Faculty Bios

Chloe Arnold (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) is an International Tap Star. Her latest hit, BEYONCE TAP SALUTE by her company Chloé's Syncopated Ladies, has gone viral, reaching over 400,000 hits in under 36 hours endorsed by Beyonce herself, "They Killed It". (syncopatedladies.com). As a leading lady in the Art Form of Tap, Chloé has wooed audiences in over 21 countries and 35 states. Her work can be seen on film, television, and stages worldwide. Co-Founder of DC Tap Festival and Co-Director of LA Tap Festival, Chloé's most recent highlights include a recurring role as an Onyx Girl on HBO's Boardwalk Empire, Choreographing a commercial for Canon, performing at Madison Square Garden for the opening of the NY Knicks 2013-2014 season, working with Beyonce on the 2013 Pepsi and H&M campaigns, guest performing on NBC's America's Got Talent, ABC’s Dancing With The Stars and FOX's So You Think You Can Dance, a sold-out NY run of her One Woman show My Life. My Diary. My Dance. at La MaMa in New York City, Global Fusion Concert in Dubai with 10 of the world's most accomplished musicians, and performing with Chloé's Syncopated Ladies at the star-studded “One Night Only” Homecoming Gala Concert Cabaret at the Howard Theatre in Washington, DC. Chloé is also a female entrepreneur that holds an Ivy League degree from Columbia University. She and her sister co-founded Chloé and Maud Productions and DC Tap Festival, and currently produce a travel web series, Chloé's World. For more information: www.chloearnold.com

Megan Bartula (Guest Teacher) Born and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Megan Bartula stepped into her first dance class at the age of 4.  A tap enthusiast from the start, her early beginnings soon spread to include intensive training in ballet and jazz at Deborah's Stage Door Center for the Performing Arts, where she spent 10 years as a member of their national award-winning competition team.  While completing a liberal arts degree at the University of Michigan, Megan was an executive member, dancer, and choreographer for the Michigan Rhythm Tap Ensemble. 

Megan moved to New York in 2008 and has since worked with such legendary tap choreographers as Derick K. Grant, Brenda Bufalino, Max Pollak, Lynn Schwab, Ray Hesselink and Lisa LaTouche, and spent 5 years as a member of Michelle Dorrance’s Bessie Award winning company Dorrance Dance.  Recent performances include Vail Dance Festival, New York City Center, Jacob’s Pillow, The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Fire Island Dance Festival, Chicago’s Harris Theater, Spoleto Festival and NYC’s SummerStage.  Megan has also served as dance captain on numerous projects and continues to train, perform, and teach in New York City and in the Midwest.

Jason Bernard (Guest Teacher) is a native New Yorker from The Bronx, New York. He began experiencing theater at the age of four and began his Tap training at the age of six at The Ruth Williams Dance School and The Dance Theatre of Harlem. At the age of 17 Jason made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-Winning musical Bring In Da' Noise, Bring In Da' Funk. In 2000, Jason made his feature film debut in The Spike Lee Film Bamboozled as J. Bunny. Jason has had the honor of dancing alongside Gregory Hines in The Showtime Original Movie Bojangles. He also toured the world for ten years with the international dance show Riverdance in addition to briefly joining its Broadway cast. Jason was featured in two productions for Cois Ceim Dance Theatre, Dodgems, and Boxes, both in Ireland. Most recently, he was featured in the Broadway production After Midnight (Cotton Club Parade). Utilizing his extensive knowledge of the theater, Jason directed and was the wardrobe supervisor for Kris Johnson's Jim Crow's Tears. He has had the honor to learn from the masters of the art of Tap dance, and is truly privileged to teach the art all over the world!

Rachel Binney (Teacher) is a tap dancer based in New York City. Rachel began dancing in Brewster, NY where she studied as a multidisciplinary dancer with Nicole Aravena. She took a special interest in tap dance, and sought further training at Steps on Broadway with Derick K Grant, and the American Tap Dance Foundation as part of the Tap City Youth Ensemble. Some of Rachel's performance appearances include the New York City Tap Festival, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Tribeca Film Festival, Dance Off The Grid, Tap Family Reunion, Steps Beyond Foundation’s Performance Lab, and more. Rachel has co-produced and choreographed a show entitled "Love Notes to Tap Dance" through the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU. Rachel joined Dance Lab New York as Rehearsal Director for their 2022 Tap Dance Lab Cycle under the direction of Ayodele Casel and Torya Beard with choreographers Naomi Funaki, Dario Natarelli, and Demi Remick. Rachel attended Lehman College for Rehabilitation Science and seeks to continue collaborations with arts education organizations such as A Free Bird and Dance Education Equity Association (DEEA). Rachel is currently on faculty at Rivertown Dance Academy and a guest teacher at studios across the greater New York (city) area.

Alexandria “Brinae Ali” Bradley (Guest Teacher) has an interdisciplinary approach in using the power of the arts to uplift and inspire the human spirit. Through heredity and the mentorship of her father Alfred Bruce Bradley, Mable Lee, Dianne Walker, and others, Bradley has been studying performing arts since the age of 3 years. After all the early exposure of professional shows and opportunities to share the stage with pioneers and legendary artists, Bradley decided to moved to New York and pursue her career. While attending Marymount Manhattan College as a theater major in acting, she was blessed to work and train professionally in Savion Glover’s tap company Tii Dii. In 2004, Ali began working on her solo performance showcasing her vocals, compositions, dance, and poetry. She has performed at Ashford and Simpson’s Sugar Bar, Bowery Poetry Club and Joes Pub with Reg E Gaines, and at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, GA in George Faison’s adaptation of Bubblin’ Brown Sugar starring Diahnn Carroll. She also performed at Witzigman Palazzo in Hamburg, Germany for 4 months as a solo vocalist and dancer. Ali has recorded vocals singing on Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets childrens album, songs called “Butterfly am I” and “We are One”. Once returned back to the U.S., Ali moved to Philadelphia in 2005 to further enhance her solo career while teaching and organizing arts programs. She began managing artist and producing shows through Tapology Tap Festival for Youth which is a family based non-profit organization in Flint, Michgan, and created her own Philadelphia based program called Sound and Movement, LLC, funded by the Art and Change Leeway Foundation Grant. While doing philanthropic work in the community of Philadelphia, Ali landed a principle role in a show called Cotton Club Parade produced by City Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York directed by Warren Carlyle and Wynton Marsalis. Additionally she was casted as a member of the off-broadway show STOMP. A feature tap dancer in Gerri Allen's Great Women of Jazz at the Apollo sharing the stage with Dianne Reaves, Lizz Wright, Terri Lynne Carrington, and Tia Fuller. Currently she serves as a board member for Flint Red Ink Local 432 ,program director of Beyond Words, and artistic director of Destination Forever,LLC. As a choreographer she was recently commissioned by Harlem Stage for their E-Moves Dance Series to create a piece called Black Matter. Her latest accomplishment was joining the cast and becoming the assistant dance captain of the Broadway show Shuffle Along: the 1921 Sensation and All That Followed directed by George C.Wolfe and choreographed by Savion Glover.

Bruce Bradley (Guest Teacher) is a Flint, MI native, a graduate of Alabama State University and an artist educator who began as a self-styled dancer inspired by the cultural and social influences of rhythm, blues and jazz.  Bradley excelled to the professional ranks in the hit Off Broadway musicals "One Mo Time" and "Stagger Lee".  After studying under the tutelage of the late tap great LLoyd Storey, he joined him in the world tour of the hit Broadway musical "Black and Blue".  Bruce believes tap dancing crosses all racial, economic, social and cultural divides, allowing us as human beings to celebrate the infectious rhythms of life.

Frances Bradley (Guest Teacher) began her training under the guidance of her father, Bruce Bradley, at Creative Expressions Dance Studio. At 12, she won Amateur Night at Showtime at the Apollo with a female tap group, The Stepettes. In 2004 she was an ensemble member in the off-Broadway musical, Bubblin’ Brown Sugar directed and choreographed by George Faison, starring Diahann Caroll in Atlanta, GA. In 2009, Frances was selected to train with world-renowned performer, Savion Glover for a year at his newest dance studio, The Hooferz Club. Frances was recently casted in the dance musical, Noah Racey’s Pulse: The Beat of Song and Dance, directed by Jeff Calhoun which premiered at Asolo Theater in Sarasota, Florida. She also was a performer for the Samsung Galaxy S4, Unpacked presentation at Radio City Music Hall. She has been a featured tap soloist for international touring company, Illstyle and Peace Productions & performed for notable venues such as: Black Girls Rock! and Soul Tour at SOB’s in NYC & Cartier Williams’ Rhythm Refix at Joe’s Pub in NYC.

Brenda Bufalino (ATDF Artistic Mentor/Teacher/Artist in Residence) A mixed-genre artist: Dancer, Choreographer, Author, and Ceramicist: Ms. Bufalino performs, lectures, and teaches master classes throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. She has appeared as a guest soloist in such prestigious arenas as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, The Kennedy Center, the Doris Duke and Joyce Theater, in NYC. As a performance artist, monologist, singer and tap dancer, her one-person shows, “Cantata & The Blues”, “Journal of a Woodpecker,” “Unaccompanied,” and “Tapping Against the Wind,” have been performed in prestigious venues, Nationally & Internationally from l983 to the present. In l975 she produced and directed the award-winning documentary, “Great Feats of Feet…portrait of the jazz tap dancer,” featuring Charles “Honi” Coles and the Copasetics. The duet concert of, “Coles and Bufalino” toured Internationally for 8 years. In l986 Ms. Bufalino created The American Tap Dance Orchestra. The ATDO’s concert, stage and film highlights include among others: The PBS special “Great Performances/ Tap Dance in America with Gregory Hines,” “NYC Town Hall,” “The Joyce Theater,” and “Dance Theater Workshop.” International appearances include performances in Germany, Rome, and a State Department tour of Eastern Europe. The National Endowment deemed two of her choreographies, “Buff Loves Basie Blues,” and “The Haitian Fight Song” American Masterpieces. She re-created her composition “Jump Monk,” for “Dorrance Dance,” performed by the company at City Center. She continues setting her choreography on National and International companies and is a mentor to many outstanding tap dance choreographers and performers. Ms. Bufalino has been honored with the “Flobert Award” the Tap City “Hoofer and Hall of Fame Award” The Dance Magazine Award.” And the prestigious Bessie Award, all for Life Time Achievement.

Elizabeth Burke (Guest Teacher) is a Chapel Hill, North Carolina native and proud alumna of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble, with whom she spent eleven seasons. As an ensemble member, Burke served as a choreographer and performed extensively throughout the United States at venues such as the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Tap City: The New York City Tap Festival, the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the Southeastern Tap Explosion in Atlanta, GA, as well as in Finland, Canada, Mexico, and Germany, where she made her international debut as a soloist. She also had the opportunity to collaborate and choreograph with Jim Ketch and the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra, and her work was presented at the University of North Carolina’s Memorial Hall and at the Durham Performing Arts Council. She also performed in conjunction with Merge Records and their 20th anniversary “Merge with Motion” performance at the Carolina Theater in Durham, NC, where her choreography and solo work was presented, and she has collaborated with the Mallarme Chamber Players and their Orchestra. Shortly following her relocation to New York City to pursue her education at Marymount Manhattan College and professional tap career, Burke was featured on the December, 2010 cover of Dance Spirit Magazine as “Tap’s Fresh New Face,” and in the Spring, 2011 publication of Marymount Manhattan College’s ArtFusion News. As a founding member of Dorrance Dance, Burke has performed with Michelle Dorrance and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards in “A Shared Evening” as part of PLATFORM 2011: Body Madness, Part 2 – Rhythm & Humor curated by David Parker at the Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, at Radio City Music Hall, at the Inside/Outside Stage at Jacob’s Pillow, and the Beantown Tap Festival. Other performance credits include Elon University with Michelle Dorrance and Luke Hickey, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, at which her choreography has been presented, Symphony Space in New York City, the Third Coast Rhythm Project in San Antonio, TX, the Los Angeles Tap Festival, Hoofin’ Ground in Charlotte, NC with Matthew Shields, the Tap Extravaganza, Summerstage 2011, and the Pulse Convention in New York City, as well as the North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival with Michelle Dorrance and Martin “Tre” Dumas, among other dancers. Burke has also taught tap at various studios and locales in the Carolinas, including Elon University, Guilford College, and the South Carolina Tap Intensive, aside from assisting Gene Medler, Dianne Walker, Brenda Bufalino, and other master teachers at various festivals nationally.

Warren Craft (Guest Teacher) is a New York City tap dancer who has trained in ballet with both the American Ballet Theatre and the School of American Ballet.  As a tap dancer he has been a member of Brenda Bufalino's New American Tap Dance Orchestra, Max Pollak's RumbaTap, and the Tap City Youth Ensemble, and has worked with Ayodele Casel, Derick K. Grant, Michelle Dorrance, Jason Samuels Smith, Barbara Duffy, Michela Marino-Lerman, Dormeshia Sumbry Edwards and Jared Grimes.  He has performed at City Center, Lincoln Center, Dance Theater Workshop, and Central Park's Summer Stage and toured with Tony Waag's Tap City on Tour.  Warren has been featured on the cover of Dance Spirit Magazine and in the Dance Magazine article, "Child Prodigies in Dance."  The definitive history of tap, Tap Dancing America, claims that Warren “has reincarnated the elegant tap dancing style of Fred Astaire," while The New York Times calls him “a New Wave hoofer...with killer feet." Warren is a past recipient of ATDF's Gregory Hines scholarship award.  He is also the drummer for singer/songwriter Michael Ferraiuolo and is working on his own solo music.

