During the early 20th century, tap dancing was ubiquitous with the entertainment industry. By the late 1910s, Encyclopedia Britannica reports, there were more than 300 theaters hosting vaudeville acts.
In fact, famous producer Leonard Reed is quoted as saying:
“There wasn’t a show that didn’t feature tap dancing. If you couldn’t dance, you couldn’t get a job!”
While tap dancing may not be as popular as it once was, it’s still one of the most beloved forms of entertainment — just ask Justin M. Lewis and Luke Spring!
The beloved teacher-student duo has been tap dancing together for years. They started studying together back in 2009 and have been an “item” ever since.
Lewis decided to be a dancer when he was 5 years old, after watching the 1989 movie Tap with his grandfather.
He had his first performance at age 10, alongside famous jazz musician, drummer Chuck Redd, and later went on to study Performing Arts Management at Columbia College. Now, he teaches the craft.
In an interview with Theater Jones, Lewis said:
“In all honesty, maybe five to ten percent of my classes are focused around technique … For me, it is all about showmanship and performance.”
Lewis describes his style as a mix of tap and contemporary that incorporates more ‘new age’ music. However you want to describe it, he’s taking the world by storm.
Back in 2009, Lewis was introduced to a young dance prodigy named Luke Spring. In an interview, Lewis referred to Spring, asking:
“How do I teach a prodigy and make him better than he already is? That has been an age-old question.”
The Washington Post describes Spring, an Ashburn native, as one of the best dancers in North America. Like Lewis, he discovered his passion at a young age— while visiting his older sisters’ dance studio.
Spring and his mom had gone to the studio to pick up his sisters from dance class. While there, the young boy discovered a pair of tap dancing shoes in the studio’s lost-and-found and decided to give them try. “I found a pair of tap shoes,” he recalled. “I put them on, and I started making noise with my feet.”
A few years ago, Lewis and Spring teamed up to perform at the sold-out DC Tap Fest, held at the Ellington School of the Arts.
Walking onstage, the two came together for an unexpected tap-dance “showdown” that quickly took the world by storm.
The duo’s incredible performance has been viewed millions of times, even catching the attention of celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres. The dancers’ talents are remarkably unparalleled, and comments on the video read:
“Absolutely Fantastic!!”
“Totally brilliant! Great dancing, both of them, but the little one is a star of the future. Fantastic.”
“Wow what a show stopper!”
Watch the incredible performance below!
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