For more than two decades, something extraordinary has happened every year in the Flint Cultural District. Hundreds of students, many of whom have never experienced live performance art, flood into the Flint Public Library and Flint Institute of Arts. By the time they leave, they have discovered something about themselves they did not know before: they have rhythm.
This is Visiting Schools Days, the opening act of the annual Tapology Tap Festival, and it may be one of the most important arts education experiences happening anywhere in Michigan.
More Than a Field Trip
When students arrive at Visiting Schools Days, they are not sitting passively watching a performance. They are stepping onto the floor, moving their feet, and learning that tap dance is not just entertainment. It is mathematics, history, and cultural inheritance, all expressed through rhythm.
The program brings Flint area students face to face with professional teaching artists from across the country and has served more than 700 young people annually since Tapology’s founding in 2001. For many children, this is their first exposure to the science of rhythm, the understanding that tap is percussion and that dancers are musicians who play the floor with their feet.
“We’re not just teaching dance steps. We’re teaching kids that this art form belongs to them. That it was born from African American creativity and resilience. That when they tap, they’re speaking a language passed down through generations.”Frances Bradley, Artistic Director
The 24th Annual Festival: Matters of the He(A)rt
This February, Visiting Schools Days takes on special significance as part of Tapology’s 24th annual festival, themed Matters of the He(A)rt: Pulse of a Legacy. The theme carries deep meaning. Founder Alfred “Bruce” Bradley returns to lead the festival after surviving a major heart attack last year, a recovery that mirrors the resilience he has taught countless students through tap.
Bradley did not begin tap dancing until he was 33 years old. He went on to tour Europe in the Tony Award winning Black and Blue and perform Off Broadway in productions such as One Mo’ Time. Instead of remaining in New York, he chose to return to Flint and bring world class training to Michigan’s youth.
“I founded Tapology because I wanted Black children in Flint to know this art form belongs to them. I wanted to bring the same level of training I saw in New York and Europe right here to Saginaw Street.”Alfred “Bruce” Bradley, Founder
That mission continues through Visiting Schools Days, where students discover that the heartbeat of life and the rhythm of tap are connected. Both require care, discipline, and passion to survive.
What Students Experience
During the two day program on February 5 and 6, 2026, students from Greater Flint area schools will:
- Learn the History: Students receive historical presentations at the Flint Public Library on tap’s origins as an indigenous Black American art form, a percussive language born from creativity, resistance, and resilience.
- Meet the Masters: World renowned teaching artists, including Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute lecturer Alexandria “Brinae Ali” Bradley, lead interactive sessions with students.
- Get Moving: Students participate in beginning level tap classes, discovering connections between rhythm, patterns, mathematics, music theory, and movement.
- Experience Live Performance: The program culminates in an interactive live performance where students witness professional artistry up close and see what is possible when dedication meets talent.
A Legacy of Impact
The numbers tell part of the story. Tapology serves more than 1,000 young people annually through its programs. The real impact, however, is measured in transformed lives.
Alumni have gone on to perform and teach professionally on stages around the world. Many return to Flint to mentor the next generation. For every student who discovers their rhythm at Visiting Schools Days, a door is opened. Some will continue into the Summer Tap Intensive. Others will join the Youth Ensemble. Many will simply carry the confidence that comes from knowing they can make music with their own bodies.
Black History Month Done Right
Taking place during Black History Month, Visiting Schools Days positions tap as what it truly is: a cultural inheritance. Students learn not only dance steps, but their place within a lineage that stretches back through generations.
Tap is rhythm, percussion, community, and musicianship. It is a live conversation between dancer and musician, between history and future, between art and community.
Join the Movement
The 24th Annual Tapology Festival runs February 5 through 8, 2026 in the Flint Cultural District.
- Visiting Schools Days:
February 5 to 6, 2026
9:00 AM to 1:30 PM
Flint Public Library and Flint Institute of Arts - Matters of the He(A)rt Gala:
February 5, 2026, 6:00 PM
Honoring Alfred Bruce Bradley - Master Classes and Tap Competition:
February 7, 2026 - Matters of the He(A)rt Concert:
February 8, 2026, 3:00 PM
FIM Whiting Auditorium
Those who wish to support the mission can participate in Tapology’s Sponsor a Student program, ensuring access for youth who might otherwise be unable to attend.
Excellence does not require leaving your zip code. It can happen right here in the heart of Flint, wherever young feet meet the floor and discover their rhythm.
Learn more and register at tapology.org
About Tapology
Tapology, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of tap dance through performance, education, and community outreach. Founded by Alfred “Bruce” Bradley in 2001, Tapology has served as a cultural beacon in Flint for more than two decades.