Copasetic Honorary Member Michela Marino Lerman has Her Say
Vibrant Female Tappers
Just as Omar Edwards represents a shifting tide in the world of tap and how it is presented, there is a growing number of women who are hoofing their way to the front lines of tap dance. Over the last couple of decades, tap dancing has evolved from what was once an “all boys club” to an art form where the dancing field is now fertile ground for a new crop of female tap dancers — among them Dormeshia, Chloe Arnold, Ayodele Casel, Lisa La Touche, and Star Dixon.
Another vibrant female contributor to the tap dancing art form is Michela Marino Lerman. I had the pleasure of speaking to Michela on the heels of her new show Once Upon A Time Called Now. It recently had its world premiere at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan. The show follows the story of the heroine’s (Lerman) journey back from the afterlife to achieve self-love, acceptance, and ultimately, enlightenment. Beyond just the choreography and dancing of Lerman and company, the performance also offers an all-original score she co-wrote with Grammy-nominated bassist, Russell Hall. Clearly Michela Marino Lerman is a woman who wears many hats. I dare say, she is a woman who also walks in many pairs of shoes.
She made her tap dancing debut at the age of 5, on the long-running television show Sesame Street. The great tap master James “Buster” Brown mentored Michela and she studied under the exceptionally gifted tappers Gregory Hines, Marion Coles, and LeRoy Myers. At age 15, she gave a master class in tap dancing and she has taught master classes in over 16 countries.
On her 17th birthday, Michela became the only woman of her generation to be inducted as a Lifetime Honorary member of the Copasetics — a fraternity of mostly African-American male tap dancers, founded in 1949 in honor of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. It was an honor bestowed upon her by LeRoy Myers while celebrating her birthday at Showman’s Jazz Club, an old-school Harlem haunt. She now adds something new to her impressive list of accomplishments.
Tap Dance “improvography” and live jazz?
Conceived and led by Lerman, Once Upon A Time Called Now is a 90-minute theatrical narrative — a fusion of tap dance “improvography” and live jazz. A creation of the expert improviser’s two passions, hoofing and jazz music. Lerman co-directed the show with Dana Greenfield. The work features Love Movement — Lerman’s unique collective of dancers and musicians, with recorded narrations by the legendary actress, Anna Deavere Smith.
Set in New Orleans, the story takes place in the spirit world, prior to Mardi Gras. Lerman plays the heroine, Kahina, who’s on a journey back from the afterlife. Along the way, her ancestors intervene to give her a second chance at life. Drawing from Orpheus, the moral lessons of the story are mainly to trust, have faith, and never look back — lessons that Lerman, herself, has learned from her own life.
When I asked Lerman what the driving force was behind Once Upon A Time Called Now, she responded unabashedly.
Michela: I wanted to create a piece that was very authentic to my experiences in life, but also something that others could relate to. I wanted to share my experiences as well as my healing process. I found myself at a place where I couldn’t just simply get on a stage and entertain, because it gets empty when you’re only doing it for entertainment’s sake. It has no meaning if you’re not connecting with yourself or with others. Once Upon A Time Called Now allowed me to create something that was honest, and something that speaks to people.
The show is clearly a multi-faceted work that is all-inclusive of things that it becomes clear Lerman loves and even of life lessons she has learned.
Michela: In creating this piece, I have gotten very deep into some spiritual and healing practices for myself. It is about being authentic to my dance practice, presented the way that I love to do it-with jazz music. Just having the opportunity to perform on that amazing stage at the Joyce Theater was a life-changing moment for me.
Who were her influencers?
I asked Lerman how she was first introduced to the art of tap dancing. She responded with a very lighthearted chuckle.
Michela: My mom is the person who exposed me to the world of tap dancing. She always loved the old movies and films. She grew up watching all of the classics from the golden age of Hollywood. Her favorite movies were those that featured the Nicholas Brothers, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. You know, all of the greats! She especially enjoyed watching famous tap dancers perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, tappers like Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates, and all of those other amazing people.
Lerman shares that her mom was a seamstress who sewed for a fashion designer. She was inspired by the kind of clothes those performers wore in the old movies and always admired the look and style of vintage clothing.
Michela: I was exposed to that world at a very young age. As a really little kid, I even paddled around in the house in my dress shoes.
Her transition from simply watching the old classics with her mom to committing to a life of dancing would follow at an impressively young age.
