Reggio “The Hoofer” McLaughlin is a Chicago native who began tap dancing in the parks district. He performed with Ernest “Brownie” Brown, a member of the Original Copasetics, from 1994 to 2009 and continues to share the histories and traditions from Brownie and his generation. McLaughlin teaches at the Old Town School of Folk Music and is Flo-Bert Award recipient.

 

August 01, 2017: McLaughlin charts his evolution and education as a tap dancer and expresses what he loves about the art form. He tells stories of taking class from Jimmy Payne, busking in the Chicago subway, and visiting New York to hone his chops at tap jams. He relates histories of his former partner, Ernest “Brownie” Brown, and describes what it was like to work with him for the last 15 years of his life.