Dick Van Dyke has delighted audiences for decades with his tap dancing, and now the 99-year-old Hollywood legend is being formally recognized for his skills.
Later this year, Van Dyke will be inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame at the American Tap Dance Foundation’s 2025 Tap City Awards. The event will take place at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center in New York City on September 11 where the Mary Poppins star will be honored as a permanent fixture in tap dancing history. Along with Van Dyke, Tommy Tune, Lisa La Touche and the late Billy Strayhorn will also be honored.
“After the ATDF downsized in 2023, I began to feel the Tap City Awards were way too important to just stop,” ATDF Founding Director Tony Waag told Broadway World. “If our art-form is going to survive, we need to continue our commitment of recognizing the major figures who have made significant contributions to the field by honoring their legacies. Having felt very anxious to bring the Awards back, I approached the Lincoln Center Library, and they agreed. So, a very special thanks go to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the New York Public Library for their underwriting support.”
In June, Van Dyke sparked concern after he suddenly dropped out of an appearance at his musical fundraiser, Vandy Camp, due to illness. The Mary Tyler Moore Show alum’s wife, Arlene Silver, stepped in to host the event in his place.
“I have to inform you that Dick is not up to coming to celebrate with us today. I’m sorry,” Silver announced to attendees, per People. “When you’re 99 and a half years old, you have good days and bad days … and unfortunately, today is not a good day for him, and he’s sick that he can’t be here.”
However, she added that she was “pretty confident” Van Dyke would be able to attend the next Vandy Camp event “in person.”
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