Scope and arrangement
The Changing Times Tap Dance Company collection encapsulates the activities and contributions of the company which was founded in 1979 by tap dancer, teacher and historian Jane Goldberg. The collection documents over fifty years of research and archival work conducted by Goldberg with the bulk of the content ranging from 1970 to 2010, but some collected resources date as far back as 1943.
Jane Goldberg incorporated her non-profit organization to support her efforts to preserve, promote, and perform the art form of tap dance. The collection emphasizes materials relating to African American tap dancers based mainly on the East Coast of the United States, such as Chuck Green, John Bubbles, Gregory Hines, Charles "Cookie" Cook and others. The collection also includes her writings about tap history and significant tap figures, including her newsletter, "Footprint: News on Tap."
The collection is arranged into two series, Papers and Audio, Video, and Film Recordings. Goldberg provided a detailed inventory of the collection with item-level description that will made available electronically as an additional resource.
Series I, Papers, comprises articles and clippings written by and about Jane Goldberg; "Footprint: News on Tap" newsletter; subject files pertaining to various Changing Times Tap Company projects and shows; photographs from both Goldberg's professional and personal lives; educational material; profiles of key tappers and companies; documentation of the history of tap; show programs; and oversized posters and mock-ups.
Series II, Audio, Video, and Film Recordings, are arranged into sections based on their event type. The series includes over 350 original recordings in a variety of media, dating from the late 1950s to 2010s. The recordings include Goldberg's Early Tap Recitals; Changing Times Tap Company Performances; Excerpts; Individual and Group Performances; recordings from Goldberg's teaching fellowship in India; Interviews and Conversations on television, radio, and with fellow tap dancers; Teaching Sessions and Lectures; Festivals and Conferences; Rehearsals; Promotional Material; Changing Times Tap Company Archives; Commercial Recordings; and Memorials.
The Changing Times Tap Dancing Company collection is arranged in two series:
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1943-2017 [bulk 1970s-2010]9.38 linear feet (19 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Series I comprises materials that document Jane Goldberg's involvement and contributions to the world of tap dance through the Changing Times Tap Dance Company founded in 1979. The materials date from 1943 to 2017, with the bulk ranging from the 1970s to 2010.
This series includes articles and press clippings; journals and newsletters; educational material; accumulated tap history resources; tap dancer profiles; show programs; subject files that include correspondence, interview transcripts with tap dancers, company administrative records, background information on Goldberg's life and history, memorials and obituaries; promotional material; photographs; and posters.
Goldberg's mission was to educate the public about tap's historical roots, its intrinsic value to the African American community, and its connection to jazz music. She forged relationships with some of tap dance's most notable "hoofers" as evidenced in correspondence spanning twenty five years. She also wrote and provided countless memorials and obituaries for dancers which were featured in both local and national newspapers and magazines.
To further her mission, Jane created By Word of Foot, a festival designed to gather tap's leading figures to pass on their tradition through interviews, workshops, classes, parties, and daily "cocktail hour" interviews. The organization of this festival is fully documented within this series through promotional materials, correspondence, and press, as well as companion audio and video recordings from Series II.
In addition to records pertaining to Changing Times Tap Company, there is an extensive section documenting Jane Goldberg's history, both personal and professional. These include annotated writings; articles from her early life; designs and drawings; correspondence; collected ephemera; photographs; and programs from Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival where she performed as a teenager.
There are also three boxes that comprise photographs documenting Jane's early life as a teenager through the 2000s with the Changing Times Tap Company. Included are many pictures with legendary tap dancers such as Charles "Cookie" Cook, John Bubbles, Marion Coles, Charles "Honi" Coles, Gregory Hines, Albert "Gip" Gibson, and Ginger Rogers among dozens more.
Other photographs include Changing Times Tap Company sponsored performances; individual dancers (as well as duos and groups); documentary photographs from By Word of Foot; documentation of Jane's teaching fellowship in India; and a series of "pictorial histories" of Jane's peers, shows, and larger dance community. Of special note are behind-the-scenes photographs from the 1989 movie Tap (starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr.) in which Jane Goldberg performed as a tap dancer.
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circa 1958-2011
Series II consists of audio and moving image recordings that demonstrate both the prolific performing activity of Goldberg, and her commitment to the documentation of hoofers' legacies. Dating from the early 1960s to 2011 are over 350 original media items. Goldberg's archives include recorded performances, interviews, memorials, teaching sessions, and lectures.
This Series is arranged into eight sections including Early Tap Recitals; Performances; Excerpts; Individual and Group Performances; India; Interviews and Conversations; Teaching Sessions and Lectures; Festivals and Conferences; Rehearsals; Promotional Materials; Changing Times Tap Company Archives; Commercial Recordings; and Memorials.
Performances and shows from the Changing Times Tap Company oeuvre are well-represented in both moving image and audio formats. These shows include Rhythm and Schmooze, Shoot Me While I'm Happy, Sole Sisters, The Tappin' Talk Show, The Tap Goddess Speaks and Goldberg's first show It's About Time from February 1978. Other shows from the company include Depression's Back And So Is Tap, excerpts from By Word of Foot 2, Topical Tap, Rapping and Tapping, and untitled performances with other hoofers such as Leon Collins, Harold Cromer, Marion Coles, and Buster Brown among many others.
In addition to the Company's performances, Jane also recorded many individual (and often informal) performances by tap dance greats such as Cholly Atkins, Charles Cookie Cook, Brenda Bufalino, Bubba Gaines, Honi Coles, and Sandman Sims. Some of these performances also include candid conversations among the subjects.
The interviews in the series include those of Goldberg being interviewed on radio, TV, during festivals and conferences, and by students. Many of the interviews and conversations of other dancers were recorded by Jane herself and include transcriptions that are present in Series I of this collection.