Tap Dancer Beth Obermeyer

A profile and fan site for book author, event producer, world record attempt organizer, and professional tap dancer Beth Obermeyer. See also more Minnesota Tap Dancers and more Iowa Tap Dancers.

About Beth Obermeyer

NAME: Beth Obermeyer
FULL NAME: Mary Beth Sartor Obermeyer
DATE OF BIRTH: April 24, 1942
EDUCATION: Iowa State University (Journalism)
HUSBAND: Thomas Lynn Obermeyer (1941-2014)
ORIGINALLY FROM Mason City, Iowa, United States
CURRENT HOME: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Careers of Beth Obermeyer
- DANCER: Minnesota Dance Theatre Dancer (1973-1983)
- PUBLIC RELATIONS: "Ta Da: Events and Public Relations Company (1978-1990)
- AUTHOR: North Star Press Book Author (3 books: 2010-2012)

1979 Record Attempt: "Largest Tap Dance"
Beth Obermeyer also organized an October 1979 attempt to establish a new Guinness world record for the largest tap dance. She gathered 1,801 tap dancers wearing red white and blue on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 15, 1979 to open the Hennepin Center for the Arts. Their dance line was three blocks long and the local police band played "Yankee Doodle Dandy".
ARTICLE:
What Has 3,600 Feet and Opens an Art Center?
BOOK:
The Biggest Dance (by Beth Obermeyer)

1983 Record Attempt: "Long Distance Tap Danced Non Stop"
Beth Obermeyer attempted to set a new Guinness world record in July of 1983 for the longest tap dance, breaking three mile a world record set the previous year in San Francisco. She got the idea when she was preparing a lead a group of her tap dancing students through the streets of Minneapolis as part of an annual parade. (Beth and her 12 year old daughter Kristen were wearing giant apples made of foam board) Beth and her students 4.1 miles in 90-degree heat while dressed as a giant apples. They achieved that distance by adding a full mile to the parade's official route, starting their dance in the parade staging area and continuing to dance past the end of the parade route. They established a new record and it was listed in the 1985 Guinness Book as "the longest distance tap danced non-stop is 4.1 miles by a group of 22, led by Beth Obermeyer and her daughter Kristin 12, in 90 degree heat and 70 percent humidity".
BOOK:
1985 Guinness Book of World Records

Beth Obermeyer Dot Com
Official Web site of tap dancer and book author Beth Obermeyer. Main sections of the site include Beth's Books, Events, and Sparkle.

Social Media Beth Obermeyer Sites
Facebook "Beth Obermeyer" Page

Videos Featuring Beth Obermeyer
- First Biggest Tap Dance Flash Mob (1979)
- Ta Da Mary Beth Obermeyer Events Slide Show
- YouTube "Beth Sartor Obermeyer Videos" Channel

Related Articles
1999 "Long Distance Tap Dancing Record" Article

Books by Beth Obermeyer

The Biggest Dance
DATE PUBLISHED: May 15, 2011
PUBLISHER: North Star Press of St. Cloud
BINDING: Paperback
DIMENSIONS: 6 by 0.5 by 9 inches
NUMBER OF PAGES: 288
DESCRIPTION: The author's story about her successful effort to establish a Guinness World Record for the largest tap dance.

Big: World Records in the Streets
DATE PUBLISHED: May 2011
PUBLISHER: North Star Press of St. Cloud
BINDING: Paperback
DIMENSIONS: 6 by 0.5 by 9 inches
NUMBER OF PAGES: 256
DESCRIPTION: Stories about author's solo dancing experiences and her efforts to established several world records in the streets of Iowa and Minneapolis. Record attempts included the world's largest tap dance, the world's longest chorus line, the world's largest marching band, asix mile bucket brigade, leapfrogging in Frogtown, and a mass break dance.

The Days of Song and Lilacs
DATE PUBLISHED: May 2011
PUBLISHER: North Star Press of St. Cloud
BINDING: Paperback
DIMENSIONS: 6 by 0.8 by 8.9 inches
NUMBER OF PAGES: 305
DESCRIPTION: The author's personal story of growing up in the town of Mason City, Iowa in the 1950's.