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Ginger Rogers and JimTaylor
Dancing the Swing Waltz
(Photo adapted for book - Rhythm In Their Feet from original
Centerfold - People Magazine -1976)
JIM TAYLOR
Professional Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer &
Tap Dance Columnist, Dance Historian
JIM TAYLOR a veteran of over 50 years in the professional dance business, has worked as a dancer/choreographer in approximately 40 musicals onstage, numerous TV shows including the Johnny Carson Show, Ed Sullivan Show, Flip Wilson Show, the “Elvis” Comeback Special, Command Performance, People's Choice Awards, Cinderella and Carousel, just to mention a few. He was also featured as the rear end of a tap dancing cow for a national TV commercial and a tap dancing gorilla for the opening of L.A.’s famous Studio One Disco Club in the early 70’s! Jim appeared in nightclubs around the globe. His motions picture credits include Mame, Hello Dolly, Darling Lili, The Great Train Robbery, Torn Curtain, Star, Blazing Saddles and the movie “Tap”, with a host of legendary tap dancers. He has been a featured dancer with Debbie Reynolds on stage, Julie Andrews in motion pictures, Connie Stevens on television and in nightclubs, Steve Condos at the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, Betty Grable in the touring company of "Hello Dolly", plus his most memorable experience, performing live in a four-year world tour as partner to the legendary Ginger Rogers.
Jim has choreographed in Tokyo, Sydney, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City at Radio City Music Hall, as associate choreographer in the 50th anniversary production of "The Wizard Of Oz" and on to London’s Royal Shakespeare Company as associate choreographer and tap choreographer for "Poppy", an award winning musical running for over a year at London's famous West End. He has been honored with a Hollywood Dramalog Critic’s Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Theatre” and was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award in “Concert of Love 2002” and by Rhapsody In Taps in 2008. After choreographing over twenty five professional musicals in the southern California area, Jim had the honor of honing his craft, working for eight years as associate choreographer to Academy Award winning choreographer Onna White (Oliver, Music Man, The Three Musketeers, etc.) He was also the artistic director and soloist for ten years in his tap company, the Rhythm Rascals. Jim had the privilege of being the first choreographer to put tap dancing on ice, along with legendary skater Robin Cousins, who directed the 2000 Milenium Production of Holiday On Ice.
Jim's teaching credentials include teaching as Associate Professor of dance at U.S.C., on staff at Tremaine Dance Center, Performing Arts Center and the DuPree Academy. He taught tap for major dance conventions, such as the Tremaine Experience, Paula Abdul’s Company Dance, D.M.A., D.E.A., P.D.T.A., Dance In Action and Totally Tap. He was honored to work for several years as the tap dance instructor for the West Coast Bob Fosse Scholarship Program.
Jim continues teaching master classes and coaching and choreographing for actors, professional dancers and dance academies. Jim taught master classes at the annual Maui Tap Experience in November 2003, 2005 and 2010, more than 7 years for the Rhapsody In Taps Tap Day Workshop, assisted Fayard Nicholas at the L.A. TAP FEST and was Co-Producer at the First, Second & Third Annual National Tap Dance Day Celebrations at Thousand Oaks, on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Jim devotes himself to preserving and recreating original film choreography such as the “Moses Supposes” from “Singin In The Rain”, as a tribute to the late Donald O’Connor and Gene Kelly, “Begin The Beguine” honoring Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell, “Bouncin’ The Blues” honoring his favorite partner, Ginger Rogers with Fred Astaire, and “Lucky Numbers” and “The Nicholas Brothers Shim Sham”, in memory of his dear friend and mentor Fayard Nicholas.
Jim studied with such legends as jazz dance masters Luigi, Joe Tremaine and Claude Thompson, ballet masters Michael Panaieff, Sally Whalen and Natalie Claire and tap masters, Steve Condos, Hermes Pan, Louis Dupron and Eleanor Powell. His formal rhythm tap dance training included studying with Lynn Dally of the Jazz Tap Ensemble and Linda Sohl Ellison, artistic director of Rhapsody in Taps. He teaches master classes for Rhapsody In Taps at their annual National Tap Dance Day Workshops.
Jim is a Tap Dance Columnist covering Los Angeles for the I.T.A. magazine, “ON TAP” and is the Los Angeles Representative for the International Tap Association. He had previously been a tap columnist for Dance and Fitness Magazine for four years. He is also a tap dance historian and is currently working on archiving tap dance clips from films to preserve these works and to inform and entertain fellow tap dancers of all ages with these gems of history. His “all tap dancing” product sites can be found online at www.FootnotesOnTap.com, the Internet Database of American Tap Dancers!
