ALDE LEWIS

The Tap Dance Kid Arrives at Ensemble – 2025

“Alde Lewis recalls dancing on Broadway with Tommy Tune as his director and choreographer. As a young man he won a dance contest at Showtime at the Apollo. He spent a couple years on the road traveling with Cab Calloway. He was in Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Cotton Club. He was the featured tap dancer in Big Deal, the last Broadway show Bob Fosse directed and choreographed.

Starting this week, his lengthy resume expands as he takes to the Ensemble stage to play the part of Daddy Bates, the grandfather to a 10-year-old girl (in this production) who wants to tap in Tony Award-winning The Tap Dance Kid written by Charles Blackwell, Henry Kreiger and Robert Lorick.” 

Lewis says he is self-taught for the most part as a tap dancer. He had a few classes when he was young, he says, but they were part of the package that had him taking ballet as well. Growing up in Flint, Michigan, he says he entered a lot of dance contests and won them.

He moved to New York City and on a dare went to the Apollo and entered the dance contest and managed to win it. He caught the eye of the famous tapper Charles “Honi” Coles who encouraged him to take up tapping because of the “syncopation” he saw in Lewis’s dancing style.

“At one point I was considered one of the top tap dancers in the world. Eileen [Ensemble Theatre Artistic Director Eileen Morris] wanted to do The Tap Dance Kid because she knew that I was staying here in Houston now,” Lewis said.

Even though the Ensemble show is called The Tap Dance Kid, Lewis said “the major tapping in the show is going to be by Granddad.” 

MARGARET DOWNING is the editor-in-chief who oversees the Houston Pressnewsroom

https://www.houstonpress.com/arts/preview-the-tap-dance-kid-at-houstons-ensemble-theatre-20658742

Alde Lewis and Zamira Williams hit the boards in The Tap Dance Kid. Photo by Carlos Figueroa @JPEGSbyCarlos

Alde Lewis – The Beat

 

ShowBiz Stories
Apollo theater Broadway Dance

Broadway dancer and master tapper Alde Lewis, tells his personal and true story about his professional journey from Michigan to Broadway.

Dancing with the likes of Bob Fosse, Tommy Tune, Honi Coles.

What a journey!

 

 

My purpose is to be the presence of Almighty God’s Peace in any and all environments

and situations of life.

 

 

I dance because I’m asked to move and create continually in order to inspire by God.

 

I’ve come to accept that’s what truly moves me. 

 

“All else is fluff…”

 

“A revelation was given to me by God back in 2003 that created a paradigm shift in thought and practice. Sitting at my dining room table a thought came across my mind that said, “In the want of nothing, you’ll have everything. Then and only then will you know Me in the fullness of the I Am that I Am!”

Throwback @ 6 years old

Pages:

iforcolor

ARCHIVIST, EDUCATOR, HISTORIAN, and ARTiST
Dale Ricardo Shields is highly accomplished African American actor, director, producer, and educator with a distinguished career in theatre and academia.

Here's a summary of his background and achievements:

Early Life and Family:
Born on November 4, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio.
His family has a strong musical background; his grandfather and father were founding members of the Shields Brothers Gospel Quartet of Ohio, and his mother was part of the Turner Gospel Singers.
He is a cousin of boxing promoter Don King.
Education:
Graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1970.
Holds both a BFA (1975) and MFA (1995) from Ohio University.

Career and Contributions
Theatre Professional:
Actor: Has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in regional productions. His television credits include The Cosby Show, Another World, Guiding Light, Saturday Night Live, and the ITV series Special Needs. He has also appeared in commercials and films.
Director and Stage Manager: Has extensive professional credits in these roles, including projects at Lincoln Center, The Henry Street Settlement House (New Federal Theatre), The Negro Ensemble Company, and The Joseph Papp Public Theatre.
Assistant Director: Served as assistant to Lloyd Richards and assistant director for the New Federal Theatre premiere of Ossie Davis's play A Last Dance With Sybil starring Ruby Dee and Earl Hyman.

Educator:
Professor: He is a Professor of Acting, Directing, Black Theatre, Black Studies, and Stage Management. He has taught at various institutions, including Ohio University, The College of Wooster, Denison University, Macalester College, Susquehanna University (as artist-in-residence), and SUNY Potsdam.
Workshops and Programs: Conducted workshops for Joseph Papp's Playwriting in the Schools Program (PITS) at The Public Theatre for six seasons and represented the United States at the ASSITEJ Theatre Festival in London, England, in 1988.
Artistic Activist and Historian:

Iforcolor.org: Creator and archivist for the Black History website Iforcolor.org, dedicated to preserving and sharing information about African Americans and artists of color. He also maintains the "Black Theatre/African American Voices" website on Facebook.
Project1VOICE Liaison: Serves as the Project1VOICE Liaison for the state of Ohio, directing "One Play One Day" events in Cleveland since 2011.

Awards and Recognition:
The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award: Recipient in 2017.
Paul Robeson Award: Recipient in 2021 (jointly presented by the Actors' Equity Association and Actors' Equity Foundation).
AUDELCO/"VIV" Special Achievement Award: Received in 2017.
Tony Award Nominee: Nominated for the "Excellence in Theatre Education Award" in 2015 and 2017.
Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) Legend Award: Received from Ohio University in 2022.
ENCORE AWARD / The Actors Fund: Received in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Outstanding Professor Awards: Has received two of these and three "Educational Program of the Year" awards as a university professor.
The HistoryMakers archives: Interviewed and included in The HistoryMakers archives, permanently housed in the Library of Congress.
Dale Ricardo Shields is recognized for his profound impact on the lives of his students and his unwavering dedication to preserving and promoting Black theatre history and culture.