That Rhythm, Those Blues

Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. Thomas Dorsey and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith

ABOUT TAP features stylistic performances and recollections by three of America’s leading male tap dancers: Steve Condos, Jimmy Slyde, and Chuck Green.

Early in the 19th Century two families, the Allens and Kathans, settled in the Southern Adirondack Mountains of New York State. By 1960's their descendants had isolated themselves in a remote hollow high in the mountains. Below lay the great Sacandaga Valley. Its rich lands rapidly filled with farms, factories and mills. By the end of the century, the Allens and the Kathans had intermarried: all the residents in the Hollow were related. Because of their isolation, misunderstandings developed between them and the outside world. The economic disasters of the 1930s shut down the factories and mills. In 1932 the Sacandaga River was dammed, flooding the fertile valley below the Hollow. Forced from their homes, the valley residents sought employment elsewhere, but the Allens and Kathans chose to remain up in the mountains.

The remarkable spirit of tap dancers and their history provides a joyous backdrop for intimate portraits of hoofers Sandman Sims, Chuck Green, and Bunny Briggs.

OUT OF BREATH shines the spotlight on the human cost paid by people living with sleep apnea and their loved ones. Yet, for all the darkness they face there is also light at the end of the tunnel as their hope, courage, and perseverance brings them closer to the promise of successful treatment.