Calvin Booker | Exclusive

Brooklyn's Tap Virtuoso, Broadway Original, and Cultural Preservationist

By Dance Mogul Magazine  |  Originally Published November 2, 2012  |  Updated 2025

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The Interview

Dance Mogul: What or who inspired you to start dancing?

Calvin Booker: I believe my love for music initially inspired my dancing. It's still like that for me. Music inspires movement. My uncle, Randy Muller is a musician, of the legendary funk group 'Brass Construction', so I was heavily inspired by what I heard him play, and also by what my father played in the house. My older brother was also a hip hop dancer and lyricist, and he would frequently have parties in our basement, so he would encourage me to jump in the center and 'battle' his friends.

In addition, I watched Michael Jackson's Moonwalker religiously as a child with my friends in preschool, and the interest in Tap Dance came directly from young Savion Glover on Sesame Street and the movie TAP featuring Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis Jr., Sandman Simms and a world of other phenomenal hoofers, that I've been blessed to connect with on some level.

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Dance Mogul: What made you commit to contemporary and Tap, and were you looked at differently because of that?

Calvin Booker: I began taking Barre-A-Terre at Restoration Dance Theater in Bed-Stuy, under the direction of Marie Brooks. This style is classical ballet designed to be executed on the floor, which was good for developing core strength and proper alignment. My incentive to continue training (and be good at it) was the pretty girls at Creative Outlet: Dance Theater of Brooklyn. We all know women appreciate a man who is good at dancing. Also, it's a great way to express and use the information I had previously acquired.

At the time, I also had buddies who were 'young men' that happened to be good at dancing and we were our own competition and support group, much like a football team. More these days, some people, male and female, can forget to include the true essence of who they are in their artistry. As a man, my dancing had a level of masculinity, strength, and sensuality that definitely helped me to be distinct.

"I was respected more because I was able to hold on to who I truly am through all of the –isms of the 'dance world.' Tap Dancing for me is my outlet to be the musician I always wanted to be."
— Calvin Booker

So, I actually was and am respected more because I was able to hold on to who I truly am through all of the –isms of the "dance world." And I also got respected for being able to do all the contemporary modern stuff, and then come out and tap dance, which for one reason or another, a lot of people can't do. Tap Dancing for me is my outlet to be the musician I always wanted to be, and though I've been dancing as long as I have, there's always something to work on technically, so that you can continue to grow creatively, and so the dance never dies.

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Dance Mogul: When did you realize that you had what it took to become a professional dancer?

Calvin Booker: I'd been performing since the age of 7 with my tap group, "The Young Hoofers" directed by Traci Mann. Part of what made this group work was the freedom we had to be our individual selves, in the spirit of the original Hoofers. So we were all very comfortable in our own skin at an earlier age than most, and that gave us the confidence to command any stage we were on, together and solo.

Once we all received respect and acknowledgment from the elder hoofers — like Buster Brown, Jimmy Slyde, Chuck Green, Peg Leg Bates, Sandman Simms, Gregory Hines — that certainly helped us claim some validity as young tap dancers. One of our earliest gigs was at a public school in Queens with the great Chuck Green, who was Traci Mann's teacher. This was one of the first shows we were made to do solos at. We each didn't know we were doing solos until we were already on stage. Totally sink or swim situation. We all swam.

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Dance Mogul: What are some things the youth should look out for when pursuing a dance career?

Calvin Booker: You want to be sure to have a strong support base around you. People who you can truly count on to be your friend and encourage you to continue doing what you do the way you do it. That individuality is what's going to really help in the long run. That includes peers and instructors.

That was the magic of the original Creative Outlet. It was swarming with so much support and so many different artists and influences — such as Nathan Trice and Desmond Richardson, who are good models for up and coming male dancers, Leonora Stapleton, Shiela Rohan, Whilemina Taylor, Shirley BlackBrown-Coward to name a few. They were all always on us and still are to be the best 'me' we can be. We've developed lasting and meaningful relationships as a result. Truly a blessing.

Also, make sure that you can identify with the work on some level. It helps the 'joy' factor if you have an inclination as to what or who you are in the piece. For me, it helps my artistry if I can connect to the work spiritually. And more obviously, whatever institution you choose should produce results — strong, technical, creative dancers who grow into powerful artists who can carry on the culture and information.

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Dance Mogul: What are some of your biggest accomplishments?

Calvin Booker: As a child born, raised, and residing in Brownsville, Brooklyn, I have performed in the presence of Michael Jackson and Katherine Dunham. I've connected with their eyes and gave homage. I've performed with Stephanie Mills, Phylicia Rashad, and other greats in the production Nativity. I've performed at Lincoln Center, BAM, Aaron Davis Hall, Apollo Theater, and the United Nations.

I've traveled domestically and internationally — to London, Italy (Spoleto, Florence, and Rome). In fact, I DJed in Spoleto and a club in Florence. I've also played in cities of Germany (Chemnitz, Überlingen, and Liechtenstein). I think the accomplishment is more being able to know that these places exist and saying them correctly.