Lynn Dally (Guest Teacher) co-founded the JAZZ TAP ENSEMBLE in 1979, with dancers Fred Strickler, Camden Richman, and musicians Paul Arslanian, Tom Dannenberg, and Keith Terry, bringing rhythm tap together with live jazz onto the concert stage.  As the first touring tap dance company in America, Jazz Tap Ensemble created a new performance mode for tap and toured worldwide for thirty years.  From Carnegie Hall to the Apollo, the Kennedy Center to NYC’s Joyce Theater, Jazz Tap performed in US State Dept “Arts America” tours to central America and southeast Asia, Paris’ Theatre de la Ville, Lyon’s Maison de la Danse, London, Hong Kong, Salzburg Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, LA’s Ford Theatre and the Jazz Bakery with our beloved Gregory Hines.  In 2012, JTE was honored to be selected by Dancemotion USA to tour Africa (Kinshasa, Maputo, Bulawayo, Harare) where we engaged with professional dance artists, youth ensembles, at-risk youth populations in concerts, workshops, master classes and lively informal sessions in this new global diplomacy effort. Jazz Tap Ensemble learned from the legends and was privileged to perform with them on concert tours and tap festivals, especially Honi Coles, Eddie Brown, Steve Condos, the Nicholas Brothers, Brenda Bufalino, Dianne Walker, Sarah Petronio,  Jimmy Slyde, and Gregory Hines while creating and performing new works each season.  As Artistic Director of the Jazz Tap Ensemble since 1986, Dally has continued to innovate and educate, honoring the great legends while mentoring gifted young artists. Dally was the first tap dancer to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship in Choreography 2001, and has created and performed over 50 original tap choreographies in the JTE, and commissioned new company repertory pieces from Eddie Brown, Jimmy Slyde, and Gregory Hines. From 2000-2012, Dally proudly served as Adjunct Professor in UCLA’s WAC/Dance & Theater Departments where she taught Technique, Improvisation, Repertory, History of American Tap Dance.  In 2008, she created “Women in Tap” at UCLA, featuring four generations of leading female tap artists, with scholars and documentarians in dialogues, master classes, and a most memorable concert.   Now available on DVD as “Gotta Move:  Women in Tap.” “JAZZ TAP ORIGINALS: A Collection of Live Performances 1979-2012”, celebrating JTE’s thirty year history of choreographic innovation, is now in dance libraries nationally and available on our website as is SOLEA, Dally’s first dance on film, exploring cross cultural rhythms of Bharata natyam, flamenco, modern, and rhythm tap. TAP CITY has provided Dally with some of her most memorable NY tap experiences.  Her most favorite is TAP DIVAS with Brenda Bufalino & Sarah Petronio (2001), then counting off the slowest Eddie Brown BS Chorus on record, and receiving the “Hoofer’s Award” in 2006. Contact:  lynndallydance@gmail.com Website:  www.jazztapensemblelegacy.org

Brian Sylvester Davis (Teacher) started as a street performer. With the support of his mother Angela Marie Davis, he tap danced on a board to raise money for his lessons and trips. He can now gratefully call himself a professional Dancer, singer, actor, choreographer, and teacher. His belief is that "I am you and you are me," and he aspires to reach every member of his audience as a member of his own family, thus giving him the nickname "Brother Brian". Brother Brian began by building a foundation in dance with the North West Tap Connection in his home town of Seattle Washington under the artistic direction of Dr Darryln A. Smith and Melba Ayco. In the Duo of the Tapoholiks with Seattle native Alex Jackson, he choreographed the show stopping number “I Like The Way You Move,” which won the Seattle Apollo Star Search and earned the Tapoholiks a spot on the legendary and nationally televised “Showtime at the Apollo”. While competing, Brian attracted the attention of CP Lacey who then offered Brian a spot as the substitute "Executioner" for the Apollo Theater's historic "Amateur Night" competition, a title formerly held by the late great Sandman Sims. As a graduate of the University of the Arts, he earned a BFA in Modern Dance and a Musical Theater Minor. Brian holds the title of Philly Tap Idol for 2008, and is a former member of Tap Team 2 of Philadelphia under the direction of Robert Burden.  Brian studied acting and voice with the Lola Louis' Creative and Performing Arts Studio (CAPAS). The passionate Lola Louis would teach Brian with love and compassion as if he were her own. She not only coached him, Lola taught Brian about Love and instilled the "I am You" principle into Brian's life and work. Brian is eternally thankful. His Theater Credits include, “My One and Only” Goodspeed Opera House, "Rhythm is Our Business" 14th Theater (NYC), "Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic" Liberty Theatre (NYC)  "On Kentucky Avenue," Triad Theater New York, NYC) and Broadway's "After Midnight" on board the Norwegian Escape as the Tap Mathematician. Notable Choreographic Credits include, "I like the Way you Move" Performed on the Nationally Televised Showtime at the Apollo Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic (Off Broadway,) The Broadway Bound Musical Showcase of (Dorothy), Bojangles New Musical and his own show, "TAPTASTIC"

Eric Decaminada, (Artist in Residence) born and raised in New York, began dancing at the age of 5 at his hometown studio, The Pulse Performing Arts Studio. Throughout his years of training, he was able to work with and perform choreography by some of the best in the business, including Derick K. Grant, Jason Janas, Sarah Reich, and many others. He is currently working as a Professional Tap Dancer based out of NYC where he is a part of CHR Project (directed by Charles Renato) and Project Convergence (directed by Vikas Arun and Apoorva Nataraja) as a company member. Most recently, he has been working alongside his longtime mentor and friend, Dexter Jones, as an assistant and dance captain while workshopping new choreography. Eric’s performance credits include “Tap Family Reunion” (directed by Dormeshia Sumbry, Derick K. Grant, and Jason Samuel Smith), “Gotta Dance” (directed by Michelle Dorrance and Dormeshia Sumbry), “Tap Kids” (directed Lisa Hopkins), and he has performed in a variety of locations such as Dizzy’s Jazz Club at Lincoln Center, the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, and the Ted Shawn Theater at Jacob’s Pillow. Eric is also currently working as a teacher and choreographer at numerous dance studios around the tristate area.

Michelle Dorrance (Guest Teacher) is a New York City based performer, choreographer, teacher and director. A 2012 Princess Grace Award Winner, 2012 Rockefeller Foundation & Mertz Gilmore sponsored Field Dance Fund Recipient, and 2011 Bessie Award Winner, Michelle is the founder and artistic director of Dorrance Dance. She is one of the most sought after tap dancers of her generation and “one of the most imaginative tap choreographers working today” (The New Yorker). Mentored by Gene Medler, Michelle grew up performing with the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble and has since performed with: STOMP, Manhattan Tap, Savion Glover's 'Ti Dii', Barbara Duffy & Co, JazzTap Ensemble, CPD, Tap City on Tour, Ritmico, Rumba Tap, Ayodele Casel’s Diary of a Tap Dancer, Mable Lee’s Dancing Ladies, Harold Cromer’s original Opus One, Derick Grant’s Imagine Tap and Jason Samuels Smith’s Chasing the Bird to rave reviews. A highly sought-after instructor at festivals, universities, conventions and studios throughout the world, Michelle embodies a true passion for teaching and strives to share this passion wherever she goes. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from New York University, plays bass for indie-pop star, Darwin Deez, and is on faculty at Broadway Dance Center. For more information please visit: www.michelledorrance.com & www.dorrancedance.com

Mary Dove, LCSW (Guest Teacher) is the Executive Director and Founder of the Center of Narrative Studies, is a Licensed Psychotherapist with over a decade of clinical experience. With a private practice in Chelsea, she also provides psychotherapy at The Juilliard School Counseling Services. She is well known in New York City for her work as a leader, community organizer and educator, through her large scale projects engaging and supporting women in changing the dominant cultural narrative, such as Changemakers: Spotlighting Women Revolutionizing Change and Urban Retreat: A Storytelling Weekend.  In recent years, in accordance with her long time interest in creativity and the power of story, Mary has studied at the Narrative Therapy Centre in Toronto, Canada, learning the extraordinary benefits and powerful techniques of this collaborative approach to counseling and community work.

Ann Dragich (Guest Teacher) has choreographed and performed around New York City, including Symphony Space, FIT, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts and Duplex Cabaret Theater, and is on faculty at NJPAC and The DreamYard Project.  She is a founding member of Guilty Pleasures Cabaret, and has performed in Paris Fashion Week as part of the Rick Owens Spring 2014 Women’s show.  Originally from California, Ann studied at the Eddie Brown Studio for the Arts (THE BEAT) with Gregg Geoffroy, Babs Yohai and Mark Mendonca.

Barbara Duffy’s (Teacher, TTT) performance highlights include “The Gregory Hines Show”, where she was a featured dancer, actress and choreographer, “Gala for The President”, performing with Gregory Hines before President and Mrs. Bill Clinton and as dance captain and featured dancer in Brenda Bufalino’s American Tap Dance Orchestra. Barbara performs as a featured soloist across the United States and overseas, including London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, where she was hailed as “a riveting performer” by the Independent. Her all women ensemble, Barbara Duffy & Company performed at the Duke Theatre, NYC, the Joyce Theater, NYC, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, NYC, the University of Richmond, the Tanz Haus Theatre in Dusseldorf, Germany, Jacob’s Pillow and with Tony Waag’s Tap City on Tour. In August, 2008, Barbara received the “Rhythm World Award” for preserving and passing on the legacy of Leon Collins. She was also the recipient of the American Tap Dance Foundation’s prestigious “Hoofer Award” in July, 2013 and the New York National Tap Day Committee’s “FloBert Award” in May, 2015.  She holds a BA in Performing Arts. A highly sought after teacher, Barbara has taught at numerous workshops and festivals in 20 countries and was on the faculty of Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center and the American Tap Dance Foundation. Since 2014, she has been a proud faculty member of the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Tap Teacher Training program. Most recently, Barbara was featured as a dancer and actor in the short film, “When Snow Falls”, directed and choreographed by Anthony Morigerato, co-starring Ted Louis Levy. The film has won the 2021 New York International Film Award for Best Musical and Best Director for a short film. It has also won an honorable mention for Musical/Dance Film from the 2021 Los Angeles Film Awards, as well as being chosen as the “Official Selection” of many other film festivals. Barbara’s book, “Tap into Improv, A Guide to Tap Dance Improvisation” is available on Amazon.com. Her greatest inspirations are Brenda Bufalino, the late Leon Collins and the late Gregory Hines.

Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards (Guest Teacher) has been apart of almost every major Tap movie or show that has appeared in the history of tap dance since the 80's. She was nominated for best actress for her starring role in the award-winning Independent film "The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang". In addition to opening the Harlem Tap Studio in NYC, Mrs. Sumbry-Edwards continues to appear as a special guest for shows and festivals around the world. She was also elected to the Advisory Board as the Tap Advisor for Dance Magazine and the official Tap Spokesperson for Capezio along with her family, as well as being featured in their international advertising campaign. Mrs. Sumbry-Edwards was also the private tap instructor to the iconic Michael Jackson over the course of 11 years. Mrs. Sumbry-Edwards career includes acclaimed runs on Broadway and off-Broadway in shows such as Black and Blue, the Tony Award Winning Bring In Da’Noise, Bring In Da’Funk, International Tour of Bring in Da’Noise, Bring in Da’Funk (dance captain/principal dancer/understudy to the lead role), and Imagine Tap! (featured soloist). Other performances include the national tour of Wild Woman Blues and Debbie Allen’s SAMMY (the life and times of Sammy Davis Jr.). Film credits include “TAP” with Gregory Hines, Spike Lee's “Bamboozled” (Assistant Choreographer), and “The Rodgers and Hart Story: Thou Swell, Thou Witty”. Mrs. Sumbry-Edwards’ choreography has been featured in TAAP: The Art & Appreciation of Percussion and was also utilized in Michael Jackson's music video “Rock My World”. She was also spotlighted in a commercial for Tops and was most recently featured on MTV’s hit television series MADE.

DeWitt Fleming Jr (Teacher, Artist in Residence) is actor, dancer, singer, and drummer extraordinaire! DeWitt is from Washington DC, where he first began to develop his talents at Duke Ellington School of the arts.  After graduating Ellington, DeWitt attended Marymount Manhattan College, New York City, and graduated with a BA in Acting. He has been performing professionally ever since! He has performed and taught throughout the United States, and abroad.  New York Times proclaims "he is a non stop source of rhythmic variety and surprise….sparks seem to fly from those shoes!” DeWitt has danced as a soloist with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, and with artist such as Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, Marvin Hamlisch, Christian McBride, Bobby Sanabria, and Wycliffe Gordon, among others. In New York City he has taught at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, Harlem School of the Arts, Queens College, and various dance institutions. He has also taught at various  festivals/workshops and institutions throughout the world including the renowned dance conservatory at Limerick College in Ireland.  DeWitt is also a Choreographer. His choreography currently can be seen on Boardwalk Empire season 4 (HBO), A Wonderful World with Miami New Drama, Jelly's Last Jam with the National Black Theater Fesrtival, and in the performance "A Night of Song and Dance with DeWitt Fleming Jr and Jared Grimes" which he also wrote. Other Choreography credits include: An Evening with Phyllis Hyman(Off Bway),  Signature Theater's Jelly's Last Jam (Assistant Choreographer), Signature Theater's Scottsboro Boys (Assistant Choreographer), Signature Theater's Aint Misbehavin (Assistant Choreographer)NYU's Grad School Production of "1/13/94",The New Jersey Tap Dance Ensemble, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Harlem School of the Arts, and the New York City Centers Fall for Dance to name a few. Some noteable places his choreography has been seen are The Aspen Jazz festival, at Lincoln Center with JALC, NJPAC with The New Jersey Symphany Orchestra, at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and at the Spoleto festival in North Carolina. DeWitt is a skillful Percussionist.  He plays session work, live shows, and musical theater. He has played for numerous artists and shows such as Brandon Victor Dixon, Dorrance Dance, The Jared Grimes Feel, Jennie Harney, Chondra Profit, Daniel Watt's "The Jam", The Broadway Underground Remix house band, The B side band at URBO Times Square, Madafi Pierre, and Paline Anice.  In New York City he has performed at the legendary Blue Note, BB Kings Times Square, Lincoln Center, Sounds of Brazil (SOBs), The Village Underground, and many others. DeWitt has also been Host/MC for many events around New York. He Hosted/MC'd in venues such as NYC Summerstage, Symphony Space, BB Kings Times Square, and various pop up outdoor events throughout the city. He has worked with companies such as Nike, LG, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Crown Royal, New Balance,Toyota, and many more.

