Brenda Bufalino may not be a household name, but in the world of tap dancing she is an icon.
Recognized for her mastery of rhythmic dance, the 81-year-old has performed and taught internationally for over 25 years. This weekend, she will share her love of tapping with young dancers at Calgary’s Rhythm Body and Soul Festival.
“It’s my job to teach them what they are doing,” Bufalino said of her master class being offered at the event. “Not what I’m doing, but what they’re doing.”
Tap dancing has been part of Bufalino’s life since she started dancing in a small New England town at the age of five. By the time she was 17, she had moved to New York City where her career as a soloist and choreographer took off. She later founded the American Tap Dance Orchestra.
She also taught routines to Tony Award winners Tommy Tune and Gregory Hines, who called Bufalino one of the greatest female dancers that ever lived.
“They’re such wonderful dancers. It was such a treat,” Bufalino said of her work with Tune and Hines.
Though tap dancing may not seem like a mainstream form of dance, Bufalino said the art of tap isn’t going anywhere, describing it as an experience for the body and mind.
“It’s a total experience,” she said.
Calgary's Rhythm and Soul Festival runs from February 15 through 17.
