An endlessly inventive performance.
The Free Press, London, Ontario, Canada
His virtuosity and versatility are unsurpassed.
DWZ, Hameln, Germany
A dazzling midway solo by guest tapper extraordinaire Ira Bernstein.
The Dayton Daily News, Dayton, OH
He is a first-rate showman, a creative dancer and brilliant technician.
St. Louis Dispatch, St. Louis, MO
An irresistible performance...Ira Bernstein does a virtuoso clog dance.
Boston Herald, Boston, MA
An astounding display of his speed, dexterity and flair, not to mention stamina.
The News, Lancaster, PA
Amiable host Ira Bernstein proves an adept and highly versatile step-dancing master
himself.
Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL
An expert in Appalachian clog and step dancing...He knows purity of style and has an
international ear.
The New Yorker, NYC, NY
Bernstein...gave us the exuberance of Bolger and the elegance of Astaire--with some
down-home heel-kickin' thrown in.
Schenectady Gazette, Schenectady, NY
A spectacular solo performance of Appalachian flatfoot clogging...Until you've seen
Ira Bernstein flatfooting, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Folk Roots, London, England
Ira Bernstein, a definite innovator, threw clog dance steps into his variety-packed
phrases, which began with an amble and whipped into a jiving finish.
The New York Times, NYC, NY
Upper body cool, arms dangling, Bernstein simply hangs out above piston-driving knees
that pop up and down, cracking his feet against the floor in smooth-rolling rhythm.
The Village Voice, NYC, NY
The forthright, earthy razzle-dazzle of clogger and festival organizer Ira
Bernstein...the ever-energetic Bernstein burst through an exemplary battery of pedestrian
percussion.
Dance Magazine, NYC, NY
Bernstein provides percussion with his feet, and he does it so well you wonder why
more people aren't shouting his name from the housetops...unbelievable flatfoot
percussion.
Times Tribune, Palo Alto, CA
A stunning display of Appalachian dancing...Bernstein enthralled the crowd with an
endlessly inventive performance that could earn him the title of the Fred Astaire of folk
dancing.
The Free Press, London, ONT, CANADA
Consummate clogger Ira Bernstein...gave an astounding display of his speed, dexterity
and flair, not to mention stamina, in an extended solo routine that combined the heavy
steps of clogging with the bravura of tap.
The News, Lancaster, NY
Bernstein is one of the best cloggers performing today and a formidable technician.
His rhythms fall crisp and clean; the rolls purr. His bounding style is
beguiling: The foot snaps down from the knee yet he seems to skim the floor.
Dance Magazine, NYC, NY
He's hot as a revved engine, his power intensifying the more pumped up he gets.
Smooth horizontal slides accelerate in a nanosecond into legs that swish like
washing-machine rotators, then shoot open only to snap shut like a clothespin.
The Boston Phoenix, Boston, MA
Bernstein's strength lies in his versatility, dancing a subtle, musical soft-shoe in
the first set and a virtuostic clogging solo in the second. In a jazzy routine,
"Jive at Five," he interspersed soft jumps and long slides into his breezy
rhythms.
Boston Herald, Boston, MA
And pulling it all together was Ira Bernstein, the multifaceted co-host--a man capable
of doing an English hornpipe, a South African boot dance, an Appalachian flatfooting clog,
a mellow soft-shoe and a classic jazz tap routine with equal panache.
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, IL
Dance and music triumphed...when Ira Bernstein presented a program of tap and clog
dancing...All the while his feet chattered away on the floor with such rhythmic intricacy
that one knew why he called his program 'An Evening of Ten Toe Percussion.'
The New York Times, NYC, NY
He begins with smooth, slow rhythms which gradually speed up in pace and intensity.
A walk turns into fast turns, difficult jumps over the stage and sliding taps of
his shoes. The clicking turns into animated melody, changes of sound color, changes
of tempo and well chosen silences.
Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgart, Germany
...his miraculous feet carry the act in eclectic blends of tap, clog and step
dancing... Bernstein can carry on sonic designs while traveling across the stage, he can
jump, syncopate, or soft-shoe in intricate patterns, and all the while looking natural and
at ease, as if he were sauntering across the street.
New York Press, NYC, NY
The real crowd pleaser was Ira Bernstein, part Appalachian clogger, part Harlem street
shuffler. The youthful Bernstein, his hair bound in a modest ponytail, engaged the
audience with a fifteen-minute dance improvisation wrapped loosely around the framework of
an old English reel. Just when it seemed that he had tired or run out of ideas,
Bernstein broke the pattern and set off on a fresh tangent.
The Courant, Hartford, CT
Clogger Steals the Show! Clogger Ira Bernstein did more than steal the show at
this year's Summerfolk music and crafts festival. He tap danced off stage with it. Of 26 acts playing on the main stage Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, this New
York native was the only performer to receive a standing ovation. That was no small
task considering Bernstein shared the stage with some impressive acts over the three-day
festival. Bernstein was also the only dance act to perform on the main stage.
The Sun Times, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
