Sunday, December 8, 2013

A story about Leather Shoes

        I'm always thinking about things to write, sometimes i just want to focus historic topics, sometimes i want to speak my mind. I just wanted to write something quickly to let everyone know, i actually didn't know that many people were actually reading this blog.
         I hear all kinds of topics people bring up in the dance world which always create interesting topics, and what a great day we live in, when anyone start a blog like this and share something with the world.
      One topic that came up recently was a vegan dancer wanting to get a better shoe for a dance called the Balboa shuffle. Ideally, hard leather sole are the fastest but she wanted a shoe that was not animal products.          I honestly didn't know what to say, hell, why would i know? I wear regular old leather shoes, and love eating meat.
         
          This topic reminded me of story of one of the greatest modern day Tap dancers to have ever lived. Chance Taylor, who unfortunately passed away far to young and spent some time in San Pedro and that's where i would come to know him.
        Chance, was a deep guy that i loved hanging around. We would jam at Sacred Grounds Coffee House, and the spend hours sitting out front on the corner talking about philosophy, animals and life.
         He was very spiritual, living a vegan life. He didn't wear leather, eat meat and sitting before me was one of 3 (Savion Glover, Jason Samuels Smith) who held the future of Tap in their hands, according to Gregory Hines.

        I was impressived, shocked and humbled to have someone like him spending this time together.
 The biggest problem was that Chance could never find a quality tap shoe, that was man made. Apparently, he tried.....Chance, made an exception and would wear used taps, handed down to him from Savion.
        He was not purchasing any animal product, He was using what would be waste and it wasn't not for fashion....and that too me was one of the most common sense things I've heard from a vegan.