Press Releases
FLINT’S TAPOLOGY FESTIVAL RETURNS AS A NATIONAL INCUBATOR FOR BLACK ARTISTRY, COUNTERING ERASURE WITH “RHYTHM, REVERENCE, AND REVELATION”
December 23, 2025
FLINT, MI — Tapology, one of the nation’s longest-running tap dance festivals, proudly announces its 24th annual celebration: “Matters of the He(A)rt: Rhythm, Reverence, and Revelation.” This four-day gathering of dancers, musicians, and educators returns to Flint’s Cultural District from February 5–8, 2026, shifting the local narrative from tragedy to resilience by showcasing Flint as a premier incubator of world-class talent.
This year’s festival holds profound significance as it honors the vision of Founder Alfred “Bruce” Bradley, whose recent recovery from heart surgery serves as the festival’s living metaphor: both the heart and the art keep us alive. Bradley, a Flint-born international touring artist whose Broadway and European career laid the foundation for a rich artistic life dedicated to teaching, mentorship, and cultural preservation helped shape generations of tap dancers — many now performing, teaching, and leading across the country.
Tapology in the News
Tapology’s annual festival honors founder and the healing power of rhythm
Founded in 2001, Tapology has grown into one of the nation’s longest-running tap dance festivals. The festival returns to Flint’s Cultural District Feb. 5–8 for its 24th annual celebration, featuring live performances, classes and community engagement.
Focus on 5: Tapology Tap Festival
For Alfred “Bruce” Bradley, the sound of tap shoes has always been more than rhythm. It has been about community.
The Pulse Continues: Inside Tapology’s Intergenerational Legacy
For more than a century, tap dancing has stood as one of America’s most enduring art forms, born from African American rhythm traditions and carried onto stages around the world. It’s safe to say that no matter what was going on globally, we all connected and could hardly resist the enchantment of tap dancing. In Flint, that legacy has a name: Bruce Bradley.
A ‘Family Reunion:’ Tapology Welcomes Back Alumni for Annual Tap Fest
For Alfred “Bruce” Bradley, the sound of tap shoes has always been more than rhythm. It has been about community.
Tapology and FIM present 2023 Fall Tap Festival and concert
FLINT, Mich. – Tapology, in partnership with FIM, recently announced the 2023 Fall Tap Festival, and the Embodied Experiences: A Spiritual Dimension of Sound Concert. The festival will be a celebration of faith, tradition, generational connections and community. The highly anticipated festival will honor Emmy and Gregory Hines Award-winning tap dancer, teacher, choreographer and humanitarian Jason Samuels Smith, during the annual Living Legend Luncheon. Events will also include Visiting Schools Days, a tap competition and master classes taught by world-class artists and performers. The festival will take place from Thursday, November 2 to Sunday, November 5, 2023.
Bruce Bradley: A Taproot Fellow
“Being a Taproot fellow fosters a heightened sense of self-esteem, which helps fuel my lifelong endeavor to reach my full potential as a human being.” – Bruce Bradley
Tapology enriches lives through dance, education and community outreach
LaCresia Brown knew at a young age that she was meant to be a dancer, but it took her several years to hone her craft and fully believe in her potential. She had moments of doubt and frustration that made her question her own skills, but she knew she loved dance, and for her, that was a good place to start.
Bruce Bradley: Building a legacy in Flint through dance
Bruce Bradley is a dancer, mentor, instructor, father and a friendly face known throughout the Flint community. For the past 22 years, he has been the guiding force behind Tapology, a nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to promoting what he describes as the “science of dance and art of rhythm” through performance, education and community outreach.