JERSEY TAP FEST

HONOREE DR. HAROLD "STUMPY" CROMER  

Born in New York City, Harold 'Stumpy' Cromer began his career as a tap dancer on roller skates at the Hudson Guild in the Chelsea district of Hell's Kitchen. His twin sister (Hattie) expressed little or no desire to join Harold in his theatrical endeavors. His family moved to Harlem where he continued his education in reading, writing, arithmetic and rhythm tap. He performed at night in Julie Podell's Kit Kat Club on East 55th Street, and attended Cooper Junior High School by day. Mr. Cromer tossed away his roller skates when Cole Porter and B. G. De Sylva signed him to appear on Broadway in 'Du Barry Was A Lady', with Bert Lahr, Ethel Merman and Betty Grable. Miss Merman sang 'Do I Love You', and Harold danced. Following the long run, Miss Merman was to star in 'Panama Hattie' and was later replaced by Gypsy Rose Lee as Madame 'Du Barry'. Once again, Gypsy sang and Harold Danced. Following a long road tour, Harold returned to Broadway in Richard Kollmar's production of 'Early To Bed', with music by Fats Waller, book and lyrics by George Marion Jr., starring Carl Brisson and Muriel Angelus at the Broadhurst Theater in 1943. Harold is certainly no stranger to Vaudeville, night clubs, movies and television, as a member of the well known song and dance comedy team of 'Stump and Stumpy' with James Cross. They appeared in the leading theaters and night clubs throughout the United States in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well as in Canada and Europe. To mention a few: The Cotton Club, Copacabana, The Riviera - with Duke Ellington, The Desert Inn - with Ted Lewis in Las Vegas and Hollywood, The Paramount - with Frank Sinatra, The Strand Theater - with Billie Holiday and Count Basie, toured with Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, The Ink Spots, Stan Kenton, Sophie Tucker and many other well known celebrities. Harold kept apace with the changing times when he became the Master of Ceremonies to Rock & Roll's 'The Biggest Show of Stars' in the late 1950's, introducing Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Paul Anka, Buddy Darin, Fats Domino, Chubby Checker, Frankie Avalon, Chuck Berry and Cliff Richards(England's challenge to Elvis Presley), Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Mr. Cromer returned to Broadway in 1978 in Lee Theodore's 'The American Dance Machine' as a guest soloist and on tour to many cities in the U.S.A. and Japan. More recently, he concluded a successful engagement in London, England at the Adelphi Theater in 1982. Harold received his Living Treasure in American Dance Award in 1996. It was presented to him on behalf of the School of American Dance & Arts Management by Oklahoma City University graduate, and now Tony Award winner, Kristin Chenoweth. For the past fifty years Harold 'Stumpy' Cromer has performed as a song-and-dance man and impressionist in the United States, Canada, England, France, Germany, Holland, Austria, Italy, Japan, Cuba and Mexico and on special occasions as a roller skating tap dancer.

Straight from Newark, New Jersey, Maurice Chestnut introduces tap as an instrument. Maurice takes from his classical rhythm tap training and infuses hip-hop, funk and soul. Maurice Chestnut began dancing at the age of 5, under the direction of Mr. Alfred Gallman. At the age of 9 Maurice joined his first professional dance company and became an original member of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble under the direction of Ms. Deborah Mitchell where he is currently principle dancer and choreography with the ensemble. Maurice brings us the soul which can only be inspired from the Hoofing greats, watching him dance is like walking through Harlem in the 1940's. Maurice has performed at many prestigious events such as; The Apollo Theater, where he was crowned Top Dog performer, Carnegie Hall yearly Jazz Festival, as well as the Playboy Jazz Festival. He was also featured on Sally Jesse Raphael's "My Kid's a Star. At the age of fourteen Maurice was named one of New Jerseys artists to watch in the "New Millennium". He was also a gold medalist in the NAACP's Act-So competition and was featured on the TV special. His off- Broadway credits include Shades of Harlem, The Wiz, as well as Bubbling Brown Sugar, directed by illustrious George Faison at Atlanta's Fox Theater, where he played the role of Bumpy Johnson. His performances in productions with Savion Glover include the Tony award winning Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk, Improvography, Classical Savion, Tappin' Into Monk, Invitation to the Dancer and on "ABC-TV's Dancing With The Stars".