Also, the Young Hoofers were two-time winners at Showtime at The Apollo and were featured at No. 8 in Dance Magazine's "Top 25 to Watch." I've been able to jam as a tap dancer with musicians such as Bilal, Wunmi, Carolyn Harding, and Maritri Garrett among others. I've performed and dined in the home of the Ambassador of Benin among international dignitaries.

I've also maintained an internet radio show as DJ CBoogie on In Soul We Trust, alongside Carolyn Harding. Together, we've also established the "Big Band and Tap Preservation Society," dedicated to preserving these formative aspects of American culture.

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Dance Mogul: Why should the youth value tap dancing more?

Calvin Booker: The youth should value Tap Dancing because it is an indigenous American art form. As the story goes, Tap was the result of a challenge between the African Boot Dancers and Irish jiggers, that took place right in New York City at Foley Square. Tap Dancing has definitely evolved through the history of this country and so the way that it is presented now is a celebration and declaration of perseverance.

Tap has the ability to adapt to whatever the current trend of music is as well as its jazz and swing roots, helping them to understand the true structure of music and musicianship. Also, Tap is a great physical and mental outlet. We could use a bit more physicality for our youth these days.

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Dance Mogul: What would you want your legacy to be?

Calvin Booker: I'd like my legacy primarily to be one of light. Someone who loved music and people. I'd like to pass my understanding of Tap on to a new generation, who will immediately see the through line between Tap, Traditional African, Jazz, and House music, which encompasses various styles, musically and movement-wise.

I also want to resonate as a DJ who really understood the connection to the people, and wasn't afraid to play 'other' stuff that you don't ordinarily hear in the club, expanding minds and hearts one set at a time. I'm still refining my crafts — I have some time. Working on a Brooklyn House (music) party, which will feature musicians, singers, and DJs alike.

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Dance Mogul: Anyone you want to thank?

Calvin Booker: Primarily the Creator, for my specific time and life path. Truly I have some amazing celestial timing and as a result, I have all these phenomenal experiences, that I need to hurry and jot down before they escape me. My parents for their support and love, my brother for being an early healthy influence. Traci Mann for seeing the hoofer in me and taking time to mold, Jamel Gaines and all my teachers for also continuing to see in me what I sometimes don't see in myself, Omar Edwards for his world of information on a few levels — by far one of the most dynamic and influential tap dancers in my book — Carolyn Harding, Shockalock for thinking enough of me to submit me for this interview, countless others, also — thanks for listening!

Watch Calvin Booker

Calvin Booker's Continued Impact: Why His Work Matters

Since this interview was originally published in 2012, Calvin Booker has continued to expand his artistic reach while staying deeply rooted in the traditions that shaped him. His career trajectory is a testament to what happens when authenticity meets discipline, and when an artist refuses to separate cultural preservation from creative evolution.

In 2020, Booker was featured in the American Center in Moscow's "Shop Talks" series — a program coordinated with the Vortex Dance Theater, the Russian School of American Tap, and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow — bringing the legacy of American tap dance to an international audience during a period when the entire performing arts world was searching for new ways to connect.

In 2022, Booker performed alongside Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Jazzmeia Horn and Her Noble Force at the historic Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem. The collaboration showcased his ability to function as both dancer and percussive musician within a live jazz ensemble — a rare skill that positions tap dance as a living musical instrument rather than a relic of the past.

More recently, Booker has been a featured guest artist with Sekou McMiller and Friends in the production SHINE, presented at some of the most prestigious cultural institutions in New York City. The work premiered at the Guggenheim Museum in partnership with Jacob's Pillow in November 2023, and has continued through performances at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts in 2024 and the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at Pocantico in 2025. In SHINE, Booker brings rhythmic percussion to Afro-Latin social dance, illustrating the deep connections between tap, mambo, salsa, and the African diaspora traditions that birthed them all.

"Tap dancer Calvin Booker brought a rhythmic percussion to the dancers' moves" — bringing a musical dimension that connected the footwork of Afro-Latin social dance to the percussive tradition of the American hoofer.
— Stance on Dance, 2024

What makes Calvin Booker's work matter is not just his extraordinary skill — it is his commitment to the through line. He sees tap dance not as an isolated art form but as part of a larger cultural conversation that includes African boot dance, jazz, house music, funk, and the entire rhythmic lineage of the African diaspora. His work as co-founder of the Big Band and Tap Preservation Society, alongside Carolyn Harding, is a direct extension of this philosophy — ensuring that the formative aspects of American culture are not just remembered, but actively practiced and passed forward.

For young dancers, Booker's career offers a powerful model: you do not have to choose between tradition and innovation. You do not have to sacrifice who you are to succeed in the dance world. And the deepest form of artistry comes not from following trends, but from understanding where the art comes from and carrying it forward with integrity.

Calvin Booker is Brooklyn. He is tap. He is jazz. He is the hoofer tradition, alive and evolving. And Dance Mogul Magazine is proud to continue documenting his journey.

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