like a man. The legendary Lindy hop dancer Frankie Manning refers to Juanita in his autobiography as “one of the top notch female tap dancers around.” He also got Juanitta to put together a few tap steps for the middle of his routine. The film clip is from It happened in Harlem 1945. 🎥 2 - Cora LaRedd was a Harlem singer and tap dancer of the 1920s and 1930s, known for her hard-hitting rhythm-tap style. She was not only a star on Broadway, but she was a noted female soloist at the Cotton Club and one of the most extraordinary tap dancers of the time. Bunny Briggs saw Cora dancing at the Cotton Club and said “she could really dance.” Film clip is of That's the Spirit (1933). Featuring a band led by Noble Sissle. 🎥 3 - Here we have the amazing Lois Bright, part of the renown Miller Brothers and Lois, who performed from the 1920s to the 1940s. Lois was born and raised in Chicago. Skilled in rhythm tap, flash, and acrobatics, she married Danny Miller, of the famed Miller Brothers (Danny and George), an act that had been performed by brothers George and Danny from 1927 and initially composed of the brothers and Charles Honi Coles. In the words of Cholly Atkins Lois had “true taps. No jive taps. She’d make ‘em all! Some things that I couldn’t get the guys to do, she got right away.” Lois Bright not only tap danced with her male peers, which was very rare, but she tap danced just as well, if not better. #londontapjam #blackwomentapdancers #internationalwomensday #tapdance #tapdancer #improv #jam #tapjam #tapdancehistoryisblackhistory
Have you heard of the black American tap dancer Johnny Nit, a celebrated Broadway star in the 1920s, who after travelling to England to appear in the show Blackbirds in 1926/1927, stayed on to be highly successful in the UK and Europe for many years
@londontapjam wishes everyone a Happy National Tap Dance Day, which is celebrated on the birthday of the late great tap dancer Bill Bojangles Robinson. Above is a clip from the biographical film about Bill Robinson called “Bojangles” from
Check out @jsamsmith on @cbssundaymorning . As with all black American art forms, tap dance is the history of America. You can see the whole clip by going to @cbssundaymorning And don’t miss @tapfamreunion online May 21 to 25 brought to you
What a fantastic @londontapjam last night! A huge thank you to the incredible @lisalatouche for not only being a truly wonderful host, but for also bringing to the jam the amazing saxophonist @jaleelshaw from backstage in Brooklyn and master drummer
It’s today! Join us from wherever you are in world for @londontapjam live on Instagram today Sunday 18 April hosted by the fantastic @lisalatouche from Calgary, Canada at 7pm BST (UK)/8pm CEST/2pm EDT (NY). This will be a fun packed event full
This Sunday! Don’t miss @londontapjam this Sunday 18 April guest hosted by the amazing @lisalatouche live on Instagram at 7pm BST (UK)/8pm CEST/2pm EDT (NY). Join us from wherever you are in the world for a fun packed event full of amazing tap
Don’t miss @londontapjam THIS Sunday 18 April at 7pm (UK)/ 8pm CEST/ 2pm EDT (NY) live on Instagram from Calgary, Canada! Our amazing guest host @lisalatouche , was an original cast member of “Shuffle Along or the Making of the Musical Se
The amazing @lisalatouche will be hosting our next @londontapjam live on Instagram from Calgary, Canada on Sunday 18 April at 7pm BST (UK)/8pm CEST/2pm EDT (NY). Join us from wherever you are in the world for a fun packed event full of amazing tap da
Have you seen the amazing Sarah Reich’s AKA @sourtaps fantastic new video as part of her Covered in Taps series? It’s a cover of Georgy Porgy by Toto and features Sarah Reich, @enrique.rosario1 and @_nina.maxwell on taps and the musical a
Here we have a few of the extraordinary women tap dancers of the 20s/30s and 40s. These black women were not only having to create and navigate a career for themselves in a time of segregation and incredible prejudice, but they were also competing in

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