Northwest Tap Connection Blends Movement With Mission For Racial Justice

Tucked away in a tan building on Rainier Avenue is the colorful world of Melba Ayco, affectionately known as Ms. Melba, and her dance studio, Northwest Tap Connection. There, among walls covered in art from the African diaspora, children learn more than rhythmic tap, African dance, and hip hop—they form family and identity with the help of Ayco and her daughter, Shaina Proctor, who serves as artistic director of Northwest Tap Connection.

Proctor first discovered her love for dance at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, where teacher Darrlyn Smith introduced students to tap during recess. Smith, who shared Louisiana roots with Ayco, soon bonded with her over their mutual passion for tap. Encouraged by Ayco, Smith launched TTAAPP Central (Talent, Tap, Acting, Arts, Performance & Production) in the Central District to create a dedicated space for young dancers.

Ayco helped run TTAAPP Central behind the scenes, raising funding to help grow and sustain the organization while Smith served as a mentor to Proctor and other students.

“She would always tell us, ‘Kids, you guys got to learn these steps. You got to pass this along to the next generation. I’m not always going to be here,’” Proctor said.

After Smith passed away, Ayco and Smith’s husband kept the program running for as long as they could, with Proctor and other student leaders stepping up to teach the younger dancers. Eventually, Ayco launched her own studio in 2006 to keep Smith’s legacy alive, and Northwest Tap Connection was born.

Ayco’s experiences growing up in segregated New Orleans and attending a Rosenwald school—a network of Southern schools built to educate Black children during the Jim Crow era—instilled in her a deep passion for racial justice and comprehensive education of Black heritage.

At Northwest Tap Connection, she integrates this passion into classes where children learn history, geography, and Black music, and work on puzzles to build teamwork skills.

“Our goal is to take children out of institutionalized spaces and bring them into community spaces where they can learn about their heritage, truths without white lies or whitewashing,” Ayco said, wearing bright purple hair and bold blue lipstick.

Before founding Northwest Tap Connection, Ayco and her husband worked for the police department. During that time, she witnessed the injustices faced by young people, especially those from marginalized communities. The couple set aside money to fund educational trips for children, giving them opportunities to explore the African diaspora firsthand. During one of those trips to Barbados, Ayco learned to plant a maypole—known there as an emancipation pole or plait pole. Today, a version of that pole stands outside her studio, next to a mural that reads, “Hard times require furious dancing.”

Now, Proctor carries on Smith’s legacy as an instructor and uses tap to teach students life lessons.

“I let them know, this step might be a little difficult. It might take some time, but you will eventually get it as long as you don’t give up and keep trying,” Proctor said. “And I explain that to them, in all aspects of life you might not get it the first time, and that is completely okay, but you have to try your hardest at all times so that way you can get it.”

According to Proctor, the studio’s students range from the ages of three to 76, and they learn far more than just dance.

“We teach the students that you can use dance as your voice. Because for me, I never felt that confident speaking my feelings, but I would take what I was feeling and incorporate that into my dance,” Proctor said. “So, if something in the world was upsetting me, I would dance that out to get out my frustrations and be able to voice how I felt about things.”

In one of the many studios in the back of Northwest Tap Connection, among posters of tap icons like Dianne Walker, James Buster Brown, and Buck and Bubbles, Ayco echoed Proctor’s words and said she emphasizes teaching students about integrity.

In addition to travel opportunities, Northwest Tap Connection has done programming to support families throughout the years, like teaching white families raising Black children how to do their hair and giving out food during COVID.

Ayco uses her whole body when she talks, frequently referencing her Gullah Geechee and Black Seminole heritage. Sitting in the sun outside of the studio, she said each Gullah person is given a song. On hard days, she sings her song to remind her of her purpose.

“I just want to live so God can use me. Any time, any place, anywhere,” she sang. “I just want to let my, my little light shine. I just want to help somebody find their way.”

Ayco has dreams of expanding Northwest Tap Connection to become a children’s museum to teach children about the African diaspora and Black experiences, featuring Black music and Broadway productions. She wants to expand the building to house dormitories for students as a safe place to stay.

“Instead of taking 20 or 30 kids to Chicago with airplanes, they can stay here and I can bring instructors from over in Brazil, Barbados, they come here, they have this place here that’s been blessed by my mother and sister. That’s my goal,” Ayco said.