National tap dance treasures honored. (The Teach-Learn Connection).

THE OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF AMERICAN DANCE and Arts Management will present honorary Doctor of Performing Arts degrees to nine dance artists renowned for their contributions to American tap dance. As part of a program to honor dancers as U.S. national treasures and in conjunction with the university's annual celebration of Black History Month, Jo Rowan and Professor Robert Reed will host a presentation ceremony on February 23. Reed is the founding director of the Robert L. Reed Tap Heritage Institute and head of OCU's Rhythm Tap Division.

"Tap has been recognized as a dance form in Europe but essentially been ignored in America ... so to give these people who created tap academic recognition means a lot ...," said Rowan, OCU dance department founder and chair.

Among those to be honored in February, former vaudeville star Leonard Reed was born in Nowata, Oklahoma, in 1907 and produced shows at New York's famed Cotton Club and Apollo Theater. He is considered one of the leading authorities on the history of the vaudeville dance circuit. He will be joined by Tony Award-winners Fayard Nicholas, of the famed Nicholas Brothers, and Cholly Atkins, of the noted Coles and Atkins duo. In addition to dancing opposite Honi Coles, Atkins is credited with developing the art of vocal choreography used predominately by Motown Record groups.

Choreographer, teacher, and Tony Award-winner Henry LeTang will be honored for his work in the films Tap and The Cotton Club, and in Broadway musicals, including Black and Blue and Sophisticated Ladies. LeTang also is credited as the primary teacher of Maurice and Gregory Hines (among many others).

Jeni LeGon, the first black female tap dancer to sign a contract with a major Hollywood studio, MGM, was known for tapping in her signature pantsuits. LeGon, who received a 2001 Flo-Bert Award honoring outstanding tap dance figures, danced opposite Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and enjoyed a successful stage and film career in Europe.

Honorary degrees also will go to Broadway and film vaudeville dancer Bunny Briggs; Buster Brown, a veteran of the Copasetics, who continues to perform at New York's Swing 46 on Sunday evenings; Prince Spencer, who spent twenty-nine years with the pioneering Four Step Brothers, appeared in movies with Bob Hope, and danced with the Duke Ellington orchestra at the Cotton Club; and Jimmy "Slyde" Godbolt, who gained recognition for interjecting astonishing sliding techniques between complex steps and turns. Known for his jazz musicality, Slyde is a favorite of musicians, and presented a command performance at the White House during the Clinton administration.

John Bedford, now dean of the college, and Rowan established the American Dance and Arts Management program at OCU in 1981 to train students interested in careers in American dance forms such as tap, jazz, musical theater, and all professional aspects of the entertainment industry. Ballet is part of the basic curriculum. "We use [it] to teach placement," says Rowan, whose classical training includes the School of American Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet.

With a total of 230 dance majors enrolled today, the program is very successful. "All of our graduates who remain committed to working in the field have succeeded in finding employment," says Bedford.

To attend the February 23 Honorary Degree Ceremony or to learn more about the Oklahoma City University School of American Dance and Arts Management, call 405/521-5322 or visit www.okcu.edu/ Dance_amgt.