Felipe Galganni (Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a tap dancer, teacher, and choreographer known for his unique ability to blend tap dance as an American art form with his Brazilian roots. For the past 15 years, Felipe has taught at the best dance schools in Brazil, New York and worldwide. He is currently a faculty member at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, and the American Tap Dance Foundation. In addition to being a member of the New American Tap Dance Orchestra, directed by Brenda Bufalino, Felipe often develops new choreographic work with his own company. In 2017, Felipe created and premiered the concert TAP&TOM, under the musical direction of Brazilian Maestro, Carlos Bauzys. TAP&TOM IS a tribute to the music of famous Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos (TOM) Jobim. In 2018 Felipe received the distinguished Machado de Assis Medal for his efforts in disseminating the Brazilian culture in the USA. Felipe has performed at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Joseph Papp's Public Theater (Joe's Pub), The NY Summer Stage, The Citigroup Alvin Ailey Theater, The Cotton Club, The Metropolitan Room, The Bronx Museum, The New York City Center, Birdland, The Duke on 42nd Street, New Victory Theater, and others. Visit: www.felipegalganni.com

Charles Goddertz (Guest Teacher) has been on staff at Steps On Broadway teaching tap dancing since 1986.In the interim, he has also taught at Broadway Dance Center, Cap21, NYU, Alvin Ailey, Tap City and internationally in Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Panama and Mexico. Before returning to his first love, TAP DANCING, Charles danced on Broadway in "Hello Dolly,'' "On The Town" and "Ambassador." He has directed and choreographed shows for universities, dinner theatre, summer stock, regional theatre and off-Broadway. Most recent efforts being "Cinderella" and the tap dancing musical of "Dames At Sea" at the Alverson Center Theatre in South Carolina. In his spare time Charles attends tap happenings, Broadway shows, some in which students and/or friends are performing, and serves on and supports committees, students and artists in the ongoing advancement and presentation of the "indigenous American art form," TAP! Michele has danced as a member of the NYC Company, Ronn Forella and the Second Century Dancers, is a featured soloist at Tap City, the New York City Tap Festival, and is known as dance partner to Charles Goddertz and Harold Cromer.

Thelma Goldberg (Education Advisor/Guest Teacher/TTT) founded The Dance Inn, a Lexington, MA dance studio serving more than 450 students weekly, in 1983. Her non-competitive school has three dance companies serving youth, teens and adults and provides a pre-professional program that introduces students to all genres of dance. She serves on the faculty of the Dancelife Retreat Center, the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Tap Teacher Training Program and the Beantown Tap Fest. Her passionate advocacy for the art of tap dancing resulted in the 2015 Dance Champion Award from the Boston Dance Alliance and in Thelma’s Tap Notes, a series of books, DVDs, and classroom material designed to support tap educators. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Studies with a specialization in tap dance education at Lesley University and continues to teach classes for all ages at her studio.

Asha Griffith (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) Driven by passion, Asha is way more than just a Tap Dancer, but an International Performer, Recording Artist, and all around Creative Force. Asha began dancing at the age of 5 at a LaDanse School of Performing Arts in Linden, New Jersey and became an original member of the Tap City Youth Ensemble (TCYE), a NYC based pre-professional tap company directed by the American Tap Dance Foundation at 16. Asha was a guest dancer in Dorrance Dance's Nutcracker Suite presented at the Joyce Theater in NYC 2019/2020 and a primary dancer in Maurice Chestnut’s “Beats, Rhymes, and Tap Shoes” Show headlined at The Apollo Theater and NJPAC. Asha is also dances with "Apartment 33", an eclectic tap dance company directed by 2018 Emmy Nominee, Chloe Arnold.  As a professional dancer/musician, her versatility has led her the opportunity to choreograph for four-time Grammy award winning musician, Esperanza Spalding, work with Hilary Swank, and partner with some of our most beloved brands--including Pharrell Williams' Billionaire Boys Club brand and Converse. Asha is featured as a guest dancer/actress in "GRANS", a YouTube series produced by Jason and Steve Harvey and was an ensemble dancer backing Solange Knowles at the Guggenheim Museum for the Red Bull Music Academy Festival. Asha toured France as an Independent Hip Hop Artist with The Wolphonics from 2016-2019. When she’s not Globetrotting you can catch her spiraling down a rabbit-hole on YouTube.

Cara Hagan (Artist in Residence) is a mover, maker, writer, curator, champion of just communities, and a dreamer. She believes in the power of art to upend the laws of time and physics, a necessary occurrence in pursuit of liberation. In her work, no object or outcome is sacred; but the ritual to get there is. Hagan’s adventures take place as live performance, on screen, as installation, on the page, and in collaboration with others in a multitude of contexts. In recent years, Hagan and her work have traveled to such gatherings as the Performática Festival in Cholula, Mexico, the Conference on Geopoetics in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Loikka Dance Film Festival in Helsinki, Finland, the Taos Poetry Festival in Taos, New Mexico, and to the Dance on Camera Festival in New York City. Extended residencies have taken place at Thirak India in Jaipur, India, Playa Summer Lake in the dynamic outback of Oregon, Roehampton University in London, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of North Carolina, School of the Arts. Cara is grateful to have received financial support from various organizations and institutions to continue her work. Recent support has included the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron where she was named the inaugural Community Commissioning Residency Artist for the 2020/2021 season. Past support has come from the Dance Films Association, the Filmed in NC Fund, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Forsyth County Arts Council, the Appalachian State University Research Council, the Watauga County Arts Council, and Betty’s Daughter Arts.

Izaiah Montaque Harris’s (Teacher) recent highlights include a summer residency performing Riverdance in Dublin Ireland,  tap dancing and singing with the JC Hopkins Biggish Band at Fotografiska’s “Lady Day Tribute”, tap dancing with Music From the Sole in their Works in Progress show at Chelsea Factory, performing as Male Ensemble in “Tap Dance Kid” at New York City Center, Demetrius in “Midsummer A SHAKESPEARIENCE'', becoming an alumni of the 2021 Jacob’s Pillow Tap Ensemble Intensive, and entertaining on Norwegian Cruise Line’s performing “After Midnight'' as Tap Mathematician. Izaiah was awarded “Outstanding Actor” at the 2018 Black Theater Alliance Awards and won “Best Ensemble” at the 2019 Jeff Awards. Izaiah studied at Columbia in Chicago and was promoted company member in MADD Rhythms’ tap company.

Susan Hebach (ATDF Youth Program/ TCYE Director/Teacher/TTT) considers herself a graduate of “Woodpeckers Tap Dance Center” where she was fortunate to study with a diverse group of master tap artists such as her mentor, Brenda Bufalino, and other inspirational teachers such as Barbara Duffy, Robin Tribble, Margaret Morrison, Josh Hilberman, Lynn Dally, and Diane Walker to name a few. As a choreographer, she enjoys developing new works and collaborating with fellow dancers of “The Tap Collective”, a tap company she founded in 1996. Her choreography has been featured in events such as “VII Nit de Claque” in Barcelona, Spain, to the offbeat “Vaudeville 2000” at LaMama ETC Theater and “The Elegance of Comedy of Tap”, hosted by Bill Irwin at NYC Town Hall, Tap City, The New York City Tap Festival, and more recently the Rhythm In Motion series at the 14th St. Y in Manhattan.  Susan is currently the director of the ATDF Youth Program, as well as the Tap City Youth Ensemble, and the Pre-Professional Program at Tap City. She was featured on the cover of Dance Teacher Magazine in May 2009, and has served on the dance faculty for Oklahoma City University and Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri as visiting guest artist. She has also taught the residency of Pete Nugent's "Breezin" at Tap City in 2008,  & co-curated the Teachers Intensive for the NYC Tap Festival in 2011 & 12, and is part of the teaching team for the new “Tap Teacher Training Program” at ATDF with Margaret Morrison. Susan also wrote a book for an after school young reader series, called “Tap Dance”, by Rosen Publishing. She also recently had the unique opportunity to coach Christine Baranski in "soft shoe", for New York City Center's Encore Series production of "On Your Toes".

Luke Hickey (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a NYC based tap dancer, choreographer, and actor hailing from Chapel Hill, NC. Named by Dance Magazine among their "25 To Watch" in 2020, Hickey began studying with his lifelong mentor, JUBA Award recipient Gene Medler, at the age of eight. Under the tutelage of Mr. Medler, Hickey completed 10 consecutive seasons studying and touring with the internationally acclaimed North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (NCYTE). Hickey is an alumna of the School at Jacob’s Pillow and Pace University NYC (BA Film & Screen Studies, BA Communications Studies, cum laude). In the Fall of 2018, Hickey made his choreographic and directorial debut with his work “A Little Old, A Little New” at the world famous Birdland Jazz Club in NYC. The show has since traveled across the country, including to Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Battery Dance Festival and most recently at the Joyce theater's season at the new Chelsea Factory in partnership with The First Republic Foundation. "Whether in unison, in the round, or riffing off. one another, the trio was extraordinarily night with a marvelous swing" (Fjord Review). Hickey's choreography is also seen in Patrick Wang’s feature film "A Bread Factory," which was listed on The New Yorker's "The Best Movies of 2018." In addition to his own choreographic pursuits, Hickey is immensely honored and proud to be a company member of 2015 MacArthur Fellow, Michelle Dorrance’s acclaimed company, Dorrance Dance, and has had the great pleasure to join Ayodele Casel & Arturo O’Farrill at the Joyce Theater in 2019. Stage credits include Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room, The Kennedy Center, the Guggenheim Museum, Oslo Jazz Festival, the Joyce Theater, MGM National Harbor, and New York City Center.

Madison Hilligoss (Artist in Residence) is a New York City based performing artist, teacher, and writer with roots in Minnesota. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (B.S. in Teaching World Language, 2022) and is an alumna of the tap dance program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Much of their professional performing work thus far has been motivated by the influence of their work under Jared Grimes and Kaleena Miller. Aside from performance, Madison is a passionate and dedicated teacher who has trained and worked professionally in a variety of specialties within both the academic and performance fields, including but not limited to: Writing tutoring and editing, Spanish education, dance education, and music education. She is currently on tap faculty at Broadway Dance Center and teaches music and voice classes to children affected by cancer through A Free Bird. Some of their favorite recent performance credits include: Quartets (The Southern Theatre/Kaleena Miller), The Tap Dance Kid (NYCC Encores!/Off-Broadway), Dance Lab NY 2022 Tap Dance Lab Cycle, Funny Girl (Pre-Production/Broadway/Ayodele Casel), 42nd Street (Jared Grimes’ reimagined version at The Ordway), and Generation Dance! (Little Island, NYC). Madison has worked on a number of her own short films and associate directed/choreographed tap dance short films with Dario Natarelli and John Manzari. Madison is Ann actor represented by The Mine Agency. Learn more at www.madisonhilligoss.com and @madisonhilligoss

Bill Irwin (Guest Teacher) was born on April 11, 1950, in Santa Monica, California, to Elizabeth (Mills), a teacher, and Horace G. Irwin, an aerospace engineer. He is the oldest of three children, and is of English, Irish, and German descent. Irwin spent a year in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as an exchange student. He is a graduate in theatre arts from Oberlin College, OH, a graduate of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Clown College, FL, and received a MacArthur Genius Grant in 1984. Irwin began his film career in 1980 and earned film credits in more than twenty movies. His best-known film role was "Lou Lou Who" in Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). He is also a producer, director, writer, and choreographer. In 2001, Irwin collaborated with the renown Russian mime Vyacheslav Polunin, who organized the New Carnival within the framework of the World Theatre Olympics, in the Hermitage Gardens in Moscow. There, Bill Irwin performed in the duo with David Shiner, among some of the best acting comedians of the 20th century, such as Vyacheslav Polunin, Django Edwards, Jérôme Deschamps, Franz-Joseph Bogner, Leo Bassi, Gennadiy Khazanov, Leonid Yarmolnik and Bolek Polívka and over a hundred of other comedians and mimes from all over the world. He appeared on Broadway in "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" and at La Jolla Playhouse in "The Seagull" by Anton Chekhov, among his other stage works. Bill Irwin won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, for his performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". He was also nominated for four Tony Awards as an actor, author, director, and choreographer.

Ryan Johnson (Guest Teacher), a native of Baltimore, Maryland, began dancing under the direction of his mother Vanessa Jackson Johnson at Turn Out Performing Arts Center. He continued to develop his passion for dance at Slater’s Dance Studio in Annapolis, Maryland, where he became a well-named tap dancers in Baltimore. Ryan has performed with well know artists such as Marvin Hamlish, Donnie McClurkin, Jason Samuels Smith, and the late Gregory Hines. At the age of twenty-two he created Raw Sound Tap Company with the soul purpose to teach, restore and preserve the history of Tap Dance in the Maryland area. Like many, Ryan has participated in numerous tap programs and festivals across the United States. He has also been commissioned by studios across the county to create choreography through workshops and residency programs. He is currently working to develop Daring Artist Making Noise, a non-profit dance company committed to restoring the performing arts in Baltimore. Ryan’s most recent achievement was being cited for his choreography and solo dance performance, receiving a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council in 2008. Currently Ryan is the soloist in the world renowned Step Afrika, the first professional dance company dedicated to preserving the art form of Stepping, Gumboot, and Tap. As a soloist, he creates innovative choreography nightly, which has been seen all across the USA, Canada, and Asia.

Dexter Jones (Teacher/Artist in Residence/TTT) has appeared on Broadway, Off Broadway, and in National and International tours of Black and Blue, A Chorus Line, 42nd Street, My One and Only, Riverdance, Play On!, The Tempest, Sophisticated Ladies and the west coast premiere of Swinging on A Star, for which he was nominated for an NAACP Theatre Award for his performance. Regional credits include Mr. Magix in My One and Only at Stages St. Louis, Oh Kay! at the Goodspeed Opera House and Play On! at Pasadena Playhouse. He attended S.U.N.Y. Purchase in the acting program and transferred to R.A.D.A in London before graduating from Purchase with B.A. in Theatre. His film and television credits include “Loving,” “One Life to Live,” “All My Children,” “Bojangles” (starring Gregory Hines), “The Old Settler” (starring Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen) “The Little Richard Story” and PBS Great Performances of “Black and Blue” and “Play On!” As a choreographer he set a swing dance piece for the critically acclaimed “And Still You Must Swing” and assisted Michelle Dorrance on the world premiere of “Dream Within A Dream (deferred)” for American Ballet Theater.

