Joey Hollingsworth gained international fame as the dancing salesman on Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood. But the astonishingly talented tap dancer, singer, and conga player has done so much more than that over nearly nine decades of life.
Raised in London, Ontario, Hollingsworth appeared on many TV programs over the years, including The Ed Sullivan Show, Cross Canada Hit Parade, and The Billy O’Connor Show. He also danced for civil rights, recorded with Lenny Breau, and hoofed with aplomb in Hot Mikado.
As a result of all this, Hollingworth earned an Ontario Black History Lifetime Achievement Award. Moreover, he was inducted into the Danse Collection Danse Hall of Fame. So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he is also being honoured by this year’s Toronto International Tap Dance Festival.
To open the fourth edition of the biennial event, organizers present a film tribute to the great showman at the Terminal Theatre on Friday (August 21). This will be followed by performances by two other legendary tappers: Manhattan Tap co-founder and artistic director Heather Cornell and the Chicago founder of M.A.D.D. (Making A Difference Dancing) Rhythms, Bril Barrett.
Tap as movement and sonic composition
On Saturday (August 22), the festival moves to Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for workshops and masterclasses. Then, it’s back to the Terminal Theatre in the evening for the split bill Convergence.
It starts with the Boys’ Club Tap Dance Collective performing Ostinati. Organizers say that this show featuring Laura Donaldson from Calgary, Elise McGrenera from Toronto, and New York-based Veronica Simpson “highlights solidarity and community among female-identifying artists”.
That will be followed by Subject:Matter, created by tap dancer Ian Berg and percussionist André Sudol. In this piece, the two Berklee Master of Music graduates demonstrate why tap is both movement and sonic composition.
The festival’s final day on August 23 will include workshops, clinics, and panel discussions from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Randolph College for the Performing Arts. Then in the evening, Victoria Miller & Band will host the Closing Night Jam at DROM Taberna, beginning at 8 p.m.
Watch the trailer for the Toronto International Tap Dance Festival.
Toffan Rhythm Projects will present the biennial Toronto International Tap Dance Festival from August 21 to 23 at various locations. For tickets and more information, visit the festival website. Find the Toronto Spark on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
