TRACI MANN, GOTTA DANCE
I recently spoke with Traci Mann (http://www.mannarts.com/), who has been heavily involved with the tap dance scene in NY for two decades now, helping to organize shows, training young dancers in the art of tap, and being a producer of the annual Tap Extravaganza® (http://www.nytap.org/)
Traci started tap dancing when her mom, Kathryn, also a tap dancer, showed her some steps when she was age five. “Then, when I was 10 or 11, my sister got into a dance company, and I got into the children’s modern classes. So my first stage experience was with modern dance. I kept dancing through high school and college, and I went pro by the age of 19.”
As for tap, Traci traces her love for it back to a distant ancestor, her great great, great, great grandfather, Welcome William Chandler. He was a Pilgrim who landed in Yorktown and was an astute Fiddler and Irish jig dancer.
“So it must be in my blood. But my own interest started when I was studying with the American Folk Ballet. They had a form of tap called ‘Ragtime Tap’ which was tapping to Scott Joplin music. I thought that was neat. Then I took some classes in Miami with the Fred Astaire Workshop. Teachers there were Louis De Pron, Henry Le Tang and Jack Stanley.
“A few years later in 1987 I came to New York. I was a ballerina, and one day, shopping in Capezio for some Pointe shoes, I saw a flyer for a ‘tap jam.’ So I called the number on the flyer, and asked the person, ‘who is teaching the tap jam?’ and was told, ‘a tap jam is not taught, it’s a jam session.’ I knew I was in for a treat. It was basically a cutting contest, and I had just enough nerve to put my tap shoes on and try it, and by the end of the night, I couldn’t stop tapping. A bug had bit me, and I hung up my ballerina shoes for my tap shoes.”
Traci also produces tap shows.
“I had a dance studio in New Mexico, and I would hire a live band for my student’s recitals. I never did the ‘Dolly Dinkle’ thing. I’ve always liked live music for my kids to perform to. But I felt I was wasting away in this small town, so I came to New York and started producing the Tap Extravaganza®, and another nightclub show called ‘Tap –N- Blues®,’ which featured old time tap masters with blues musicians.
In the Tap –N- Blues® series, I had Bob Dylan’s drummer, Howie Wyeth; Ramsey McLean (Grammy winner for the score from, ‘When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless In Seattle), and Timothea, the Blues Siren from New Orleans. I had some famous musicians playing behind these old great hoofers! The original Hoofers® were ‘Sandman’ Sims, Chuck Green (the Godfather of Tap), and Lon Chaney, ‘King of the Paddle and Roll’. Also, Jimmy Slyde, Tamango, and Van ‘the Man’ Porter from ‘Black and Blue,’ and Tarik Winston, who choreographed ‘Riverdance.’ Buster Brown too.
"And Peg Leg Bates would dance in my children’s shows. I’m currently working on a documentary about Peg Leg. A few years ago I released a CD with all of his recordings from the 1930’s, and recorded him in the studio with Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington and the RoadMasters and Frank Owens on Piano. They played a tune called, ‘Peg O’My Heart’ with Peg Leg talking a narrative about his life. I want to follow this up with a DVD about him. So I’ll have the CD and the DVD…You know, if a guy is going to tap dance with one leg and a wooden peg, that’s really overcoming a handicap, he didn’t let anything stop him.
Traci also acts, and has appeared in musicals onstage and in several low budget horror films produced by Troma, Inc., including the ‘Toxic Avenger part II and III,’ ‘Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD,’ ‘Poultrygeist’ and many promotional TV ‘Wrap-Arounds’ and films for the studio.
“I saw an ad in Backstage Magazine for a casting call at Troma Inc. I sent them a photocopy of a photo, and they called me to come in for an audition. However, they said, “We didn’t get an 8x10 photo, just this cheap Xerox copy on plain white paper.” I said, ‘Well, sure, I can bring you a real picture.’ So I did and I auditioned and got a role as a background actress. They asked me to come to the movie set at New York City Hall. “Could you dress up as a witch and come to City Hall?” and I asked, “Do you want a good witch or a bad witch?” and they said, “A good witch.”
So I put on this sexy cat suit, wore huge fake eyelashes, thigh high boots, and piled my hair on my head, and they immediately put me in the ‘Toxic Avenger, part II.’ I was also screen tested that day as a double/stand in for the female lead, Claire, played by Phoebe Legere. I Toxic Avenger, Part III, I actually got to do some of her scenes on film!
I was also body painted as the ‘Snake Lady’ for a scene where the Chairman, who is the Devil, is tempting the Toxic Avenger. The Chairman tells Toxie, ‘I will give you all these kingdoms if you will bow down and worship me,’ as I was gyrating and hissing and just adding ambience to the proceedings.” The scene also featured ‘Donkey Woman’ and ‘Dog Man.’
There we were, Snake Lady, Dog Man, Donkey Woman, The Chairman and Toxie. We ended up on posters in a magazine in France. It felt good at the time."