DeWitt Fleming Jr. graduated at Marymount Manhattan College with a BA in Acting. He is an acclaimed tap dancer, and has performed and taught throughout the United States and abroad. DeWitt has danced with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra,  The George Gee Swing Orchestra, and with artist such as Wynton Marsalis, Oliver Lake, Wycliffe Gordon, and Eric Reed. Some of his Off- Bwy stage credits include: Sleigh Bells Swing(soloist), Dance Bojangles Dance(Bojangles), Highlights in Jazz, Tribute to Tap Legends, and Finnegan’s Farewell(Tyrone). Regional: Alliance Theater’s Sophisticated Ladies(Lead). He is the co- host, and also co-creator of the Off-Bwy hit Broadway Underground. In NYC he has taught at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, Harlem School of the Arts, Queens College, and various festivals/workshops including the NYC Tap Festival. DeWitt is also a Percussionist and has played in such venues as the legendary Blue Note, Sounds of Brazil (SOBs), and The Village Underground. He is dance captain for The New Jersey Tap Ensemble and Co-Chair/Director for the New York Tap Extravaganza.

Jeffry Foote was inspired to become a rhythm tap dancer after seeing a performance of Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk. Though he claims to have arrived late as a tapper (beginning at the age of 20), Jeffry has compiled an impressive list of tap credits with NJTAP along with his credits as an actor. He has appeared in numerous musical theatre productions including The Full Monty, Dance Bojangles Dance, Dreamgirls, Swing, Smoky Joe's Café, Side Show and Ragtime. He has also appeared in Shakespeare productions including The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night. Jeffry studies at the CCM Modern Dance Company, but owes much of his confidence as a rhythm tapper to Deborah Mitchell, Karen Callaway Williams, DeWitt Fleming and Omar Edwards.

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Logan Miller, protégé of Prof. Robert L. Reed, in his first live performance at 10 years old, dancing to the beat of a live jimbe drummer, received a standing ovation from none other than Savion Glover!   In 2003 Logan was selected as one of three St. Louis Hoofers to appear on the live CBS talent competition Star Search, reaching Semi-Finals.  He was a featured dancer in the award winning movie “Solo” with Prof. Reed and Robert Reed III and was featured in the May/June 2005 Dance Spirit Magazine article 20/20 as one of the 20 top tap dancers under the age of 20.  He has taught and performed at the St. Louis Tap Festival, Canada's Tap Into A Cure Festival and Bril Barrett's Chicago Tap Summit.  Logan was privileged to assist Professor Robert L. Reed in teaching classes at the Tradition in Tap workshops at Nola Studios and the world famous Broadway Dance Center. As he pursues an academic career at Hofstra University in New York, he has served as Tap Choreographer of Hofstra's “Dance Works” club, founded Hofstra’s new tap club “RhythMix” and has been honored to substitute teach for Doremeshia Sumbry-Edwards .  Most recently he filmed an episode of Sesame Street, taught and performed at Tradtion in Tap and performed in TAP EXTRAVAGANZA.  He can be found teaching and performing around New York.

Alicia Smith, an award-winning choreographer, master instructor, and performer, is a member of the New Jersey Tap Dance Ensemble under the direction of Deborah Mitchell and the Artistic Director of the Artistry In Motion Dancers based in Michigan. She is a licensed ballet teacher through the Cecchetti Council of America and a national tap examining member of Dance Masters of America also certified in Ballet and Jazz.  Alicia has been a member of the Tap City on-site staff since 2006 and was the 2005 recipient of the Tap City Tap Teacher Award for her contribution to training the next generation of tap dancers.  She was featured in the March 2006 issue of Dance Teacher Magazine as a selected member of the Honors List recognizing Dance Educators. Many of her students have received numerous awards, scholarships and recognition locally, nationally and internationally for excellence. Alicia studied as a protégé of Robert L. Reed, who was a protégé of the late Maceo Anderson, an original member of the Four Step Brothers. Through the Detroit Tap Festival, founded and produced by her mother, Gwendolyn B. Smith, she had the opportunity to be personally influenced and inspired by tap greats such as Dianne “Lady Di” Walker, Dr. Jimmy Slyde, Van “the man” Porter, Savion Glover, Debbie Dee, the late doctors of tap Cholly Atkins, Henry LeTang & Leonard Reed and the uniquely memorable Peg Leg Bates.   Her mission is to share her passion for dance while making a positive impact.

