thatgirl006 Exclusive: Interview with Anthony Morigerato, Founder + Director of Operation: Tap
thatgirl caught up with Tap Dancer, Choreographer Anthony Morigerato for his very first interview about Operation: Tap, an online forum for dancers, artists, students, teachers, choreographers and enthusiasts of tap dancing. Operation: Tap was conceived by Morigerato and launched yesterday via Facebook. The mission of Operation: Tap is not only to raise the funds to support Tap projects created by its contributors, but to create a global community of people committed to making "the world a more Tap conscious place." The Operation: Tap program will include: weekly debates, video sharing, mission deployments and musicality and or technique exercises with online classes soon to follow in 2015.
thatgirl: What was the most difficult aspect of deciding to create Operation: Tap?
Anthony Morigerato: I think my deciding to start Operation: Tap is born out of a
frustration with the way tap is perceived and received by the general public.
TG: I've heard it said that when we think about what we want to achieve, we often aim well below what we are actually capable of. Do you agree?
AM: I don't personally subscribe to that thinking. I actually sometimes aim too high and then am disappointed in myself for not getting things all the way there. I need to work on making goals realistic and attainable and focusing on how small goals can build upon one another to achieve a larger goal.
TG: With that said, what is your dream for Operation Tap and what it comes to mean?
AM: My dream for Operation: Tap is to provide finance for viable tap projects that otherwise would fall by the wayside. To provide education to those seeking it. To provide a communal place for tap dancers, to exchange ideas and to receive education that otherwise is not available within a dancer's personal community. To examine taps roots and success stories in the past, to identify qualities and characteristics today's dancers could learn from. To frame the debate on how we bring this art form forward in the 21st century. To educate the public of tap's existence and resurgence within our community. To make the world a more tap conscious place.
TG: Name one thing that you do very well but you enjoy the luxury of having someone do for you.
AM: I don't know at all.
TG: What is one thing that is often misunderstood or misconstrued about Tap and/or Tap dancers?
AM: That tap is somehow less expressive than ballet or contemporary dance. That a tap dancer can't express complex emotional or artistic themes through their dancing and musicality.
TG:What was the event in your personal history that has influenced your work the most?
AM: The first time I saw Gregory Hines perform live when I was 10 years old.
TG: One dance you wish you had choreographed or performed first.
AM: "War Dance" by The Condos Brothers.
TG: 'Tap Dancer' 'Hoofer' or 'Percussive Dance Artist'?
AM: Tap Dancer
TG: Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly?
AM: Gene Kelly
TG: "Tap" or "White Knights"?
AM: "Tap"
TG: Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens?
AM: Queens
TG: Anything you want our readers to know that we didn't ask?
AM: Please join us and participate to make Operation: Tap a reality.
"War Dance" Choreographed and Performed by The Condos Brothers
Ayodele Casel, Tap Dancer, Choreographer, Actor (and thatgirl006 Director of Digital Content & Photography), is a Founding Member + Co-Director of Operation: Tap. Follow her on Twitter @AyoLives.
Mike Minery, Tap Dancer, Choreographer, Artistic Director and Educator, is a Founding Member + Co-Director of Operation: Tap. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeMinery.
As a performer Anthony Morigerato has been a soloist and member of Michael Minery's Tapaholics and is the lead tap dancer and choreographer for the musical group Matt and Anthony. He has performed on stages all over the world and on television on the Tony Danza Show and NBC's America's Got Talent. Anthony is an accomplished dancer in all disciplines having trained at Marymount Manhattan College where he performed the work of ballet and modern luminaries such as Robert Battle, Elizabeth Higgins, Jiri Kylian, Katie Langan, David Parsons, and William Soleu. He has served as an adjudicator and master teacher for dance organizations, competitions, theater schools, and dance studios throughout the nation since 1999, having students go on to perform in every medium of the performance industry on stages all over the world. Most recently, Anthony's choreography was featured on season 11 of So You Think You Can Dance. Follow Anthony on Twitter @MorigeratoTaps.
Join the Operation: Tap Movement!
- Operation: Tap on Facebook
- Email Operation: Tap
- Tweet using Hashtag #OPTAP
More posts about this fabulous movement, its directors, contributors and community members coming soon!
Enjoy,
xo
thatgirl
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