July 11, 2021 – NEW YORK — The U.S. Postal Service issued the Tap Dance stamps on Saturday during the Tap It Out — Tap City, New York City Tap Festival in Times Square. The Forever stamps are now for sale at Post Offices nationwide. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtags #TapDance and #TapDancestamps.
“Today, we are celebrating the American art form of tap dance with these vibrant stamps in the heart of Times Square as the Postal Service recognizes one of our nation’s greatest contributions to the world of dance,” said Lorraine G. Castellano, U.S. Postal Service New York district manager and executive in charge.
Joining Castellano to dedicate the stamps were American Tap Dance Foundation Inc. Founding Artistic and Executive Director Tony Waag; tap dancers Ayodele Casel, Michela Marino Lerman and Max Pollak; and stamp photographer Matthew Murphy.
“I’m very excited that people can use these new Tap Dance stamps on their cards and letters as they truly represent this American art form,” Waag said. “For over 40 years, I’ve been dedicated to promoting tap dance as a serous form of expression, so I’m extremely proud that the Postal Service is bringing awareness to this art by issuing these dynamic stamps.”
Background
Historians trace the deep roots of tap dancing to the beginning of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, especially to contact between enslaved Africans and Irish and Scottish indentured servants on Caribbean plantations in…