Mark Kellogg (Graphic Design/Marketing & Finance Advisor) is a native of Florida but grew up in Pittsburgh. Studying at Carnegie Mellon University and The Art Institute of Chicago through The Young Artists Studio program he ultimately received his BFA from Pratt Institute. Settling in NYC for a 30 year career in publishing he worked on staff as a Designer/Art Director/Creative Director in as varied places as Seventeen Magazine, Mademoiselle, The Guttmacher Institute, Oxford University Press & Adventure House Design. In recent years his work has included bookkeeping, designing all visual materials and conceptualizing marketing plans with the Executive Director of the American Tap Dance Foundation.

Yoko Kono (Teacher) is a New Jersey native and found her love of dancing at the age of 4. She has had an extensive training in ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop. She has had the opportunity to be part of performing companies including Maywood Dance Center’s Dance Fusion, directed by Deborah Cofrancesco, and the hip-hop company at Progressive Dance Studio, Q Company directed by Q Pittman. At the age of 16, Yoko auditioned for the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Tap City Youth Ensemble directed by Susan Hebach, and was a proud committed member for 3 years. Yoko has had the opportunity to perform at Tap Extravaganza, Tap City, New York School Shows, The Pulse, Macy’s Day Parade, and Rhythm In Motion shows.  She graduated from William Paterson University of New Jersey and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology; she is currently pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy. Yoko is currently teaching at The American Tap Dance Foundation as well as Center Stage Dance Center in NJ.

Kazu Kumagai (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) was born in Sendai City, Japan. He started tap dancing at the age of 15 and came to NY at the age of 19. He trained in FUNK UNIVERSITY, the training workshop for the big hit Broadway musical Bring in da' Noise, Bring in 'da Funk. He studied with Ted Levy, Buster Brown, Gregory Hines, Barbara Duffy, and Derick K. Grant.Since then, he has performed in many New York City downtown clubs, such as The Knitting Factory, Tonic, and just recently he performed his solo show at the Blue Note NY. Since 2002, he performed in Tony Waag’s Tap City, the New York City Tap Festival and was dubbed by The Village Voice as the "Japanese Gregory Hines." In 2006, he was selected as one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch." In 2014, He received the Flo-Bert Award, a prestigious award that honors tap dancers for outstanding achievements. After Kazu went back to Japan in 2002, he made numerous solo appearances all over the country and collaborated with many artists and musicians, and appeared in several television commercials, such as SONY CYBERSHOT. He also performed in a MIHARAYASUHIRO fashion show in Milan, Italy, where he succeeded in opening up a new field of the arts. In 2008, he opened his first tap dance studio--KAZ TAP STUDIO--in Japan, and has subsequently taught throughout Japan including in his hometown of Sendai City, site of severe damage in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Currently Kazu lives in Brooklyn, NY and tours all over the world.  He just recently won the "Bessie Award 2016" as an "Outstanding Performer."  Kazu dedicates his passion and love for the art of tap dance to the great masters such as his mentor Buster Brown, Jimmy Slyde, Gregory Hines and others, as well as to the people of Sendai and the Tohoku region where his family and friends live.

Katherine Kramer (Guest Teacher) is a performer, choreographer, educator and producer who has been a consistent presence in the resurgence and evolution of tap dance. A gypsy at heart, Katherine’s work is rooted in a desire to connect people, encourage intimacy, and promote the value of artistic play as a tool in creating a more humane and healthy world. In the 1970s she tapped on the sidewalks of Manhattan with the late Jackie Raven, traveled to New Paltz, NY to work in one of Brenda Bufalino’s earliest companies, performed with Jane Goldberg and assisted her in producing the festival, By Word of Foot. She drew great inspiration from working with Honi Coles, Cookie Cook, Ernest Brown, Bubba Gaines and Ralph Brown. Committed to sharing this legacy, she has consistently been of service to the art form. In the 1980s in Puerto Rico, she introduced tap to San Juan dance schools and jazz clubs.  In Lexington, KY she co-directed with Meriah Kruse, Syncopated, Inc., bringing Brenda Bufalino and Honi Coles as guest artists.  She was one of 12 dancers chosen to be a part of Honi Cole’s first choreographic residency at the Colorado Dance Festival, which included Acia Gray, Lynn Daly, and the late Camden Richman. In the 1990’s in Woodstock, NY, she created two one-woman shows, Rhythms of the Heart and Tap Roots, touring internationally.  She instigated the Highwood Tap Salon, shared with tap pals Josh Hilberman, Drika Overton, Julia Boynton, among others, and performed as a trio with Pat Giordano Brett and Robert Rayow.  As well, she assisted the late Paul Draper in teaching a weekly class for seniors, and brought Peg Leg Bates to her son’s school to share his unique story.  In 1995 she was honored to be a featured performer at the NY Tap Extravaganza. In Bozeman, MT Katherine produced 10 dance and music festivals, Rhythm Explosions, featuring the late Daniel Nagrin and Jimmy Slyde, as well as a host of others, including Dianne Walker, Sarah and Leela Petronio, Keith Terry and Jeannie Hill. In the 2000’s in Miami Katherine taught at universities and produced collaborative shows, including Not at Home, with Brenda Bufalino and Ara Fitzgerald. In Cuba Katherine taught tap at Conjuncto Folklorico, and Danza Contemporarea, collaborating with Lourdes Tamayo. With Brazilian tap artist, Valeria Pinheiro, she collaborated, taught and performed in Brazil, Montana and Alaska. Having received a Creation Fund Grant from the National Performance Network, she created with Kenneth Metzker, Joanne Barrett, Carson Murphy and Ilana Reynolds, Stop Look Listen, which was produced by Tony Waag as a part of SoundCheck, in NY.  She subsequently worked with screendance director, Susannah Newman, in adapting the work to the screen as A Shout at the Dawn. She has performed at dance and music festivals here and abroad, including Sitka Jazz Festival, Soul 2 Sole, Beantown Tap, Portsmouth Percussive Dance, Third Coast Tap, Rhythm Body and Soul, Tap Rio and TapCity. She served as secretary on the board of the International Tap Association and is the recipient of grants and fellowships for choreography, as well as a Fulbright, an Artist’s Innovation Award from the Montana Arts Council, and the 2018 Hoofer Award.  While tap dance has been central to her career, her broad range of choreography has included commissions by Madison Ballet, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami with marionette artist, Pablo Cano.  She has choreographed for theatre companies, television, and film, including working as choreographer for Robert Redford on his film, The Horse Whisperer. As a master teacher she has mentored many students, working with the prestigious national organization, YoungArts and developing Whole Body Music, a teaching method for movers and musicians.

Lisa La Touche (Teacher/Artist in Residence/TTT) Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, some of Lisa's performance highlights have included touring with Savion Glover's production, STEPZ, and also performing in both New York's Off-Broadway and the North American touring casts of STOMP.   She has previously worked with and performed in  Jason Samuels Smith's company A.C.G.I and in excerpts from "Chasin' the Bird", and has also performed alongside Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards as part of the original  The Cotton Club ensemble in Harlem.   Other companies she has worked with have included Max Pollak’s Rumba Tap, Barbara Duffy and Company, Tre Dumas' JusLisTeN, M.A.D.D. Rhythms, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project and also The Cab Calloway Foundation Inc.   Lisa has produced and directed her own concerts within North America and is continuously working as performer, choreographer and teacher internationally in countries such as Brazil, China, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and across Canada to name a few.   She is also a previous faculty member of the School of Jacob's pillow under the Direction of Dianne Walker and has appeared as an artist in residence at The American Tap Dance Foundation and the Vancouver Tap Dance Society and as guest faculty at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in NYC.

Michela Marino-Lerman (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) first appeared on Sesame Street at the age of 5. In February 2002 she was showcased on the cover of Dance Teacher magazine with Gregory Hines. In 2005, she was named by Dance Spirit magazine as one of the 20 hottest tap dancers under 20 and in 2008, Dancemagazine named her as the only female tap dancer in its “25 to Watch in 2008.” Michela has appeared in both the Tap Extravaganza and Tap City numerous times over the past ten years. She won first prize in the Harlem Jazz Dance Festival’s, “Hoofer’s Challenge” in both 2002 and 2003. In 2002, Michela performed with Jennifer Holliday on Broadway in Nothing Like A Dame and also in 21 Belowat Town Hall. In 2003, she was inducted into the famed Copasetics as their first and only female lifetime honorary member. In 2004-2006, Michela toured Spain and Japan with Rafael Amargo’s Enramblao. In the fall of 2005, her choreography was featured in the tap section of the opening number for the Bermuda Music Festival with UDP, starring Al Green, Angie Stone, and Patti LaBelle. At the age of 19, she was commissioned by Dixon Place to create and direct her own show, entitled AM+bu$h+ED. 2007 saw Michela tour Europe for 3 months as a lead dancer in the hit show Magic of the Dance and also appear in Sarah Savelli and Ayodele Casel’s Tappy Holidays. In 2008-2009, she was featured in the show hit “Wonderland,” an all tap show set to Stevie Wonder’s music and also in Chris Scott’s show W-L-U-V. In 2008 she appeared on CBS’s Secret Talents of the Stars with Grammy award singer Mya, performing the choreography of Emmy award winner Jason Samuels Smith. Since 2007, Michela has been a featured performer at NYC’s hottest nightclub, The Box. She recently danced with the Roy Hargrove at the Jazz Gallery and the Village Vanguard. She has also been commissioned by the American Tap Dance Foundation and HarlemStage to show her new work entitled Tapsploitation. Recently she has been co-creator in forming the tap dance company The Tap Messengers who have performed at the CareFusion Jazz Festival with Talib Kweli and Nicholas Payton in the Revive Da Live Big Band, Joe’s Pub, and HarlemStage opening for Marcus Strickland. Michela is grateful for the mentoring and guidance given to her by Buster Brown, Gregory Hines, and Leroy Myers. She has also studied with Jason Samuels Smith, Henry LeTang, Baakari Wilder, Ayodele Casel, Derek Grant, Dianne Walker, and many other gifted teachers. She has taught in numerous schools, studios, programs, and festivals throughout the world. As a performer, teacher, director, and choreographer Michela is dedicated to spreading the art of tap around the world.

John Manzari (Artist in Residence) is an Ovation and Helen Hayes Award nominated artist. Broadway: Funny Girl. Off Broadway: The Tap Dance Kid, Maurice Hines: Tappin’ Thru Life. Stage: 42ND Street, The Wiz is 40, Sophisticated Ladies. Concert Dance: AIDF, The First Set, Chasing Magic, Spoleto, A Little Old A Little New. TV: Law & Order: SVU, The Kennedy Center at 50, The View, Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room, The Jerry Lewis Telethon. Film: To Everything I Love, Eudaimonia, Slip, Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, Leonard Soloway’s Broadway.

Alex Martin (Administrative Assistant/Festival Coordinator) is a dancer, choreographer and educator with a BFA in Dance from Wayne State University. Originally from Michigan, she relocated to NYC post-graduation and has worked with numerous companies, including The American Tap Dance Foundation, Evolve Dance, John Zullo/Raw Movement, and Nicholas Leichter Dance. Alex was an Administrative Assistant with Dorrance Dance for several years and has worked with The American Tap Dance Foundation for over 15 years. In 2021, she completed a three month residency through the 92Y’s Young Leaders Series in collaboration with Dorrance Dance. Currently, Alex devotes her time teaching over 40 classes per week throughout New York, including movement classes at two Special Education schools. 

Christiane Matallo (Guest Teacher) began her dance studies at two years of age, with a strong background in classical ballet. In 1993, she graduated from the College of Dance at the Unicamp in Campinas, Brazil and was invited to teach American Tap Dance in Queens, New York. Christiane began her career as an instructor when she was 13 and was awarded for Best Choreography by the National Meeting of Dance – ENDA in Brazil. She most recently became the first tap dancer to be featured in Brazilian Carnival with the group Mocidade Alegra in Sao Paulo which won the annual competition. IIn 1995, Christiane established her School of Dance known as the Christiane Matallo Studio de DanÇa, offering American tap dance, Irish step dancing, jazz, hip hop, classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance. In 1997, she was invited to participate in a Virtual Reality Project for the NICS – Unicamp (Interdisciplinary and Sound Space of Communication) called AtoContAto, based on a new gestual interface. As the researcher, Christiane continues to study new possibilities to express the dance using technological elements. In 1998, Christiane gave her first International Workshop in Bristol – England at the ACM (Association of Computer Machinery). In 1999, she taught Tap dance with an emphasis on Brazilian Rhythms in Vienna, Austria and also presented the work of Virtual Tap, now known as Tap Contact. In 2000, she initiated an artistic social work of American Tap Dance, in partnership with the RAC (Net Anhanguera of Communication) for the “School Project”, a program that cares for about forty underprivileged children in the City of Campinas. The program allows them to study lessons and attend presentations of Tap. In 2001, Christiane taught and performed as a featured artist in the Annual St. Louis Tap Festival under the direction of Robert Reed. As a result of her continued accomplishments in the Art Form of Tap, Christiane appeared on Global TV several times in addition to several other programs. She also participated as a special guest artist in The New York City Tap Festival and Los Angeles Tap Festival in the US. Christiane’s original style and performance has been highly respected and attended, as her Original show “Da Corda Pro Pe” with Gilberto de Syllos has already been attended by over 100,000 people. The show also showcases her ability to play tenor sax and piano while dancing. Christiane recently founded the first Annual Tap Festival in Sao Paulo, in addition to running the Annual Tap Festival in Campinas, she continues to participate in workshops throughout Brazil and festivals worldwide.

Reggio “The Hoofer” McLaughlin (Guest Teacher) has earned numerous awards, including, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Rockefeller Foundation’s MAP Fund, and The Joyce Foundation, for his collaboration with the celebrated MacArthur winner, ragtime pianist Reginald Robinson and the Grammy Award winning string band, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, for their musical production of “African-American Roots in Vaudeville”. He is a 2011 recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Professional Development Award. In 2014 Reggio received the prestigious Flo-Bert Award. In 2015 Reggio was awarded Old Town School of Folk Music 2015 “Distinguished Teaching Artist Award”. He has completed two instructional videos and is now working on a documentary that highlights his friendship and dance relationship with co-founding member of the Copasetics Ernest “Brownie” Brown. Reggio is the producer of a annual National Tap Dance Day extravaganza in Chicago, that celebrates tap as a true American folk dance. He has celebrated a milestone in his career by completing an autobiographical book, Reggio McLaughlin >Tap Dance of Life, which he is currently promoting. As an ambassador for the arts, Reggio continues to use his unique style of hoofing, to promote and preserve, traditional tap dancing, as a true American art form. His achievements have been profiled in books, television, radio interviews, magazines, newspapers and documentaries, making him a Chicago tap icon.

