On Air Now
Early Breakfast with Lucy Coward 4am - 6:30am
22 January 2021, 13:54 | Updated: 27 January 2021, 08:53
The charming moment a pint-sized tap dancer was joined on stage by a professional more than three times his age, but was undeterred...
For principle tap dancer Justin M Lewis, clickety-clacking under the spotlight was no new feat. He’d been doing it since he was five years old, after all.
But for his dance partner Luke Spring, it was a tad more nerve-racking – because, well, he was only six years old.
And though decades of age and experience stood between the two performers, it really didn’t show.
Joyously tap dancing in unison, the pair confidently owned the stage as they effortlessly mirrored each other’s moves (watch below).
Read more: Giant tap-dancing noses star in this surreal Shostakovich opera >
Tap dance showdown between toddler and seasoned pro
When the lively two-minute routine comes to an end, Justin scoops his young partner into his arms before gesturing for the boy to take a bow. N’aw.
Unsurprisingly, the energetic performance is met with rapturous applause from the audience throughout.
Filmed back in 2011, the duo delighted the audience at the world’s largest tap festival, the D.C. Tap Festival in Washington.
A few years after the now-viral performance, Luke placed third in the Mini Division at the New York City Dance Alliance’s National Outstanding Dancer competition.
Chloe Arnold, a co-founder of DC Tap Fest, told the Washington Post: “Luke’s future is beyond bright. I see dancers all over the world, and I’ve never seen a kid like Luke. He’s executing sounds with power, force, rhythmic clarity and speed. He’s just phenomenal. And the best part is that he’s just so much fun to be around. He’s just here to work hard, do what he loves and have a great time.”
A decade on, a now-teenage Luke is still pursuing the performing arts and hopes to soon find a way to help Alzheimer’s patients through the power of dance. What a star.