Jenne Vermes has recently stepped out of her small town and into the professional world of Tap. She has been dancing for over twenty two years, beginning with Tap and Jazz at the Age of four. She received her basic dance training in Coral Springs, Florida at Mrs. P's Dance and Acrobatic Studio, where she was a member of the competitive and performance company for ten years. After graduating high school in 2001,she studied dance as a dance minor at both University of Miami and Florida State University, where she trained in Modern and Ballet. She has traveled the country to study privately with tap dancers and master teachers including Frank Kosik and Debbie Dee. She has also trained intensively with her favorite Tap Dog, Anthony LoCascio, and has begun working as a content writer for his dance networking website, DanceRegister.com.

She joined the staff of Wakulla Dance Academy in Crawfordville, FL in 2004 as their tap teacher, and in 2006, she joined DancEffects Performance Company, of which she is a senior member to date. She has competed regionally and nationally along the east coast, winning awards for both solo and group pieces as a dancer and as a choreographer. She also participates annually as a work-study for Tap City: The New York City Tap Festival, working under the directors of the youth program.

As an undergraduate college student, Jenne studied music theory and then went on to pursue graduate degrees in education. She is very passionate about teaching and believes that all dancers, especially tap dancers, should have a thorough understanding of music and rhythm as it applies to their art form. As a current Ph.D. student at Florida State University, she endeavors to tailor her research toward dance education and the preservation of the arts through teaching and learning.

Kyle Wilder is an emerging young talent known for his quick feet and heavy hitting, rhythmic style. He started tap dancing at age 8. In 2002, he auditioned for the New Jersey Tap Ensemble’s Young Talented Tappers (YTTs) and proudly became a member of the company that same year.  Kyle has since become a Principal Dancer for the New Jersey Tap Dance Ensemble under the direction of Ms. Deborah Mitchell.  He currently teaches tap and hip hop classes at Dance Perfect in Rockaway, NJ and has studied with many accomplished artists such as Deborah Mitchell, Maurice Chestnut, Karen Callaway Williams, Marshall Davis Jr., Jason Samuels Smith, Jimmy Slyde, and Savion Glover. Kyle has performed in many venues around New Jersey such as The New Jersey State Theatre, Westminster Arts Center, The Morristown Community Theatre, 12 Miles West, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, South Orange Performing Arts Center, Skipper’s, The Martini Lounge, Café Arabica, and Cecil’s Jazz Club as well as The Fashion Institute of Technology, The Joyce Theatre, and Dodger Stages. In 2008, Kyle performed a recreation of the piece “Black Out” from the Tony Award winning Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk with Savion Glover in the Savion Glover and The New Jersey Tap Ensemble Celebrate National Tap Dance Day at Newark Symphony Hall. In addition, he was the co-choreographer of Brundage Park Playhouse’s 2008 Kid’s Cabaret and Dance Captain of Jeffry Foote’s tap dancing piece in The Butterfly Project at NJPAC.  Kyle also received a Broadway Artist’s Alliance scholarship for a solo performance during the 2005 NYC Tap Festival’s Tap Youth, Tap Future showcase. He has worked with renowned composers Marvin Hamlisch, Bill Conti, J. Leonard Oxley, and Nikki Denner.  Kyle has been inspired by the masters of tap that have come before him and due to them aspires to keep the dance alive, not only in his generation, but in the many generations to come. The late great Jimmy Slyde once said about Kyle, “That boy’s got A LOT goin’ on!”