Morgan McMohan (Administrative Assistant) Born and raised in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, Morgan McMahon started dancing at the age of 7. Morgan studied Ballet, Tap, and Jazz for 11 years before moving onto a collegiate level BA Dance Program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. While in school, she worked with amazing dance instructors including Joan Karlen, Michael Estanich, Jeannie Hill, and Pamela Ludtke. Her tap mentor while in college was Jeannie Hill. Morgan graduated with a double major in Dance and Arts Management in 2014.  Morgan moved to New York in May 2014, a few days after graduation to pursue the last leg of her Arts Management Degree. She worked as an Intern at the American Tap Dance Foundation working under Tony Waag, and focused in Marketing, Archival preservation, and Social Media.  She was employed with ATDF as of September 2014. Morgan also works as ATDF's Front of House and Ticketing for their annual performances of Rhythm In Motion, Tap City, etc. Along with ATDF, Morgan is a professional dancer and private Pilates instructor in the city. She dances with a small modern dance company called Vencl Dance, directed by Susan Vencl, since September 2016. It is based in New York City. Since May 2015, Morgan has also danced with Sarah Berges Dance, based out of San Francisco. Recent performance credits include the American Tap Dance Foundations “Rhythm in Motion 2015”, choreographed by Susan Hebach, Sarah Berges Dance’s “Chrysallis” choreographed by Sarah Berges at Martha Graham Theater, and Triskelion Arts “Collaboration in Dance 2016”, choreographed by Susan Vencl. Morgan got certified in Mat and Apparatus Pilates at The Lab- Brooklyn, starting in January 2015. Morgan now teaches private and Mat Pilates at many locations around NYC.

Gene Medler (Guest Teacher) is founder and director of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble NCYTE) and director of the North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival. He teaches in the Department of Performing Arts at Elon University. Mr. Medler's previous teaching credits include Duke University and Meredith College. He is on the faculty at The Ballet School of Chapel Hill and has taught master classes at the tap festivals in the U.S. and worldwide. Gene was an athlete for most of his life, playing baseball, basketball, and track in middle and high school and then fencing at the University of North Carolina. Between undergraduate and graduate school he got interested in acting which led to dance classes and ultimately tap dance class. Loving movement for its own sake and having always wanted to learn to play an instrument, tap dancing was the perfect art form for him. He was fortunate to be learning when many of the old masters were starting to teach again. Gene worked with masters like Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates, Charles "Honi" Coles, Cholly Atkins, Bunny Briggs, and contemporaries like Brenda Bufalino, Sam Weber and Savion Glover. His passion for tap dancing coupled with his desire to teach led to the creation of NCYTE.

Kaleena Miller (Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a tap dancer and choreographer based in Minneapolis and New York. She is a 2015 McKnight Dance Fellow, recipient of grants from the Jerome Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board and was named one of DANCE Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2016. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Air Le Parc (France), Everwood Farmstead Foundation (WI) and the Southern Theater (MN) as part of their ARTshare programming. Kaleena was a founding member of Rhythmic Circus and toured extensively with the show Feet Don’t Fail Me Now! from 2009-2017, highlights including performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland), the Kennedy Center (DC) and the New Victory Theater (NY). She received a BFA in Dance from the University of MN- Twin Cities. She is currently Co-Director of the Twin Cities Tap Festival, Director of Kaleena Miller Dance and KMD2 in Minneapolis and an Artist in Residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation in New York.

Deborah Mitchell (Guest Teacher) is the Founder and Artistic Director of New Jersey Tap Dance Ensemble. This St. Louis, MO native is known throughout the New York area as a distinguished tap professional. She is the protégé of Leslie “Bubba” Gaines of the Copasetics and student of many tap masters including Broadway Choreographer Henry LeTang. Her many credits include The Cotton Club Motion Picture, Broadway and Paris Productions of Black and Blue, PBS Great Performances, 5 international tours with the legendary Cab Calloway, and a partnership with Philadelphia native Germaine Goodson as The Rhythm Queens. Under the direction of Ms. Mitchell, New Jersey Tap Ensemble is one of the most prominent touring tap dance companies in the state of New Jersey. Ensemble tours have included in New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Lincoln Center, Town Hall, and The Duke on 42nd Street, Tilles Center and the Joyce. She is producer of the NJTAP Touring Tap Boot Camp and participates annually in festivals such as the New York City Tap Festival, St. Louis Tap Festival and Traditions In Tap. She was a guest panelist on the subject of tap as an American art form at the Dance in the Millennium Conference, Washington, D.C. and participates in national and international programs such as the International Tap Association that focus on the promotion and perpetuation of tap dancing. Having attained a Masters Degree in Social Work from Indiana University, Ms. Mitchell is a strong advocate for arts education. As a Principal Affiliate of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center for 6 years, she participated in the Center’s Dance Academy both as a tap an instructor and as a workshop facilitator. Ms. Mitchell was instrumental in establishing tap dance as a technique to be offered to children participating in the Dance Academy. A master teacher and motivational speaker about the art form in many educational venues especially in New Jersey and throughout the tri-state, she also provides In-Service Training to teachers and dance educators throughout the tri-state area. Ms. Mitchell is author, director and choreographer of the Doll Shop Arts in Education presentation musical specifically developed for school age children grades K-5th. An extension of her work with the NJ Tap Touring Ensemble is the Youth Company, the pre-professional division of the company serving young artists ages 12-17. Ms. Mitchell is Chairman of the Tap Department of Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts, Montclair, NJ on the advisory Board of Tony Waag’s Tap City in NY and Assistant Director/Choreographer for Theater Workshop/Peppermint Players, Marie Foster, Director and a Board Member for Alliance for Arts Education/New Jersey. In recognition of National Tap Dance Day 2006, Savion Glover presented Ms. Mitchell with an award for giving tirelessly to the spirit and legacy of tap dancing. In March 2007, Dean John Bedford and Jo Rowan, Dance Department Chairman of Oklahoma City University, Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts management presented her with the Living Treasure Award “for preserving our American culture in her feet, in her mind and in her spirit.” In May 2007, Ms. Mitchell was chosen by The New York Committee to Celebrate National Tap Dance Day as one of the Flo-Bert Honorees.

Anthony Morigerato (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a tap dancer, producer, director, content creator, writer, and Emmy nominated choreographer. Anthony is the executive producer and artistic director for AM Dance Productions which has produced live theatrical performances and film in NYC since 2006. AM Dance Productions, short films include The Text (2015), The Subtext (2018), When Snow Falls (2020), and Green Riot (2020). AM Dance Productions live theatrical shows include AM Dance Project (2006-2008), Matt and Anthony (2009), and flood (in the dark corner) (2017). AM Dance Productions has produced sixteen episodes/live video dance concerts of flood (redux) (2020). In 2019, Anthony was the creator and current content curator of CODA, Break The Floor’s online dance competition scoring system that provides dancers with genre specific score sheets, homework video content to improve their performance, and data analytics. In 2014, Anthony founded and is currently the co-director, and content creator of Operation: Tap, an online forum that is dedicated to immersing tap dancing into the public’s consciousness. Anthony has worked as a tap dance teacher, performer, and adjudicator for NUVO Dance Convention from 2010-2020, having worked over 300 tour dates and adjudicating over 75,000 dance routines. As a performer, Anthony was a soloist and member of Michael Minery’s Tapaholics (2002-2012), a soloist and associate choreographer for Stacey Tookey’s Still Motion, and a soloist for various tap dance festivals, benefits, industrials, seminars, and performances since 1999. He has appeared as a choreographer and/or a performer on television shows including The Tony Danza Show (2005), America’s Got Talent (2009), The Arsenio Hall Show (2013), So You Think You Can Dance (2013-2018- Emmy Nomination 2016). Anthony holds the world record for “most tap sounds in one minute” having made 1,163 sounds. Anthony is an accomplished dancer in all disciplines, having trained at Marymount Manhattan College, where he performed the works of Robert Battle, Elizabeth Higgins, Jiri Kylian, David Parsons, Katie Langan and William Soleu. Anthony currently serves as an adjunct professor at Marymount Manhattan College. He has recently done choreographic residencies at Marymount Manhattan College (2014, 2016, and 2019), Pace University (2019), and is an artist in residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation (2020). Anthony is currently the co-artistic director for American Tap Festival and continues to travel as a teacher and choreographer for dance organizations, festivals, competitions, theater schools, and dance studios all over the world.

Margaret Morrison (ATDF Education Advisor/Teacher/Artist in Residence/TTT) is a rhythm tap soloist, choreographer, and researcher who performs and teaches across the US , Europe and Brazil . In 2010 she completed her MFA in Dance through the American Dance Festival/Hollins University. Margaret's current tap performance and writing projects explore gender, race, social meaning, and history in tap dance. In 2011 she is developing a tap/theater work on Alice and Bert Whitman, she will present new research on women tap dancers at the Congress on Research in Dance, and will publish her research paper "Juanita Pitts: Gender, Race, and the Female Hoofer." Margaret began her performing career in 1986 as a founding member of the American Tap Dance Orchestra, directed by Brenda Bufalino. As a soloist she has been hailed by critics as "feather-footed and musically astute," and a "consummate artist who breaks the mold.” Margaret’s tap workshops emphasize musicality and creativity, with a particular emphasis on improvisation, composition, and performance skills. As Education Advisor of the ATDF, she over-sees the Foundation’s training programs, including Tap City , the New York City Tap Festival. She is a graduate of Barnard College , where she is currently on the faculty of the Dance Department, directing the Tap Ensemble, teaching tap technique and a history course "Tap as an American Art Form." Visit www.MargaretMorrison.com.

Dario Natarelli (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a 2016 graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York where he was a drama major and delivered a commencement address at Lincoln Center centering around the importance of arts education. He is also a 2020 Cum Laude graduate of The Pennsylvania State University’s BFA Musical Theatre Program, where he achieved Dean’s List status for every semester, and he was the Student Marshal for the School of Theatre. Credits include: Dance Captain & Swing for Justin Peck (Broadway Labs), Tappin’ Thru Life with Maurice Hines (Off-Broadway), The Tap Dance Kid (New York City Center Encores!), Maestro (upcoming Netflix film with Bradley Cooper & Justin Peck), Funny Girl (Broadway Pre Production), The Radio City Christmas Spectacular (National Tour), A Salute to the Presidential Scholars at The Kennedy Center directed by Debbie Allen, Breaking Brooklyn (film), Vail Dance Festival (performer/soloist), Assistant Choreographer to Michelle Dorrance at Vail Dance Festival, Assistant Choreographer to J. Austin Eyer for Hands on a Hardbody at Penn State Centre Stage, Assistant Choreographer to Michele DunLeavy for Men on Boats at Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, Inside/Out at Jacob's Pillow, Demi Remick Dance Company, Jazz at Lincoln Center, national commercials, and more.

Dario is a tap dance teacher at the acclaimed Broadway Dance Center in New York City. He has taught master classes in tap dance and contemporary dance internationally. He teaches private dance lessons and creates choreography for dancers of all levels. He volunteered for many years as an assistant teacher at American Tap Dance Foundation (NYC) and with Broadway Workshop for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. Dario is grateful to all of his teachers and supporters, at Penn State and throughout his training - especially his late tap dance mentor, Robert L. Reed, who always reminded him to “Respect the Dance."

Toni Noblett (Guest Teacher/TTT) Toni’s background includes being the owner and Artistic Director of a private studio for thirty years. She was a Summer Institute teacher at the NYC National Dance Institute, founded by Jacques d’Amboise, as well as developing their tap curriculum and choreographing for their “Event of the Year.” In 1999 a project of Toni’s featuring Mr. d’Amboise was televised on “CBS Sunday Morning with Bill Geist.” In 2005 she became a full-time teaching artist for Rosie’s Theater Kids, a nonprofit organization bringing musical theatre training to New York City public school children. At RTK she developed their tap curriculum and the tap curriculum for the Professional Performing Arts High School’s Musical Theater Program. At RTK she also created a tap program, “Spotlight on Fitness” for Pre-K through 4th grade at an elementary school, PS 51, in Hell’s Kitchen. In addition, she was a part-time faculty member for the Youth and Adult Programs sponsored by the American Tap Dance Foundation, where she contributed to the tap curriculums for young dancers. She has taught and mentored in their Teacher Training Workshops since their inception. For nine years she was a guest teacher at the Broadway Dance Center’s Teacher Workshop in NYC. In the Spring of 2008, Toni served as Rosie O’Donnell’s tap coach for NYC Encore’s Production of “No, No Nanette,” choreographed by Randy Skinner. She also choreographed a children’s tap piece for a comic segment on “Rosie Live!” on NBC, and in 2009 coached Ms. O’Donnell for a pre-production showing of “Babes in Arms,” also choreographed by Mr. Skinner. She is presently developing a creative movement syllabus and tap syllabus for primary students, which emphasizes the importance of musicality, musicianship, and joy in the first years of dance--especially tap training. This workshop will debut July 12, 2020 at ATDF and will feature two curriculums, “Meet the Beat,” (creative movement) and “Shout, Shuffle, and Swing,” (beginning tap).

Nicole Ohr (Teacher) is a professional tap dancer/choreographer/teacher based in NYC. She's had the opportunity of performing with choreographers Felipe Galganni, Jared Grimes, Max Pollak and Tamii Sakurai, and has guest performed with Sean Fielder’s Boston Tap Company. She was the Tap Dance Captain of Undertoe Dance Project and is a current member of Germaine Salsberg’s Les Femmes and Cole Collective (which she is Artistic Director of). As a choreographer, her choreography has been presented in various dance festivals in NYC. Nicole is also produces Dance Astoria, a dance festival held annually in Astoria, Queens at Bohemian Hall and Beer Gardan. As a teacher, Nicole teaches all ages and various styles of dance. She is a certified Level 1 Tap Teacher and is currently teaching throughout the tristate area, including studios and organizations such as the American Tap Dance Foundation, Broadway Dance Center and Rioult Dance Center and Steps On Broadway.