Michela: I was 5 when I saw the movie Tap. I saw Gregory Hines and just fell in love with what he was doing. Even at that young age, I was specifically moved by him. So I started asking my mother for tap dance lessons. One day a notice was posted in my kindergarten school. Children were needed for a special segment on Sesame Street. I was cast and we shot the segment in Washington Square Park with BeBe & CeCe Winans, and Elmo. To my surprise, that segment also featured Gregory Hines. The episode was called “Put On Your Tap Dancing Shoes.” Then I started taking lessons at Woodpeckers Tap Dance Center, where I was totally immersed in the culture of tap dancing. That was magical! After Woodpeckers closed, I bounced around from one tap dance class to another. During one of those classes, the dance teacher asked Buster Brown to stick around for our class. That was when I first met him. From then on, I stuck close to him. I was like a sponge, soaking up all of his steps and movements. I attended his jazz sessions that were held every Sunday night at Swing 46. That was really my next phase of growth and mentor-ship with Buster. Those were the experiences that really changed my life.”
Navigating the male-dominated art form
Though seemingly Lerman led a charmed life where doors seemed to just magically open, I still wanted to know what it was like navigating such a stellar career in a mostly male-dominated environment. During our interview, Lerman candidly revealed that being a female child star in the tap dance world came with many difficult challenges.
Michela: I came into the business very young. Everyone knew me as this happy12-year-old girl, a tap dance kid with magical mentoring, magical tours, and all of these amazing things happening to her. I’ve been blessed. I did experience a lot of wonderful things. But there was another side to that life. There was some darkness as well. Being a young woman who was totally immersed in two art forms that were very male-dominated, that presented a lot of difficult issues for me. Thankfully now, tap dancing has become forward-facing with many strong, vocal women. Female tap dancers have come a long way. We can’t be held back or under the guys anymore. The female power and presence are both so strong today. It is due time for women to have a place and a voice. But that was not the case by any means growing up. Back then, it was a real seriously male-dominated field, on every level. There were unwanted elements with the younger guys, and lots of toxic behavior. There were a lot of gates that I had to pass through. This was a serious boys’ club with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Luckily that all came with an expiration date. But sometimes it was pretty difficult to navigate. At one point, I found myself in a situation, where, as a teenager, I was abused by one of my dance teachers. A lot of people don’t know that about me. But I have had to live through that and other traumatic experiences.
Not wanting to interrupt the flow of Lerman’s unvarnished narrative, I waited as she paused and gathered her thoughts.
Michela: Now, I’m 35, and there’s a lot of stuff that I’ve dealt with in my life that I’ve never really confronted. I never really had the opportunity to express or confront a lot of things. Well, to begin, I’m a mutt. I have a lot of ethnicities and nationalities in me. So, there’s the identity issue. Personally, I’ve really struggled with that clash of identity, of not knowing exactly where to fit in, especially since I wanted to fit in. Then having to deal with how others saw me.
Lerman went on to talk about a violent identity encounter she had experienced once in the streets of Cleveland, Ohio.
Michela: I was attacked by a couple who asked me if I was Italian and I told them I was half Italian. The man grabbed me by my hair, and the woman punched me in the face. They both yelled at me and said I was Black, not Italian. I’ve had to carry a lot of stuff like that around inside me. But I kept my head down and kept going. I struggled through the pandemic with depression and healing, and the whole process of going through experiences, learning from them, shedding and immersing yourself.
For someone who has accomplished so much at still a young age, what’s next for Michela?
Empowering others
Michela: I’ve been on a fast-paced life since I was a little kid. Professionally I’d like to take this show further and further. Eventually I’d like to end up surrounding myself somewhere with nature. Right now, for me it’s all about using my work to empower others, the same way those who came before me did. I want to do meaningful things that last. As dancers, we have to remember those who came before and paved the way for us, women like Dianne Walker, Mabel Lee, Jeni LeGon, Marion Coles and the Silver Belles. As well as all of those women whose names are not known. It is up to my generation now to keep the work up, and keep going.
Ultimately, after talking with Michela Marino and Omar Edwards, two modern masters of tap, it would seem that the dance genre is indeed an inheritance passed down from generation to generation. Much like an oral tale tradition, the history and masters of yesteryear continue to be honored and celebrated. But, with the arrival of new storytellers, and even new Broadway musicals like Paradise Square, each will offer their own unique personal take on this undeniably invigorating genre of dance inclusive of cultural traditions, environment and their own unique gifts.
Wow! I know Michela from Cobi’s Place. She is one of the featured dancers on the tap dancer’s postage stamps. I have followed her rise as a dancer and am sooooo proud of her, but this is the first time I’m hearing so much of her personal story. I wish I’d heard about her show at the Joyce Theatre, I would have definitely gone. I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio and I could easily imagine that vicious attack by strangers on the street there, in my 1960’s youth… but that it’s still happening in the 21st century is particularly sad. Brava Sandhi!! This is a wonderful article.