Bring Tap to the people

Kaelyn Gray has been a teacher for over 20 years, both at her home school near Cincinnati, OH, and traveling all across the United States and Canada as a a guest artist and instructor. Focusing on all styles of dance, she is a sought-after teacher and adjudicator who loves to bring her unique teaching style to kids all over the country!

Her professional career began at age 18, as a featured performer in Cedar Pointe’s groundbreaking tap/drum show “Krash Boom Bang!”, a first for theme parks. Soon after, she was the youngest choreographer/creative director for Paramount’s Kings Island and King’s Dominion, creating a show named “Pulse” which toured for over 3 years.

Shelby Kaufman

Shelby Kaufman, a Michigan native, has been a beacon of innovation in New York City’s dance scene for 18 years, with her groundbreaking choreography featured in television, film, and theatre. She is presently on faculty at some of the world’s most prestigious dance studios, including Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, and ShufflesNYC. Shelby’s expertise is sought after worldwide, leading her to tap festivals, conventions, and workshops across the globe, including at the distinguished Pineapple- London, while her social media has garnered over 70 million views.
 
Off-Broadway, Shelby assisted Gail Crutchfield on the choreography of 'Freckleface the Musical’ and served as the SDC observer to Emmy Award-winner Mandy Moore on 'Nobody Loves You' at Second Stage. She also acted as the tap coach for four-time Tony Award nominated actress Tovah Feldshuh for her starring role in Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’ and later choreographed her one woman show, ‘Aging is Optional’. 
 
Additionally, Shelby was a cherished protégé and assistant to the late tap legend Dr. Harold ‘Stumpy’ Cromer, and received a Changing Times Tap Initiative grant alongside Sarah Reich and Hillary-Marie Michael to preserve and share his most famed piece, Opus One, with the greater tap dance community.
 
Shelby has made television appearances on The Today Show, Sesame Street, and the Steve Harvey Show, and performed her own choreography in the feature film, A Bread Factory Part Two. She has been a member of renowned tap companies including Brenda Bufalino’s ‘New American Tap Dance Orchestra’ and Germaine Salsberg’s ‘Les Femmes’ and has captivated audiences at iconic venues like the Apollo Theatre, Lincoln Center, and Jacobs Pillow.

Houston Tap SEries

Join Jeremy Arnold, Sean Kaminski, and Jade Whitmire for the 4th annual Summer Tap Series in Houston, Tx! 10+ hours of tap dance, tap history, historical rep, improv, tap on film, a performance show case and more! For all tap dancers with at least 2 years of experience, ages 8 and up. Hosted by The PAC, located at 8212 Spring Cypress. We can’t wait to jam with everyone! E-mail summertapseries@gmail.com for more.

JAcob’s Pillow

Jacob’s Pillow is lauded worldwide as a “hub and mecca of dancing” (TIME Magazine), “one of America’s most precious cultural assets” (Mikhail Baryshnikov), and “the dance center of the nation” (The New York Times).

“The Pillow” is a treasured 220-acre National Historic Landmark, a recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival.

It is with gratitude and humility that Jacob’s Pillow acknowledges that we are learning, speaking, and gathering on the ancestral homelands of the Muh-he-con-ne-ok or Mohican people, who are the Indigenous peoples of this land. Despite tremendous hardship in being forced from here, today they reside in Wisconsin and are known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors and elders past and present as we commit to building a more inclusive and equitable space for all.  As a cultural home serving the area now known as the Berkshires, we also pay our respects to the Indigenous people who continue to live in this region and exercise sovereignty: the Nipmuc to the East; the Wampanoag and Narragansett to the Southeast; the Mohegan, Pequot, and Schaghticoke to the South; and the Abenaki to the North.

Each year thousands of people from across the U.S. and around the globe visit the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts to experience the Festival with more than 50 dance companies and 500 free performances, talks, and events; train at the School at Jacob’s Pillow one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S.; explore the Pillow’s rare and extensive dance archives and take part in numerous Community programs designed to educate and engage dance audiences of all ages.

Jenne Vermes

Jenne has danced professionally on stages all over the world. She was a dancer and back-up singer for The Cruxshadows, a darkwave gothic electronic band, and performed on their European tours and various shows in the US and the Caribbean from 2010-2012. She also dances for their annual show at DragonCon in Atlanta every year. Over the past few years she danced with several companies including the #Taplife company in New York City and the Diamond Squad of Jacksonville. 