Allison Piette (Artist in Residence) is a NYC-based tap dancer, teacher, and choreographer from Vermont. She trained in tap, jazz, theater, contemporary, ballet, and hip-hop under Diane Colburn and Krista Hogge as well as under noted tap dancers Dianne Walker, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Derick Grant, Michelle Dorrance, and mentor Dolores Sanchez. Allison has also performed in Derick Grant’s NY Tap Ensemble and for Christina Carminucci at the Steps Industry Showcase. In addition, Allison has choreographed and produced a number of dance videos, including “City Park Swing” and “Mr. Blue Sky”. She has presented this choreography at performances around NYC, including the Tap City Copasetic Boatride, Balance Arts Center Showcase, and Current Showcase. Allison is currently an artist in residence with the American Tap Dance Foundation.

Max Pollak (Teacher/Artist in Residence), named one of the "25 to Watch in 2007" by Dance Magazine, was inspired by the virtuosic footwork displayed by many of the greats in American film, and most importantly, jazz music. A native of Austria, he has been tapping since the age of 11, and playing drums and percussion since the age of 14. At age 17 Max was first exposed to the African American style of rhythm tap when seventy-one-year-old Carnell Lyons became his first mentor. Lyons, a Kansas City-born childhood friend of Charlie Parker, had toured the world successfully as a member of the vaudeville acrobatic tap act "Jesse, James and Carnell". Settling in West Berlin in the 1960s, Lyons became the pioneer of rhythm tap pedagogy in Europe. While completing his theater degree at the Theater-an-der-Wien Musical Theater School in Vienna, from 1988-1990, Pollak became an accomplished professional drummer and tap improviser. After working in several large musical theater productions in Germany and Austria, including one under the direction of Broadway choreographer Michael Shawn, he moved to New York City at the invitation of Heather Cornell, artistic director of the Bebop tap quartet Manhattan Tap. His tenure with the company lasted until 1997. During the early 1990s, the most important breeding ground for emerging tap talent was the weekly tap jam session hosted by tap legends Dr. Jimmy Slyde, Dr. Buster Brown, Chuck Green, and Lon Chaney at the New York City jazz club La Cave. Pollak was a regular, taken under the wing of the masters. For three years, he also co-hosted a weekly tap jam session at the East Village club Deanna's. Pollak also furthered his musical studies in jazz at New York's prestigious New School, graduating in May 1995. It was Latin percussion master Bobby Sanabria, though, who introduced Pollak to the earth shattering power and spiritual depth of Afro-Cuban music. Pollak soon began incorporating elements of Afro-Cuban jazz and folkloric music in his performances, developing the concept he calls "RumbaTap", a melding of Afro-Cuban music and dance, American jazz, body percussion, and tap dance. One of Pollak's crowning achievements was to receive a grant from Arts International in 2001 to help establish Cuba's first tap festival in Havana. Today Pollak is recognized worldwide as the creator of "RumbaTap." So respected is Pollak for this concept that his performances, teaching schedule, university lectures, and residencies take him throughout the US, Europe, Asia, Central and South America. Pollak has published articles on tap dance in several international publications and is the 2008 recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Choreography.

Claudia Rahardjanoto (Guest Teacher) Born and raised in Berlin/Germany, Claudia was trained in ballet, jazz and later in tap. She fell in love with tap dancing immediately and has extensively studied tap with Sam Weber, Andreas Dänel, Sven Göttlicher and Pascal Hulin. She has danced in numerous tap dance-shows in Europe (Germany, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Holland) and has been on tour with several touring productions around Europe as well as the United States ("Magic Of The Dance", "Dancing Feet", "Dancing On Common Ground"). After moving to NYC in 2003 to continue her education and pursue a career in dance in the US, Claudia has since appeared on the 'Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon' with Andrew Nemr's CPD Plus, appeared on MTV's 'TRL' as part of a 'Happy Feet'-segment with Robin Williams and Elijah Wood and has been a featured dancer in an evening called ‘Dianne Walker and Friends’. Claudia has been extremely blessed and fortunate to have met and spend valuable time (on or off stage) with masters like Dr.Jimmy Slyde, Dr.Bunny Briggs, Dr.Henry LeTang, Dr.Buster Brown, Harold Cromer, Mable Lee, Dianne Walker, Ted Levy, and Savion Glover and others. She is very grateful to have been able to dance with Dianne 'Lady Di' Walker, Michelle Dorrance, Roxanne Butterfly’s WORLDBEATS, Andrew J. Nemr's CPD Plus, Susan Hebach’s TAP COLLECTIVE, Barbara Duffy and Company, Jared Grimes' T.A.D.A.H., Max Pollak’s RUMBATAP, Michael Minery's Tapaholics and alongside the fabulous Miss Mable Lee as one of her Dancing Ladies. Claudia is currently on faculty at Steps On Broadway and Broadway Dance Center.

Ramita Ravi (Guest Teacher) is a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in NYC. Raised in Pittsburgh, she grew up training and competing in styles ranging from contemporary and tap to Classical Indian Dance. She recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Health & Societies and Education Policy. Upon graduation, she pivoted from her academic path to pursue dance full-time. Currently signed with Clear Talent Group, highlights of her career include SYTYCD, Viceland, NOWThis, Lincoln Center, ClassPass Live and more. Most recently, she toured with Mystic India: The World Tour. As a choreographer and producer, she has set work for Buzzfeed, Spotify, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She has also taught guest classes at Broadway Dance Center, Columbia University, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and more.  For more info visit: www.ramitaravi.com

Charles Renato (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He began tap dancing at the age of 6 years old at CBS (Brazilian Tap company) located in Sao Jose dos Campos.  At 14 he began teaching tap dance that lead to him win awards all over Brazil. He has won awards for Best Dancer at the Joinville Dance Festival and the TV Globo challenge show (2009 & 2010). In 2008 Charles joined the cast of "Sinatra Blue Eyes" the musical in Lisbon, Portugal. Renato was also a member of the "KS Tap Company" which is responsible for bringing together highly sought after teachers from all over Brazil to perform. Charles spends his free time giving workshops and choreographing for many tap companies through out Brazil and America. He was invited to teach at the LA Tap Fest, DC Tap Fest, Tap City in NY, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, North Carolina Tap Festival, Portland Tap Festival and many others. Charles Renato was invited to produce and create a section in one of the most prestigious event in Brazil called Carnaval. Since then he has been nominated for best choreographer of Desterro festival and Festidança in Brazil that has lead up to him teaching in America. Most recently he moved to NYC and has been working with Apt 33 directed by Chloe Arnold and performed with Michelle Dorrance and Dorrance Dance.  Renato has also recently been directing the Metropolitan Youth Tap Ensemble (MYTE), and teaching at Metropolitan School of Arts in Virginia. He also directed Apt 33’s new video “I’m not afraid” choreographed by Chloe Arnold. Since he moved to NYC he has been teaching at Broadway Dance Center and Steps On Broadway. At the moment Charles is Artists Resident at American Tap Dance Foundation and he is also going for a international tour passing through Bermuda, Mexico, United Kingdom and more.

Sarah Reich (Guest Teacher) has emerged as one of the new leaders in the Art Form of Tap Dance. At the young age of 15, this Los Angeles native was featured in Dance Spirit Magazine’s article, “20 Hot Tappers Under 20” and has since been sought after to perform, choreograph, and teach in over nine countries outside the United States including France, Spain, China, Brazil, Costa Rica, Argentina, Honduras, Canada, and Sweden. Sarah most recently choreographed and performed on the LA County Holiday Celebration with her company, Tap Music project and was a guest performer at Madison Square Garden for the opening game of the NY Knicks 2013-2014 season. She has also performed on FOX’s Hit Television Series, So You Think You Can Dance with Emmy-Award Winner Jason Samuels Smith’s tap company, Anybody Can Get It (ACGI). Sarah is a member of Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies (A Female Tap Band) and is the Artistic Director of her own company, Tap Con Sabor with the goal to expose tap to the Latino community throughout Los Angeles and abroad. For eight years, Sarah has worked alongside her mentor and tap legend, Harold Cromer teaching at numerous tap festivals and events. Previously she extensively trained with Cyd Glover, Paul & Arlene Kennedy, and Becky Twitchell studying technique, performance, musicality and improvisation, making Sarah one of the most well-rounded tap dancers in the business. In addition to her vast international travels and countless television appearances, Sarah has had the honor to perform at some of the most prestigious venues back home in Los Angeles such as The Hollywood Bowl, The Ford Amphitheatre, the Greek Theater with Mexican Pop-Star, Cristian Castro and the Kodak Theater with the great Herbie Hancock. Currently Sarah is developing new exciting works with her company, Tap Music Project and Sole Sisters – a collaboration with Melinda Sullivan. Sarah produces a weekly class/tap jam for the Los Angeles tap community, Monday Night Tap Experience. She also frequently performs around the city with popular local bands, Magnolia Memoir, Oskar Cartaya's Latin Jazz Band and Dessy DiLauro.

Gal Ribak (teacher) is a tap dancer, instructor, and educator who began her rhythmic journey with Yuval Beck in Israel at the age of 9. She performed across Israel and Europe, collaborating with Percussion groups like "Demente" and "RhythMania". Her captivating presence has graced hundreds of stages, including "Israel's Got Talent" and the mesmerizing "Wow Show - Las Vegas" in Eilat, Israel, "Pestigal" and many more. Beyond her performances in Israel, Gal's passion led her to travel worldwide, seeking inspiration from top dancers in tap festivals and events. Her quest for Tap has taken her to places such as Sweden, Spain, France, Romania, Greece, Mexico, the USA, UK, Italy, and Germany.
Gal creates an enjoyable and secure space for learning, infusing her classes with a blend of her love for tap and its history. Adding a unique touch, she incorporates Mediterranean influences into her choice of music and rhythms.

Jessee Leigh Robinson (teacher) is a New York City based tap dancer from Los Angeles, CA. In New York, Jessee is currently working with Anthony Moriterato’s production company “AM Dance Productions”. Her performance credits include The School Of Jacob’s Pillow Tap Dance Program on the Henry J. Leir Stage, The Broadway Rhythm Summer Jazz Festival, Steps Beyond Foundation, and Arts on Site. As a choreographer, Jessee has enjoyed the opportunity to present her work at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Arts on Site, and Dixon Place. Under the mentorship of Derick K. Grant, Jessee has created multiple one-woman shows. She has also choreographed and co-produced works titled "(In) Significant” and “It Never Entered My Mind”.

Olivia Rosenkrantz (Guest Teacher) A native of France and a child performer, Olivia moved to New York City to study modern dance with Murray Louis and Alvin Nikolais. She was very fortunate to be part of the early 90’s tap scene where emerging dancers trained and created with the great American masters, searching for their own voice. Olivia was a member of Brenda Bufalino’s American Tap Dance Orchestra (91 to 96) then of Heather Cornell’s Manhattan Tap for two seasons (performing with Keith Terry and Ray Brown's jazz trio). She was in Savion Glover’s “OM” at the Joyce theater (NYC).  Other projects include Ka-tap (North Indian Kathak meets tap), Tap Express, Mad Theatricals, cabaret acts “Y not Tap” and “Tapage à trois”… Olivia is, with dancer Mari Fujibayashi, artistic director/choreographer of  Tapage, a tap duet noticed for “its inventive world of sound and movement, breaking cultural barriers and transcending the norm”… Tapage has performed internationally for over 20 years with jazz and world music ensembles, classical orchestras and string quartets, including Grammy Award winner Cuarteto Latinoamericano. www.tapage.org She has been assistant to choreographer Brenda Bufalino in the re-creation of some of her master pieces, and dance captain/dancer of the New Tap Dance Orchestra. In New York City she has taught at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, Woodpeckers Inter Arts space and Ballet Arts and was a guest teacher/performer in Japan, Europe, South and North America. Performance Highlights include the New York City Center Fall for Dance Festival, the 92nd Street Y, four seasons at the Joyce theater,  Alyce Tully Hall, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, Tap City at the Duke Theater, The Colorado Music Festival, Carnegie Mellon University, Tokyo’s Alti Hall, Tanzhaus in Dusseldorf and Teatro de la Danza in Mexico City… Olivia is a published author, a Tai chi practitioner and a visual artist. Her latest photographs will be on exhibition this spring at the Biennale internationale de l’image de Nancy (France).

Arleigh Rothenberg (Guest Teacher) currently tap dances at The Cotton Club as a member of Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards’ "Sophisticated Ladies".  As a choreographer and producer for Flash Mob America, Arleigh recently choreographed the "Tap and Go" Flash Mob and Commercial for HSBC.  Arleigh can be seen in the Sabrina Carpenter ad for the song “In My Bed”.  She is the choreographer and solo tap dancer for this ad. Arleigh performed as a cast member in "Rhythm Is Our Business", produced by Tony Waag, directed by Derick K. Grant, with choreography by Derick K. Grant and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards. Additional performance highlights include: Ernest “Brownie” Brown’s "Old Man Time" at Symphony Space, Harold Cromer’s "Broadway Medley" at Haft Theater, Derick K. Grant's "Once Upon a Tap" at The Harris Theater in Chicago, Mr. Grant's NYC Preview of "Imagine Tap", Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards' Michael Jackson Tribute in "A Shared Evening "(with Michelle Dorrance), and Ms. Sumbry-Edwards' "Smooth Criminal" at the NYC Summer Stage Series. Television and Video Credits include an International Adidas Commercial, Malibu Rum "Funky Dip" Flashmob Commercial choreographed by Tweetie, "Step Up 3D" Promo Music Video with choreography by Michelle Dorrance, "Sesame Street" 40th Season, and appearances in the films "Step Up 3D" and "Friends with Benefits".  She has made several appearances on Good Morning America with Flash Mob America, Dancing With The Stars, Silento, Flo Rida, and more. Arleigh holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Television-Radio with a concentration in Video Production from Ithaca College. While attending Ithaca College, she founded the Ithaca College Tap Dance Club and created the Finger Lakes Tap Dance Festival. For more information please visit www.ArleighR.com

Courtney Runft (Guest Teacher) began her early dance training with Sharon Rogers at Rogers Ballet Inc. in Wichita, Kansas where she continues to go back to guest teach. She continued her training as a ballet dancer at Friends University with Sharon and Stan Rogers as well as an array of guest choreographers. Courtney currently studies tap dance with Michelle Dorrance and Derick Grant among others, and she has worked had the pleasure of performing choreography by Michelle Dorrance, Lisa La Touche, Derick Grant, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards and Max Pollak. Courtney has also been featured in Dance Teacher Magazine and Dance Spirit Magazine. She currently teaches at The American Tap Dance Foundation and is the dance specialist at St. Luke's School.

