The Berkeley Carroll Middle School recently gathered in the Sterling Performance Space to celebrate Black History Month with a dynamic visit from tap dancer, choreographer, and educator Maud Arnold.

Arnold guided students through the rich history of tap, tracing its origins to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, when enslaved Africans in America used their feet as instruments to create rhythm, music, and even to communication. Through both storytelling and performance, she illuminated tap as a distinctly African American art form, one born from resilience, creativity, and community.

A member of the acclaimed tap ensemble Syncopated Ladies, Arnold also highlighted the contributions of pioneering Black tap artists whose names are not always widely recognized, including Mable Lee and The Nicholas Brothers. Students learned how these performers helped shape and elevate tap into the art form it is today.

Arnold connected tap to other cultural art forms such as hip-hop, the blues, and graffiti, emphasizing their shared roots as expressions of protest and empowerment, all functioning as a coded language, as well as a community-based art form, practiced in circles, and on street corners, emphasizing collective over individual identity.

Students were especially excited to learn about the “cutting contest,” an improvised dance battle where performers face off in rhythmic conversation. Several brave volunteers took the stage to try their own moves, cheered on by their peers.

Following the assembly, Arnold led a special workshop for students in grades 5 through 8, offering hands-on instruction and encouraging dancers to explore rhythm, improvisation, and self-expression.

Berkeley Carroll extends its sincere thanks to Maud Arnold for sharing her artistry and deepening our community’s understanding of the cultural and historical significance of tap dance.

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