Tapping The Source: Tap Dance Stories, Theory And Practice

By Brenda Bufalino

Bufalino explores the recent history of tap dance and shares stories about her early training and professional career experiences, as well as the wisdom gleaned from her mentor, partner and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1930337159
• ISBN13: 9781930337152
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Codhill Press
• Length: 238 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

BUFFALINO SCORES AGAIN

I'm so glad that Brenda Buffalino has had a chance to put her interesting life in print for all of us to share...she is a treasure in the world of tap.....

An Inspiration for all Tap Dancers

If you love tap dancing you will love this book. Brenda's stories are totally inspirational as are her tap techniques and theory. The theory part is designed for those who have some experience with tap dancing. One of the great things about this book is that much of the book covers the last 35 years of tap dance so the stories are all very recent and can easily be related to. You won't want to put the book down once you start reading the tap dance stories section, its such a good read. When you get to the technique section you'll want to try the steps out.

Brilliant and Generous

With "Tapping the Source," Brenda Bufalino has given us a brilliantly titled and generously written professional memoir that opens a view into the personal impulses that have driven her creative process. The book is divided into two sections. Part one is a memoir in the guise of "Tap Dance Stories;" part two, "Theory and Practice," is a master class for experienced tap dancers, but not to be skipped by the in, un, or less experienced, as Brenda continues the memoir even as she notates rhythms, and offers teaching tips. Full disclosure: I count myself as one of Brenda's many friends, and my wife has produced her work in Seattle over the course of the years. From that vantage point I've been witness to a few of the events in this book, and have also been a willing audience for many of the stories. Brenda is an inveterate story-teller whose ideas, interests, and sources range vastly. A conversation with her, especially if it's a group event, is often like a tropical storm, and when she said she was writing a book I wondered how she'd be able to master the elements to a table as rigid as the page. Now, Brenda may be an improviser, but that's not to say she isn't disciplined, and she found the discipline for the book without sacrificing the art of the story. The book is a good read. It's witty, filled with tap history, opinionated, and touching in its personal reminiscences - most notably of her mother, her mystical involvement with people and place, and her long association with Honi Coles. Brenda is an Artist, with a capital A. As a being she transcends her chosen forms. Her book will be purchased by dancers, but it's a book for artists, so if you are on the path, "Tapping the Source," is a useful map.