She holds two Master of Science degrees in Education and a Bachelor's degree in Music from Florida State University (Go Noles). She was a professor at University of Florida from 2014-2017. She currently teaches tap dance at Florida School of the Arts in Palatka, FL. She teaches dance at colleges around Florida. She teaches tap dance at three studios in Northeast Florida: Arts Edge School of Dance and Theatre, Zoika's Dance, and Dynamics Dance.

iTap online by Hillary-Marie

Everything Hillary-Marie teaches is centered around the 5 Fundamentals of Tap Dance, which include Technique, Improvisation, Music Theory, History, and Practical Application. 

She doesn't simply teach you A dance, she teaches you HOW to dance, because tap dance is so much more than just steps. Tap dance is culture and rhythm combined with movement. It’s personal practice, artistry and creation. Everything you should experience in your tap dance journey.

Hillary finds great joy sharing her love and knowledge of Tap Dance with passionate and eager dancers, at all stages of their tap dance journey, all around the world.

Wing It tap intensive

Wing It Tap was created to bring intermediate and advanced tap dancers together to inspire each other and spread the love of tap across the country.

Our team is committed to offering a truly unique, artistic experience at each event and embracing the opportunity to work closely with each student.

Our promise is to encourage a stress free, fun and motivating environment.

The Wing It Tap philosophy is that each student matters!

tHE laDY hOOFERS tAP iNTENSIVE

Join The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble for the return of our Summer Tap Intensive! Classes available for three levels (Intermediate, Intermediate/Advanced, and Advanced) plus a dedicated Tap Teacher Track. Throughout the weekend, dancers will study Tap Technique, Improvisation, Tap History, and will learn Company Repertoire. Instructors include: Dre Torres, Robin Passmore, Jaclyn Salerno, Gregory Williams, and members of The Lady Hoofers including Katie Budris, Tamera Dallam, and more!

pALMETTO tAP iNTENSIVE

Palmetto Tap is an organization established in 2017 promoting a safe and educational space for tap dancers to challenge themselves to push their limits.

Our mission is to create accessible but challenging environment for tap dancers of all ages to further their craft and engage in classes, workshops, and performance events that push each dancer to reach new heights with their artistry and have fun along the way!

Tri Summer Youth Intensive - Toronto, CA

40 hours of intensive training over 5 days jam packed with:

Intention focused classes from our esteemed tap faculty accompanied by live music! Historical tap dance footage. Tap chats - group discussions on the who's, what's, and where's of today's international tap scene

Styles workshops - dancers will get the chance to try new percussive and historically aligned genres of dance throughout the week! 

Improvisation - develop solid ideas & confidence 

Music theory, jazz form, and creating arrangements, professional development, original choreography with offsite performance opportunity.

Live music tap jam session and a student showcase.

Tap Life with Anthony Locasio

#Taplife Hero Foundation - A Champion for Tap Dance

Producing, creating & promoting positive, thoughtful, and insightful opportunities for people to experience tap dance. 

LIT 🔥 A Tap Dance Experience!

Learn more about our in-person event, LIT🔥A Tap Dance Experience!  Classes, Tap Forums, and an Opportunity to perform in our Tap Showcase. 

Tap Dance on our O'Mara Sprung Wood Floors!!

#Taplife Remote

Individualized education & mentorship designed for teachers, studio owners, and students.

WEst Coast Tap

We are a not-for-profit society that exists to promote, develop and preserve the art of tap dancing. We aim to build an inclusive network of tap dancers of all ages and levels, as we seek to connect our nostalgic past to our bright future.

West Coast Tap was founded in March 2003 by Jennifer Bishop and Carmelle Cachero. Founding members included Shelley Stewart Hunt, Keri Minty, Melissa Frakman, Melissa Lipkowski, Monique Trottier, Tracie Henry, Amy Burns, Kerry Lackner and Jenny Stewart. The collective was formed to serve the needs of professional tap dancers, instructors, choreographers and, most of all, anyone with a passion for tap dance.

West Coast Tap has established regular tap jams, tap talks at the Vancouver Public Library, a scholarship fund and annual Tap Day celebrations to educate dancers and the public about tap dance. As a non-profit organization, West Coast Tap's purpose and mission is to provide an opportunity for tap dancers of all levels to network and participate in a collaborative environment and to promote tap dancing as an art form by educating the public through performances and instruction.

Knock on Wood Tap Studio - Washington, DC

Knock on Wood hosts a variety of special events throughout the year. These include tap jams, master classes, workshops, and open mic nights. All of our students are encouraged to attend these events, as appropriate. Our special events are noted on the easel in the studio waiting area, on Knock on Wood’s Facebook and Instagram, and in our e-newsletter Tidbits, as well as on their website.