ariel? ariel!

it’s a tap dance tour of youtube. Life has been exhausting me and all my writing has gone into self-care and journalling.

But you need to see these. Sound up, caterpillars.

The Nicholas brothers are the most amazing tap dancers that, if you are not a tapper and/or only follow white Hollywood, you may never have heard of. Just watch this. They are such showmen. I am starting with them because I feel like later tappers are more into the “loud and fast” category and I want you to watch them first because this, this, this is how it is supposed to be. They build their act so well and what a final kapow.

It’s Fred and Ginger. I just picked one I love because honestly there are too many to pick. Everybody knows this song — or lots of people do — but the tapping is just amazing, and on skates no less. I can’t say anything new about them because they’re just classic. But you know what, this is what kills me — oh, to be a professional. That was their job, learning to tap on skates and doing it again and again until they got it right. It makes me wish I got to really be a performer all the time and work on it and give myself over to the art. I am really jealous of movie stars who get to, for a role, go learn something new 8 hours a day with their bodies. I love how carefully the glidey skate noise has been preserved.

I love Gene Kelly, but I love Donald O’Connor. I love this number so much. He is such a good technical clown. His hat tricks! His slapstick! Oh Donald O’Connor. Just watch it. It’s amazing.

That’s all for now because it is now ridiculous o’clock in the morning and I have been watching old theater on YouTube for hours. I wish I knew more about the Cotton Club scene and the Nicholas Brothers’ contemporaries, but I don’t; that is the racist system we live in for you. That is definitely a point of more research for me. I also am hoping to see more of Donald O’Connor’s work soon.

What dance kills you? What’s your favorite old movie? Do you know more about black Hollywood? Let me know!