Tamii Sakurai (Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a tap dancer based in New York City. She is an Artist in Residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation (ATDF). Her close affiliation with ATDF started as a founding member, then the dance captain, and now one of the rehearsal director of Tap City Youth Ensemble, a performing youth tap ensemble of ATDF. Tamii has also had the privilege of working with numerous leading tap companies such as Brenda Bufalino’s “New”American Tap Dance Orchestra, Michelle Dorrance’s Dorrance Dance and Caleb Teicher’s Caleb Teicher and Company. She studied Mathematics and Dance at Hunter College, where she has developed her style of teaching tap dance incorporating numbers and visuals. In 2016, she made her debut Off Broadway in STOMP. She has concluded her run in STOMP the following year, though she may be seen periodically performing as an alumni. For Tamii’s new works and teaching/ performing schedule, please visit: www.tamiisakurai.com

Germaine Salsberg (Guest Teacher) began her career as a child actress, appearing on radio and television in her native Canada. After 10 years as a modern dancer with the Toronto Dance Theatre touring throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe, she discovered tap dancing. She has been on the faculty of Broadway Dance Center for over 20 years, as well as Steps on Broadway, Germaine teaches anyone from Broadway professionals to people who "just love to tap." She teaches at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Ed And Marymount Manhattan College. She has taught at Cap 21 and Pace University as well as throughout the US and internationally. She has gained a reputation for teaching a strong foundation of technique through rhythm elements that will carry into any area of tap dance. She assisted Tony Award Winner Danny Daniels for Broadway and National tours of "Tap Dance Kid" and has privately coached many actors including Liza Minnelli for the movie "Steppin Out." Germaine has choreographed such regional musical theater productions as 42nd Street, Anything Goes, George M!, Crazy For You, and Dames at Sea. She has performed tap in Edmonton's Fringe Festival, with the Jazz Tap Center on tour, as well as at Tap City in New York, and the Boston Tap Festival.  After years of helping others to find technique and self expression through tap dance, she has entered her own journey of self discovery through choreography with her company, Les Femmes. Les Femmes have performed in colleges, street fairs, at Tap City and at the 92nd St Y. They "delight" audiences with dances that tell stories and converse with wit and irony.

Leonardo Sandoval (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) hails from Piracicaba, Brazil, and studied tap, ballet, jazz and hip-hop with Heloaldo Castelo Silva, Steven Harper, and Christiane Matallo among others. He also studied at Debbie Allen’s Summer Intensive, the LA Tap Fest, and at the School at Jacob’s Pillow. In Rio de Janeiro, Leo co-founded the tap company Cia Carioca de Sapateado, as well as working with other companies there. He also appeared on many TV and stage shows. In 2012 he was a finalist on Q’Viva! The Chosen, a talent show hosted by Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, broadcast worldwide.

Since moving to New York, Leo has performed with Dorrance Dance, Chloe Arnold’s Apartment 33, and recently appeared in New York (Danspace Project, Tap City, Rhythm in Motion), the Jacob’s Pillow Festival, Chicago (Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s Rhythm World), Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Brazil, Belgium and Germany. He has also been a guest faculty at the Broadway Dance Center. Leo is particularly interested in bringing Brazilian rhythms and music to tap dance, and is collaborating with other dancers, musicians and visual artists, with a desire to push the boundaries of Tap.

Dolores “Lola” Sanchez (Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a sought after performer, choreographer and teacher. Well versed in tap dance, capoeira, contact improv, and street jazz. She has served as faculty at Peridance Capezio Center, Steps On Broadway, and Broadway Dance Center. She has been an Adjunct Professor At Pace University in The Commercial Arts Dance Program and a Guest Teaching Artist at Hope College. Dolores Has Performed with Chloe Arnold, Michelle Dorrance, Ali Bradley, Joseph Webb, Jason Samuels Smith, Sam Webber, Dianne Walker and Derick K. Grant. She has been a member of Chloe Arnold’s company, Apt. 33, was a 2018-2019 recipient of a New York Live Arts Fresh Tracks Residency, and is the founder and director for her NYC based company, The Dolo Project. She is currently an Artist in Resident with the American Tap Dance Foundation. For more info follow @lolataps.

Lynn Schwab (Teacher/Artist in Residence) a member of Barbara Duffy and Company, RumbaTap, and The Tap Collective, has performed at such notable New York venues as The Duke on 42nd Street, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Town Hall, Off Broadway’s La MAMA, World Festival 2000, The International Street Performers Festival, The River to River Festival, Central Park’s SummerStage, Joe’s Pub, Studio 54, The Joyce and The Joyce SoHo Theatres. She has performed at Jacob’s Pillow and as a guest artist with Billy Siegenfeld and Jeannie Hill’s Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. With members of The Tap Collective, she choreographed and performed the Morton Gould Tap Dance Concerto with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with The Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, and at festivals in the U.S., Germany, Spain, France, Holland, and Estonia. She continues to tour the U.S. with Tap City on Tour and in addition to her regular classes at Steps on Broadway in New York City, teaches and performs at festivals and workshops in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

Samara Seligsohn (Teacher/Artist in Residence), originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a NYC-based tap dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in dance from Barnard College (2012), where she used her studies as a platform to explore tap dance history and choreography. Upon graduation, she studied heavily under leading dancers such as Derick Grant, Lynn Schwab, and Nicholas Young. Currently, she is a member of Nicholas Young’s SoundMovement Dance Company and Chloe Arnold’s Apt#33, and has performed with these companies at major venues such as B.B. King Blues Club, Symphony Space, and the 14th Street Y. Samara has also performed works by Derick Grant, Max Pollak, Felipe Galganni, and Leonardo Sandoval. Samara is a core member of the up-and-coming dance/music collective TREES, The Rhythm Encompassing Every Sound, which showcases collaborative choreographic and musical work. She is a recent alumna of the Jacob’s Pillow Tap Program, and a faculty member at Steps on Broadway. Samara is honored and exciting to be premiering her work at Rhythm in Motion.

Randy Skinner (Guest Teacher/ATDF Board Member) is an award winning American director, choreographer and performer. He has been nominated three times for Tony Awards and twice for Drama Desk Awards for choreography. Skinner graduated from Ohio State University and is a guest teacher at various colleges. He moved to New York in 1976 seeking dancing jobs, and Gower Champion asked him to be a dance assistant on 42nd Street in 1980. In 1985, Ginger Rogers cast him as Val opposite Karen Ziemba and asked him to choreograph a production of Babes in Arms that she directed in upstate New York and in Connecticut. His Broadway work as a choreographer includes the musicals White Christmas and State Fair. He choreographed the Broadway revival of 42nd Street in 2001 and also choreographed and staged the London, Australia and two U.S. national companies and the Amsterdam production of the musical. He has choreographed several staged productions for the City Center Encores! series, including No, No Nanette (May 2008). His Off-Broadway and regional theatre choreography work includes productions of White Christmas around the U.S., An American in Paris (2008 in Houston, Texas), Happy Days (2006 in Los Angeles), Lone Star Love (2004 Off-Broadway; 2007 Seattle), Babes in Arms (2002 at the Goodspeed Opera House), Abby's Song (1999 Off-Broadway, also directing) and Lucky in the Rain (1997 at Goodspeed).

Jason Samuels Smith (Guest Teacher) has emerged as a multi-talented leader in the Art form of Tap. He won both an Emmy and American Choreography Award for "Outstanding Choreography" for the Opening number of the 2003 Jerry Lewis/MDA Telethon in a tribute to the late Gregory Hines. Mr. Samuels-Smith most recently received the Gregory Hines Humanitarian in addition to past honors including a Certificate of Appreciation by the City of Los Angeles for creating the First Annual Los Angeles Tap Festival in 2003; a Proclamation declaring April 23rd "Jason Samuels Day" from the City of Shreveport, Louisiana; the "Ivy of Education" from Brainerd Institute; the "President Kenny Award" from Stony Brook; an Alpert/McDowell Residency Award; and an Arts International Grant among others.  Mr. Samuels Smith most recently appeared as a special guest on Fox's hit series "So You Think You Can Dance" and is currently working as a choreographer for a new reality show scheduled to debut this coming season. Films include co-starring in Dean Hargrove's "Tap Heat", a dynamic award-winning short film touring film festivals worldwide (available on DVD); Outkast's feature film "Idlewild"; and Debbie Allen's AMC television series "Cool Women" to name a few. Performances include Sammy (a tribute to the life of Sammy Davis jr.), and in a leading role of the star-studded production of Soul Possessed; the Tony Award winning Broadway cast of Bring in Da'Noise, Bring in Da'Funk in principal and lead roles; starring in the critically acclaimed production of Imagine Tap!. Mr. Samuels Smith continues to tour the US and beyond with India Jazz Suites, a dynamic collaboration with Kathak Master Pandit Chitresh Das, his own tap company A.C.G.I (Anybody Can Get It), JaJa Productions Band featuring jazz-influenced hip hop music, and Charlie's Angels: A Tribute to Charlie Parker which features some of the best women performers today.

Lia Spirka (Guest Teacher), a graduate of the University of California, Irvine, performed with the company Tap Overload for over seven years in Southern California. She has also performed with Taps, Ltd. and DanzAlegria, and her choreography has been featured by the Santa Barbara Dance Alliance and the Orange Coast College Dance Department. She is working in collaboration with Dianne Walker on a project to teach and share the choreography of Leon Collins. Lia has learned this choreography under the watchful eye of Dianne and has been encouraged by her to continue this important work. In addition, Lia has performed under the direction of Brenda Bufalino in tributes to the American Tap Dance Orchestra, Honi Coles, Bill Robinson, and Ernest “Brownie” Brown at the Duke On 42nd Street Theater. Lia has also studied extensively with many other tap masters, including Linda Sohl-Ellison. Lia received the Rhapsody In Taps 2002, 2003, & 2004 Tap Legacy Awards. She has taught at several studios in Southern California – most recently at Momentum Dance Center prior to relocating to New York City in 2009, where she currently works at New York University (NYU).

Jared Sprague (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a Clintondale, NY native.  He started dancing at the age of three, and hasn’t stopped since. His passion and talent led him to study in NYC, where he has been fortunate enough to work with and train under influential teachers and choreographers including: Ray Hesselink, Lola Sanchez, Rhonda Miller, Max Pollak, Mandy Moore, Scott Jovovich, Lauren Gaul, Ephrat Asherie, Martha Nichols, Alexandra Damiani, Jess Hendricks, and many more! Jared recently graduated from Pace University in May 2019 with a BFA in Commercial Dance, is a member of Caleb Teicher & Co., and is signed with MSA Talent Agency.

Caleb Teicher (Guest Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a NYC-based dancer and choreographer specializing in musically-driven dance traditions and interdisciplinary collaboration. Teicher began their career as a founding member of Michelle Dorrance’s critically acclaimed tap dance company, Dorrance Dance, while also freelancing in contemporary dance (The Chase Brock Experience, The Bang Group), Lindy Hop (Syncopated City Dance Company), and musical theater (West Side Story International Tour and London). Since founding Caleb Teicher & Company (CT&Co) in 2015, Teicher’s creative work has expanded to engagements and commissions across the US and abroad including The Joyce Theater, New York City Center, the Guggenheim Museum (NYC and Bilbao), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and Lincoln Center Out of Doors. When live performance resumes, Caleb’s work will be presented in over a dozen cities across the United States. Teicher is known for choreographic collaborations with diverse musical talents: creating full collaborations for CT&Co with world-champion beatboxer Chris Celiz and composer/pianist Conrad Tao; performing as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center; recording percussion and vocals for television with Ben Folds; and choreographing Regina Spektor’s residency on Broadway. Caleb is the recipient of a 2019 New York City Center Choreographic Fellowship, two Bessie Awards, a 2019 Harkness Promise Award, and a 2019 NEFA National Dance Project Production Grant. Their work has been featured by The New York Times, NPR, Forbes, Vogue, Interview Magazine, on the cover of Dance Magazine and, most recently, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert alongside Regina Spektor. Caleb continues to engage with dance communities as a teacher for international tap, swing, and jazz dance festivals.

Byron Tittle (Guest Teacher) At a young age, Byron Tittle started tap dance with David Rider and the American Tap Dance Foundation in his hometown of New York. Wanting to study other disciplines, he also trained at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. Byron recently toured the United States, Australia, and New Zealand with Hugh Jackman in The Man, The Music, The Show, and is humbled to have received a 2019 Princess Grace Foundation Dance Fellowship Award.

Raquel Valiente (Guest Teacher) created the Tap dance program at Ballet Hispánico, where she also led the Early Childhood program for four years and continues to serve as faculty. She also teaches at the American Tap Dance Foundation and Rosie’s Theater Kids. Raquel is also known for her role as a judge in El Salvador’s dance reality TV show Bailando por un Sueño.  She has appeared in various TV shows, commercials, performed in venues such as La Mamma, and served as Children Ballet Mistress for Francis Patrelle’s Nutcracker. Raquel trained in New York under the direction of ballet master Frank Augustyn at Adelphi University, where she obtained a BFA in Dance, while also being mentored in tap by Broadway veteran, Charles Goddertz.  She has also studied with Brenda Bufalino and Lynn Schwab, among others. Raquel is an ABT ® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT ® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT ® National Training Curriculum and holds a Level 1 Certificate from the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Tap Teacher Training.  She has also completed DEL’s Foundations of Dance Education and Dance for Students with Special Needs.  In addition, she trained in the Meisner acting technique at the Esper Studio. Raquel has shared her expertise at the Arts in Education Roundtable’ Face 2 Face conference, City College of New York, Adelphi University, NYC Dance Department, Dance Teacher Magazine, El Salvador and most recently taught Tap at Ballet Clásico de Santiago in the Dominican Republic.

