A video or slide show or music and dance performances prefaced each of the other awards. Highlights were many, including Sally Sommer’s loving tribute to Hall-of-Famer Charles “Cholly” Atkins (1913-2003), notable not only for the cool wit of his performing but also his expert dance coaching of many of Motown’s hottest acts; a dramatic slide show tracing the history of vaudeville’s remarkable Whitman Sisters act, about whom, regrettably, there is no film documentation; Michela Marino Lerman gifting jazz and tap show producer Cobi Norita (Cobi’s Place), a Tap Preservation Award winner, with a shimmering solo; and Max Pollak’s Rumba Tap ensemble serving up a vivacious new Afro-Cuban voice-and-dance number before longtime dancer/colleague Chikako Iwahori, presenting Pollak’s Hoofer Award, spoke of his formidable intensity and generosity. A momentarily overwhelmed Pollak recovered enough to quip, “Being the only Austrian who has ever gotten this award makes me want to have a beer with you all.”

via InfiniteBody