Tap dance has always carried more than rhythm.

This lecture-demonstration uses tap dance as a living archive to explore how Black artists of the Harlem Renaissance, specifically Bill Robinson, used movement, rhythm, and charisma to navigate a world shaped by racism and control. Through storytelling and live performance, we connect early 20th-century tap dance to Black representation and the politics of being seen.

Presenting partners: dance Immersion and Canada’s Theatre Museum. In collaboration with Dance Collection Danse.

Image credit: Travis Knights, photo by Dahlia Katz

Travis Knights is a Tap Dancer. Born in Montreal, Canada, Travis was introduced to the rich oral tradition of Tap by his teacher Ethel Bruneau at age 10. He went on to travel the world spreading his love of rhythm across 4 continents, touring with Tap Dogs, Tapestry Dance Company, Anandam Dance Theatre and the self-produced Tap Love Tour.  He was the 2020 recipient of the Jaqueline Lemieux Prize for outstanding contribution to dance in Canada.   In December 2021, in partnership with Dance Immersion, Travis, along with renowned Tap Dancer Lisa LaTouche, created and directed Legacy Series: Tap Dance Symposium which aimed to re-introduce Tap Dance to the local Black community in Toronto.  In 2022, Travis won a Dora Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance Immersion’s Tap Legacy Concert, and became a Slaight Family Music Associate at Soulpepper.  In 2024, Travis’ Tap Love Tour production company released two major works, a feature length documentary called Restorative Culture: Johnathan Morin, and a full-length original dance work called The Mars Project that premiered at Fall For Dance North.  He currently lives in Brampton, Ontario and hosts The Tap Love Tour Podcast, available on spotify, soundcloud and apple podcasts, (make sure to subscribe) featuring interviews of a myriad of inspiring tap dance artists.