Hoofer Howard Sims, known for sand-dancing

Howard "Sandman" Sims, 86, a distinctive and influential tap dancer who gained his nickname from dancing on the sand he sprinkled on a tap board or across the stage floor, has died.

Mr. Sims was famed for the range of percussive sounds his sand-dancing could produce — from the sweetest brushing to the most abrasive grinding. He died May 20 in New York City.

Although he had tap-danced since 3, he discovered his style accidentally while training to be a boxer and shuffling his feet in a rosin box, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1986. The result earned him widespread acclaim and sustained him during the decline of tap in the 1950s and '60s.

"They called the board my Stradivarius," Mr. Sims liked to say. "I could use any kind of music — or I could do it without any music at all."

He was born Jan. 24, 1917 — in Los Angeles, according to some sources, though others say Fort Smith, Ark. One of 10 children, he began dancing with his brothers on street corners. After breaking his hand twice, he gave up boxing and danced in Latin America before heading to New York City after World War II.

Dance historian Sally Sommer has described Mr. Sims' tap style as strong and vigorous: "body hunkered over, knees bent, feet digging into the floor — and his sand dance was characterized by clear, quick rhythms and subtle nuances."

Since he could not make a living tap-dancing, starting in the 1950s he worked at the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem as "the executioner," the man who yanked unpopular or downright awful performers off the stage on amateur nights. "Sometimes," he said in a 1987 New York Times interview, "performers wait outside to beat me up."

He also worked as the Apollo's stage manager and supported himself as a carpenter, mechanic and tap teacher. His students included such stellar dancers as Gregory Hines and Ben Vereen, but also boxers Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali, who came to him to improve their footwork.

In 1984, Mr. Sims won a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and used the money to teach dance to children in a Harlem parking lot.

Two years later, he appeared in "The Sand Dancer," a play by poet Sandra Hochman inspired by his life and career.

In 1989, he was widely seen in the film "Tap" and the PBS "Dance in America" special, "Tap Dance In America," both starring Hines. He also toured widely in the 1980s, dancing in 53 countries for the U.S. State Department.

He is survived by his wife, Solange; two daughters; one son; nine grandchildren; and a dozen great-grandchildren.