Tap Dancing

Harry R. Rosofsky, a retired vaudeville entertainer whose tap-dancing bird act during the 1940s and 1950s was described by a critic as "one of the most unusual novelty attractions in show business," died Aug. 26 of pneumonia at Gilchrist Hospice Care. He was 90 and had lived at the Westminster House Apartments in Mount Vernon. The son of grocers, Mr. Rosofsky — whose stage name was Ross Harvey — was born in Baltimore and raised on Norfolk Avenue in Northwest Baltimore.

The Talent Machine Company didn't look far for the backbone of its new show, Camp Hawyah - The Musical: The entire artistic team consists of company veterans. Director Steve Love adapted it from a show he co-wrote with Jake Thornhill that debuted in summer 2003. Love started at age 8 with the Talent Machine, was a regular in productions through his teen years, then went on to a professional stage career in such venues as Toby's Dinner Theatre. He took on this writing and directing assignment out of devotion to the young performers who wanted to revive the Camp show.

Tap dancing will never be the same. Tap Dogs, the six-man tap ensemble created by Australian Dein Perry, is like nothing you've ever seen. These boys are loud, brash and cheeky. This is tap with Attitude, a rousing good time.Born in a steel-mill neighborhood north of Sidney, the group still retains the blue-collar patina of its former industrial machinists and security guards. Outfitted in jeans, flannel shirts and steel-toed work boots, they are a working man's company and the amplified rhythms they stomp out are the driving rock-and-roll rhythms of today.

THE KIDS AT Millbrook Elementary School in Baltimore County were enthralled by the trio of heel-and-toe- clicking dancers who performed in their auditorium last week.The high-stepping terpsichoreans of Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble appeared courtesy of Young Audiences of Maryland Inc., a hard-working nonprofit that is one of the region's unsung cultural gems. Each year, Young Audiences sponsors visits by performing artists to hundreds of schools across the state, and during its 47-year history more than a million schoolchildren have benefited from its programs.

Clickety clack, shimmy sham sham, a-one and a-two, tea for two, and shuffle off to Buffalo.Classic American tap.WHAMMA-BAM-BANG STOMP-STOMP-STOMPETTY-STOMP-STOMP CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-HEY!Australian for tap.Like the steel town that they hail from, this is tap at industrial strength. From their 5 o'clock shadows to their ripped blue jeans and work boots, the Tap Dogs are distinctly a breed apart from the top-hat-white-tie-and-tails school of tap.Started just two years ago, the six-man group has been filling theaters around the world with its heavy metal tap. The group opened at the Mechanic Theatre last night, and performs through Sunday.

LONG REACH High School junior Trent Covington recently had a brush with fame. And those who know him well suspect this will not be his only "15 minutes" in the spotlight. The 17-year-old tap dancer performed at the Kennedy Center with famed choreographer Debbie Allen to sold-out audiences for more than a week this month. He had a standout role in the show "Brothers of the Knight," written, directed and choreographed by Allen as part of the Kennedy Center's Imagination Celebration series for young audiences.

The governor of Maryland's in Chicago this week, where many people do not know him. This is considered a blessing for Parris Glendening, who finds himself increasingly scorned around here, particularly by those who know him best.He's on the outs with Kurt L. Schmoke, the mayor who helped put him into office and now must wonder why. He's flirted with bribery accusations by attending a fund-raiser at the home of a New York corporate chief who's bidding on a lucrative state contract here and wished to ice the deal while nobody was paying attention.

Judy Templeton will offer Razz-A-Ma-Tap dance classes for boys at 5 p.m. Thursdays, starting this week, at Slayton House in Wlde Lake Village Center. The eight-week series will include tap technique, drills and basic combinations. Brian Best and Templeton will teach techniques of musical theater for adults - singing, dancing, acting - and combine the newly learned skills into vignettes of Broadway shows from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, starting this week. There is a fee. Information or registration: 410-772-9448.

You can easily spend $4 or more for a gallon. Yet you feel you can't live without the stuff. But it may be time to explore alternative sources. We're referring, of course, to that great lubricant of modern life: bottled water. (What, you had some other expensive liquid in mind?) Maybe oil and water don't mix, but that's not to say they don't affect each other. The economy is sagging, and high gasoline prices are taking much of the blame. When filling up the minivan sets you back $75, there's an inclination to cut back on frills - for instance, things you can get almost for free.

Who knew that Baltimore had such happy feet? Three icons of tap dance who were famous nationwide — known colloquially as Baby Laurence, Buster Brown and Hawk — were born in Charm City and first perfected the "shim sham" and "cramp roll" and performed for spare change on local street corners. The late hoofers will be honored Saturday during Buster, Baby and Hawk: Masters of Maryland Tap, a concert produced jointly by Coppin State University and the Creative Alliance at the Patterson that will mix local talent and national stars.