Kaitlin Verchimak (Teacher) is a teaching artist originally from the Chicago land area. Kaitlin holds a Bachelors of Science degree with majors in Dance and Gender Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2020). She owes her reemergence in the tap community to 2018 Hoofer Award recipient and friend, Katherine Kramer. Previously working in community dance programs throughout her undergrad, Kaitlin relocated to New York City in 2021 to tap into the richness of the art form's historical roots. She currently teaches the Copasetics Club I and Tap Fundamentals I classes at the American Tap Dance Foundation, while also working full time as an arts administrator. "

Tony Waag (Producer/Artistic/Executive Director/Teacher) founded the American Tap Dance Foundation (formerly known as the American Tap Dance Orchestra) in 1986, along with Brenda Bufalino and the late Charles "Honi" Coles. From 1989-1995, he co-created and operated, with Ms. Bufalino, Woodpeckers Tap Dance Center which became a model for numerous tap organizations and tap studios worldwide creating, producing, and presenting various educational programs for adults and children year-round, as well as annual winter tap intensives with master classes, courses and workshops taught by leading International artists and master tap dancers. I n 2001, he renamed the organization the American Tap Dance Foundation and created Tap City, the annual New York City Tap Festival with premiere performances of all styles of tap by artists from around the world, as well as an extensive training program for adults, teens and children, city wide events, tap jams, student showcases, panel discussions, lectures and film screenings. As a performer and choreographer, he has been featured in hundreds of concert, film and television productions including appearances at the legendary Apollo Theater, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the United Nations, the Atlanta Arts Festival, the Utah Arts Festival, the Colorado Dance Festival, the Lincoln Center "Out-of-Doors" Festival, the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, PBS’s "Great Performances, a national Seagram's commercial, and in a French car commercial for Renault in Paris. International appearances include USIA tours of Turkey, Poland, Cyprus, Latvia and Estonia, and recent American ambassador tours of Armenia and Romania with his production of Tap City on Tour. He has also taught and performed in Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, and Spain. Mr. Waag has received numerous grants towards the presentation and preservation of tap dance as a unique American art form. In 2002, he created the first International Tap Dance Hall of Fame honoring the contributions of legendary tap dancers by preserving their legacies for future generations to enjoy. He also created the annual Tap Preservation and Hoofer Awards, the Gregory Hines Youth Scholarship Fund, and the Gregory Hines Collection of American Tap Dance Archives which are now housed at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. I n 2009, he created and staged the touring production of “Thank You Gregory”, a tribute to the Legends of Tap Dance which can now be seen in theaters across the country. I n January of 2010, he opened the American Tap Dance Center in New York City where he currently directs on-going education and training programs for tappers of all ages and levels. For more information visit: www.tonywaag.org

Dianne Walker (Guest Teacher) her career has taken her to Broadway, television, theater, and numerous universities and jazz performance venues throughout the world. Ms. Walker has been awarded grants from the New England Foundation for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and The National Endowment for the Arts. In 1996, she represented the United States as an adjudicator for the World Tap Dance Championships, held in Dresden, Germany. In Boston, 1997, she received the "Tapestry Award" for excellence in teaching, and in 1998, she received the "Living Treasure In American Dance Award" from Oklahoma City University. Ms. Walker was a featured dancer in the movie TAP. Additionally, she was in the original Paris production of Black and Blue, and in the Broadway production, she was Assistant Choreographer/Dance Captain. At that time, she had the prestigious honor of being the only female dancer in the famed Hoofers Line with Lon Chaney, Jimmy Slyde, Chuck Green, and Bunny Briggs. She has been featured in documentaries such as Songs Unwritten... Leon Collins, Honi Coles... the Class Act of Tap, Black and Blue, and Great performances... Tap Dance in America. Ms. Walker appeared most recently in the US and international tour of Footnotes, with Savion Glover, Jimmy Slyde, and Buster Brown.

Award winning actor, dancer and poet, Joseph Monroe Webb (Teacher/Artist in Residence) has showcased his talent in a number of performances throughout the years including the Tony Award winning Broadway production, Bring in 'Da Noise Bring in 'Da Funk with notable tap dancer, Savion Glover.  Following his Broadway success, Webb ventured into acting an appearance in the Martin Scorsese film Bringing Out The Dead, and appeared in numerous print and television ads. He has also performed on talk shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Live with Regis and Kathy Lee. A true artist, Webb decided to pursue another artistic interest and formed his own band, The Joseph Webb Quartet. Their music is a blend of hip-hop, jazz, soul, tap dance and spoken word.  Connecting live instrumentation with an incredible rhythm and horn section, Webb creates an engaging and interactive atmosphere denoting sheer inspiration.  He is a Maryland Distinguished Scholar, one of the National Foundation For Advancement in the Arts Level I awardees, and a Presidential Scholar. Joseph is a 2001 graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater Arts. Joseph Webb is a Full Time Lecturer at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY, and has been on the staff of Harlem School of the Arts for the past six years. He also was a special guest artist at the 25th Anniversary of Gala Des Etoiles Dance Gala in Montreal Canada in September 2008. Most recently Mr. Webb and his band was apart of the Red Hook Festival in Brooklyn, NY.  So far in 2009 he has been a guest teacher and performer at the 2009 D.C. and L.A. Tap Festivals and a special guest artist at the 2009 Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Wilmington, Delaware and executed a stellar performance at Tap City the NYC Tap Festival which was reviewed by the New York Times. Heperformedin the production of Thank You Gregory which touring the United States. Understanding that his talent and achievements are attributed to more than his commitment and contribution to the journey, Webb gives thanks for that which has no name but can only be felt, that which has neither beginning nor end.

Sam Weber (Guest Teacher) is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed performing artist, master teacher and choreographer who regularly appears throughout the world. A protege of Stan Kahn in San Francisco, Sam Weber has appeared with such tap legends as Charles "Honi" Coles, Steve Condos, Jimmy Slyde, Gregory Hines and the Nicholas Brothers. Sam's versatility has led him to performances in musical theater and television, where he has worked with such stars as Burt Lancaster, Bob Hope, Andy Williams, Pat Boone and Sara Vaughn. Sam co-starred in the award-winning German short film "Zwei Im Frack," directed by Christian Stahl in September, 2000. Sam has also performed with the San Francisco Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Peninsula Ballet Theatre and Smuin Ballets/SF. Sam Weber was frequently seen on PBS's "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" television show and is featured in the documentary "Juba! Masters of Percussive Dance" on Public Television. Sam is one of the few tap dancers in the world currently performing Morton Gould's "Tap Dance Concerto" and was the first tap dancer to receive a "Bessie" award, presented in New York City in 1993 in recognition of outstanding creative achievement. In addition to his solo tap dancing career, Sam has toured internationally since 1986 as a principal dancer and choreographer with the Jazz Tap Ensemble. Sam Weber has performed and taught at tap dance workshops and festivals worldwide. These have included the Chicago Human Rhythm Project as well as tap festivals in Boulder, CO, Portland, OR, St. Louis, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Vancouver, B.C., Atlanta, Houston, Austin, Boston, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Prague, Kiev, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Wuerzburg, Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Zurich, Helsinki, Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Rio De Janeiro, San Antonio, TX, Gainesville, FL and the San Francisco Tap Festival. Sam has taught in the dance departments of UCLA, Cal State University, L.A., Long Beach City College, Cal State Fullerton and San Francisco State University. Sam appears as guest artist in residence with Sierra Nevada Ballet www.sierranevadaballet.com. Sam Weber frequently performs the work of German composer/violinist/tap dancer Andreas Daenel. The two dancers have performed Daenel's compositions for tap dancers and orchestra "Kontralog" and "SignADiapunktur," which premiered in the U.S. with the San Francisco Bay Area's Peninsula Symphony Orchestra in 2005. Sam is the recipient of several awards, including the "Legacy Award," from San Antonio's "Third Coast Rhythm Project," for his work as a teacher and performer. He has received the San Francisco Bay Area Tap Festival's "Giant Steps" award for his lifelong contribution to the development of tap dance in the Bay Area, and he has also received the prestigious "Juba" award from the Chicago Human Rhythm Project in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the art of tap dance.

Karen Callaway Williams (Guest Teacher) the Producer of Rhythms for Ruby and the author of Gabriella’s Tap Shoes and Rhythms for Ruby (in print and audio book) is known for being both the first African-American female tap dancer and dance captain in RIVERDANCE - THE SHOW and the only African-American female tap dancer and dance captain in RIVERDANCE - ON BROADWAY. Other Broadway credits include the Tony Award nominated Duke Ellington musical PLAY ON.  She is currently featured on the cover of Flow Magazine and in the wonderful current documentary BEEN RICH ALL MY LIFE the story of the Silver Belles, having now received the honor of being a Second Generation Silver Belle. Karen has toured extensively having recently returned from Zurich Switzerland for the Zurich Tap Festival, The United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain) with the Duke Ellington Big Band, Armenia and Romania with TAP CITY ON TOUR through the Unites States Embassy, the ALL THAT TAP TAIPEI festival in Taiwan, on Canadian soil with TAP GIANTS and Tap TEL AVIV and in Beijing, China, Canada and North America with the RIVERDANCE Flying Squad and RIVERDANCE, Boyne Company. DANCE MAGAZINE heralded her as "a graceful dream with taps as happy as a song" and the New York Times called her “a gifted traditionalist with laughing eyes”. She was a featured tap solo artist with the Detroit, Toronto and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras and in ALL THAT JAZZ and the BSO HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In addition she was a soloist and special guest choreographer for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Two memorable performances were held at THE HOLE IN THE WALL GANG CAMP for Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward and at the APOLLO THEATRE with the Silver Belles for President Bill Clinton. In addition to performing, Ms. Williams has established herself as a prominent tap instructor teaching statewide on a weekly basis. Her teaching history includes Spelman College, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Poly-Prep Country Day School, PPAS in Manhattan, NJPAC Dance Academy, NYC Dance Alliance, national and international tap festivals, dance camps, master classes and enrichment programs. Look for the upcoming release of her third children's book “Gabriella and the Tap Dance Floor. All books are available on Amazon.com.

Cartier Williams (Guest Teacher) Hoofer, Choreographer, Filmmaker and Performer who hails from Washington, D.C., began his tap dancing career at the age of four. Cartier learned his first tap steps from his grandmother Audrey Williams. At the age of six Cartier performed a piece choreographed by Mýa Cartier won Apollo Kids at The prestigious Apollo Theater Distinguished as one of The Apollo Theater's youngest "Apollo Legends". Later that year Cartier was invited to the Kennedy Center Honors along side Robert Downey Jr.  Mr. Williams  studied at The Washington School of Ballet under the tutelage of Mary Day. When he was 10 years old, Cartier Co-Starred with Tap Legends Buster Brown, Jimmy Slyde and Dianne Walker in the International tour of FOOTNOTES. Cartier consider it a blessing to have danced and shared the stage with tap pioneers and masters Peg Leg Bates, The Nicholas Brothers, and Gregory Hines. He has appeared on THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW, THE TONIGHT SHOW, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, and CNN. He has performed for 2 U.S. Presidents, and in 1998 Co-Starred in the PBS Special: In Performance at The White House with President Clinton. He toured the U.S. and Japan in the Tony Award Winning BRING IN 'da NOISE, BRING IN 'da FUNK, Co-starring with Savion Glover.He has performed at The Joyce Theatre, New York City Center as well as the L.A Kodak Theatre where he performed The AFI Awards: A Tribute to Tom Hanks. Other appearances include a performance at Usher's birthday bash in New York City performances for the FCC, The CIA, The State Department and Department of Justice. Now 20, Cartier is currently performing his latest production A BEAUTIFUL CHAOS  which is slated to tour in 2011 created by Cartier and two New York Film Academy friends Matt Denoma and Max Schiano. He is collaborating with Harold Cromer on a new work which will premiere in Spring 2011.  He is a student of The New York Film Academy. As a Filmmaker Cartier has written, directed and produced: Phone Bait, The Violinist, and My Love Awaits. He's appeared in Spike Lee's Film Bamboozled. Cartier also performed at The Opening of the Cannes Film Festival for Moulin Rouge. He released his first Instructional DVD:  CARTIER WILLIAMS' HOOFING WITH THE BASICS in March 2010.

Mark Yonally (Guest Teacher) is currently the Artistic Director of Chicago Tap Theatre, one of the most critically well-regarded companies in Chicago. Mark has developed a national and international reputation as a performer, with solo performances in Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Amsterdam and Paris. He has been blessed to have Sarah Petronio, Dianne Walker, Bill Evans and Billy Siegenfeld as mentors. As a company member of the Bill Evans Dance Company and Especially Tap Chicago (ETC), Mark performed at such prestigious festivals as the St. Louis Tap Festival, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance World Congress and at the Royal Opera House in Helsinki, Finland. Furthermore, Mark has gained the plaudits of major dance critics for his innovative approach to tap choreography. His works have been commissioned and performed by the Bill Evans Dance Company, ETC and Hope College, among others. Mark also maintains a longstanding professional relationship with Valérie Lussac, Artistic Director of Tapage of Toulouse, France. Mark is a noted educator and has taught at festivals throughout the U.S. and has served on the faculty at Oklahoma City University and Hope College. He is sought after for his multidisciplinary approach to tap teaching, which includes history, basic music theory and an emphasis on jazz music, and has taught in France, Germany, Switzerland and the United States. Mark is also a published author, with pieces appearing in Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher and Dance Magazine.

Nicholas Young (Guest Teacher) is a dancer, musician, choreographer, and a 2014 Bessie Award recipient. He began his professional career at age 16 under Acia Gray and Deirdre Strand with Tapestry Dance Company in Austin, Texas, eventually rising to principal dancer and resident choreographer.  Since moving to New York he has performed with Manhattan Tap, RumbaTap, Dorrance Dance, and Beat the Donkey; he has toured as a drummer for Darwin Deez; and he spent almost a decade performing with STOMP, where he performed the lead role and acted as rehearsal director. Young tours both nationally and internationally teaching and performing at various tap festivals, and founded Sound Movement dance company and IFTRA, the Institute for the Rhythmic Arts. He is thrilled to have found a home with Dorrance Dance, co-creating and developing ETM: Double Down, and the Guggenheim Rotunda Project, both collaborative efforts with Michelle Dorrance.