A big hello to everyone,
If you are living in Australia you may have noticed that the tap scene in our great , vast land, has kicked off in a really big way over the last couple of years. The quality of tap dance now available to our students and teachers, within our own great nation has never been better and never been more accessible.
And for a country so separated from the rest of the world ha ha ha – this is no small thing.
Back when I was a child, the opportunity to study tap with such a vast array of teachers simply was not possible. The internet hadn’t been invented and getting over to NYC and London to see what was going on over there was simply prohibitively expensive.
But – oh – how the times have changed!
And a big part of this is The Australian Tap Dance Festival!
A place where you can go and tap your heart out – right here in Australia – for a full week and take class with some of Australia’s best!
Some of the world’s best tap dancers in fact!
Some of the faculty mentors will be well known ” home grown Aussie Tap Legends ” and then of course there will be the International delights of the incredible Roxane Butterfly to bring us all something we may not have experienced in the world of tap before!
So – where, when and how?
Well – the 6th Annual Australian Tap Dance Festival shuffles into Melbourne, Australia from 30 September – 6 October and will be offering an action-packed week of tap and choreography introductions, master classes, jams, dance battles and competitions, group practices, seminars and special events for all ages and levels.
The festival will run across two of Melbourne’s best arts venues, the Dance Factory and Chapel Off Chapel.
This year’s Festival faculty features an exceptional line up of tap artists including:
*international French headliner and choreographer Roxane Butterfly (first woman to win the prestigious Bessie Award for tap dance and founder of Jimmy Slyde Institute)
* Winston Morrison (founder of Melbourne Tap Dance and Australian Tap Dance Festival)
* Nathaniel Hancock (current touring member of ‘Tap Dogs’),
*Jack Egan (coach of the Australian International Dance Organization tap team)
* Thomas Wadelton (principal dancer Tapestry Dance Company – North America’s only professional full time dance company),
*Darren Disney (original member of ‘Tap Dogs’)
* Thomas Egan (creative/ performer ‘The Tap Pack’)
* Peta Anderson (touring member of Riverdance)
* Brianna Taylor (one of Australia’s leading professional tap dance artists)
* Shane Preston (teacher, choreographer and performer – currently commissioned to create the ‘Australian Teachers of Dance’ organization tap syllabus).
Each carefully selected faculty member will also be offering special 5-day residencies teaching full performance routines from 2- 6 October.
“The art of tap dance is always evolving and still thrives across the globe since its early American roots in the 1900’s,” says festival producer and dancer Ella Lehaf. “From childhood tap lessons and adult fitness classes to the world stage showmanship of ‘Tap Dogs’, ‘Riverdance’ and even ‘The Book of Morman’, tap dance continues to be rich with possibilities and new techniques which we aim to showcase at the festival,” says Ms. Lehaf.
As all of you out there would know – Tapatak Oz – believes that tap is for everyone and brings absolute JOY to all who give it a go – no matter their skill level or age group. So we are thrilled to see the huge range of classes offered by The Australian Tap Dance festival for 2017!
Even for the beginners out there – so this is your chance to finally take that tap class you have always dreamed of, with something for everyone!
This year’s line of up exciting events includes:
*A free Never Tapped Before (beginners class)
* Talking Tap (faculty Q&A)
* Rhythm Creation (improvisation night with live jazz band)
*The Future of Tap presented by Capezio (artist showcase)
* Cutting Competition (tap battle)
* Learn the Famous Shim Sham and BS Chorus(lesson)
* Free Lunchtime History Talks & Jams
*And the penultimate event, the Australian Tap Dance Festival Gala, showcasing the superb skills of a calvacade of international and Australian tap dancers.
And what’s more our lovely friends at the festival have offered our Tapatak Oz Family a rather generous 10% OFF DISCOUNT!!
Simply use the discount code ‘TAPATAK’ for 10% off all masterclasses, residencies and discounted packages.
[ PS: any problems – just email info@atdf.com.au ]
Woot Woot! Now that is very cool!
So – if you LOVE TAP – then book your ticket and get to this fabulous tapping event!
And as always – if you are looking to get a strong tap base and a JOY of TAP into your own dance school – then drop by our website and join our happy tapping family: www.tapatak-oz.com
Till next time,
Love Tap and Pass It On,
Christine