{"id":14590,"date":"2022-01-06T20:57:08","date_gmt":"2022-01-07T01:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/?p=14590"},"modified":"2022-01-06T20:57:08","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T01:57:08","slug":"features-200","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/?p=14590","title":{"rendered":"Features"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remembering dance lessons at the Steel Hotel<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sherry Kentfield Szekeres asks readers, “Who remembers dance lessons in the Steel Hotel basement with Jimmy Walters and Peg Leg Bates?”<\/p>\n

From the 1920s through the 1980s, Clayton \u201cPeg Leg\u201d Bates (1907-1998) tap danced across the world and became one of the most well-known performers in his field. In his many travels, the Lansing area became one of his frequent stops in the late 1950s and \u201960s.<\/p>\n

The South Carolina native, who lost his leg in a cottonseed-gin mill accident at age 12, died in 1998 at age 91. During his decades-long career, he performed on many prominent television shows, like \u201cThe Ed Sullivan Show,\u201d but also made frequent tour stops at the Lansing Civic Center and other local venues. At the time Bates would often commute from his home in Chicago, where he lived with his wife and two children.<\/p>\n

During his local press interviews, Bates also talked about the loss of his leg, from the knee down, at a young age. \u201cI feel the Lord made it possible for me to help others and encourage persons with physical disabilities,\u201d he said. \u201cI have tried to do that since my accident.\u201d<\/p>\n