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CONTACT:
 | "Ambassador of Tap" Teaches Students at Cal State L.A. Los Angeles, CA - The Cal State L.A. Theatre Arts and Dance Department welcomes "artist in-residence" Ardie Bryant. Bryant, known around the world as the "Ambassador of Tap," is a master jazz tap percussionist and a dedicated jazz tap preservationist. He also teaches and lectures across the nation.Beginning in the winter quarter, Bryant will be teaching both "Dance 160: Beginning Tap Dance" and "Dance 260: Intermediate Tap Dance" at Cal State L.A. In 1993, Bryant was honored to have his dance memories and the sounds of his percussive feet preserved in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution. He is the innovator of modern jazz tap and danced at performances with such jazz greats as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie while he was still in his teens. Throughout his career, he was privileged to perform dance among music legends including Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Woody Herman and Count Basie at major venues such as the Palace, Paramount and Apollo Theaters, as well as Carnegie Hall. Even at 71, Bryant recently starred in Canada at the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show and currently can be seen in national and international television commercials. Fred Astaire was quoted as saying "his foot work is phenomenal" and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson called him "the world's original Be-Bop dancer with educated feet!"
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