www.terpsichore.ca

]]> http://jazzyhoofer.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/adjudication-terpsichore-dance-competition/feed/ 0 ozenblog http://jazzyhoofer.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/java-tap-dancing-classes-with-barbara-duffy/ http://jazzyhoofer.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/java-tap-dancing-classes-with-barbara-duffy/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:32:32 +0000 ozenblog http://jazzyhoofer.wordpress.com/?p=329 ]]> I got this invite on facebook. For those of you in the NYC area I recommend Barbara Duffy’s classes.. She’s one of the best. They call her the “Doctor of Tap” and I have experienced first hand the miracles of her work.  Here is what she said about what’s coming up.

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JAVA TAP – ongoing Saturday morning tap classes with a rotation of teachers. Grab your shoes and a cuppa joe…

This week Barbara Duffy is up from N.Y. to teach a two-hour intermediate/advanced class; warm-up, technique and combination.

for more information please visit www.BostonPercussiveDance.com

The Prince George dance festival runs from March 7th to 13th and will feature some great routines from Judy Russells Dance school.  If you’re in and around PG you don’t wanna miss this. For more info Click Here to go to the website for the Festival.  See ya soon!

Have a happy tappy week!!

Well it’s been a while since blogging. I wanted to share a workshop opportunity that may be coming your way this summer. It’s also a good way to get involved in the tap community.  If you are interested in what’s below you can join the facebook group. Here is the description from Sean himself.

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Hey gang,

So. I’m thinking of hosting another of my famous Summer Tap Dance Intensive events this August, 2010. Maybe 4 or 5 days this time.

For those of you who seriously want to skyrocket your tap dance skills and dramatically improve your tap performance and confidence, this workshop is the “don’t miss” of the year.

It would focus on all the good stuff:

*- refining your tap technique & solid warmups,

*- basic music theory,

*- tap choreography (LOTS of it),

*- how to improve your improvisation,

*- insider industry advice,

*- etc, etc…

Who’s interested?

** This is NOT for beginner or elementary tappers. **
It WILL be intense, minimum 4 hours per day at BDX.

Open to strong, disciplined tap students and teachers from all across the country, or focused tap students looking to rise to a challenge.

Winter Wonderland Weekend: Feb. 6th & 7th, 2010 : ALL Levels Welcome

Tap dancer Joshua Hilberman performs, choreographs, and teaches internationally. Groomed by vaudevillians and old-time entertainers, and with an ongoing mentorship with tap pioneer Brenda Bufalino, Josh has performed all over the US and Europe, and been a featured faculty member at more than 75 tap dance festivals. Recognized with a lifetime achievement award by the Barcelona Tap Association, a Dance USA/National Endowment for the Arts grant for choreography, and the 2009 Presidential Scholars Teachers Recognition award, Hilberman’s travels in tap have entered a third decade.
Josh developed his teaching chops at the prestigious Leon Collins Dance Studio, and has been a faculty member at Roger Williams and Mount Holyoke Universities as well as the Boston Conservatory of Music and Dance.

Lisa La Touche
Originally from Calgary, Lisa has taught and performed at the Brazilian International Tap Festival, L.A. Tap Festival, The Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s Rhythm World, The St. Louis Tap Festival, The Vancouver Tap Festival, San Antonio 3rd Coast Rhythm Project, Munich On Tap, and the Eastern Canadian Tap Conference to name a few. She was Assistant Director and Choreographer for multiple years working with Bril Barrett’s M.A.D.D. Rhythms, and founded their International extension, M.A.D.D. Rhythms Canada. Lisa was recently featured in the May 2oo8 issue of Dancer Magazine as an emerging artist and is continuously pursuing new heights in her talents while establishing herself as a versatile artist in New York City. www.lisalatouche.com

Tasha Lawson
Artistic Director of Tri-Tone Productions, a dance company offering interdisciplinary solo and ensemble performance works in the mediums of Body Percussion, Tap, and Contemporary Dance. She holds Diplomas in dance Teacher Training and Dance Performance from Grant McEwan College and currently resides in Austin, Texas. She has delivered outreach programs for Third Coast Rhythm Project and has led numerous teacher training seminars for Festival Du Danse Encore. www.tashalawson.com

Michèle Moss Johnston
Michèle is a Co-Founder of DJD and continues to create work for the company. Michèle is presently a faculty member of the B.A. Dance Program at the University of Calgary. Her most significant research areas are the West African roots of jazz and the traditions of the West African Diaspora.

Sarisa F de Toledo
Sarisa has danced with Decidedly Jazz since 1994. She has been Artistic Director for several of DJD’s dancer-choreographed evenings as well as Artistic Director for DJD’s production Tinge and Tone (2008). Sarisa teaches for the DJD company and school, around Calgary and Alberta and most recently in Vada, Italy for La Bella Vita Arts.

Kaleb Tekeste
Kaleb is a local dancer, choreographer and teacher. Upon graduation from high school where he was an active member in the dance program, he continued dancing and teaching Hip Hop at various studios in and around Calgary. Kaleb is a member of the DJD Company, Original Rudes Crew and One Circle Dance Company.

Phone: 403-245-3533 / Fax: 403-245-3584 / www.decidedlyjazz.com

Looking for teaching work? Looking for dance teachers? Canadian Dance Teachers Network is here to connect dance schools & dance educators from across Canada.

Happy Tappin!!

I’ve been hired as a full time dance instructor / Choreographer at Judy Russell Enchainement Dance Center in Prince George, BC.   Looks like I’ll have a full schedule of tap, jazz, musical theater and more classes plus competition numbers and productions.

It’s kind of overwhelming as it all just came up out of the blue but I couldn’t be more excited. Judy is an awesome woman and I’m excited to start working with her.

So… who knows what this blog will turn into now.. I’ll be busy getting ready to start on Jan. 4th. Going home for xmas break to Calgary and Vancouver Island. .. The adventure continues!!..

(and ps.. met a really nice woman too <3)… Life is great!!

Every two weeks come down and hit with your Toronto tap family! We’re going to get together bi-weekly on Sundays at 7:30 pm. This is a jam for all levels of tap dancers who are interested in sharing, learning, listening, collaborating, and finding the means to further understand and play our instruments. Keep it simple. This is a group of love people, no intimidation!! If improvising is new to you, this is a safe place to check things out and try things out free of judgment. This is an awesome opportunity for us to promote vibrant tap community in our city! This gives us a great chance to grow, and also provides a solid spot for all tap dancers visiting Toronto to share and check out our scene. Hope to see you all there!! TORONTO BI-WEEKLY TAP JAM @ Shawn B’s new space: BDX 819 Yonge Street (just north of Bloor) 7:30 – 9:30pm Sundays: Nov 1st Nov 15th Nov 29th Dec 6th etc…

`This autobiography tells the story of Sammy Davis Jr. up until the sixties. It tells the now legendary story of his starting out as a four – year with the Will Mastin trio. It tells of a long – climb through many obstacles to get to the top of the show- business world. It tells of his contending with prejudice and discrimination especially during his time in the Army. And it also reveals his courage in confronting this, and in standing up for his own people. It does not tell the much sadder last part of Sammy Davis Jr. ‘s story when he seemed to sink into drug and alcoholic addiction, and deteriorated morally as well as in health terms. It does not tell the story of the six- pack a day smoker’s final cancer.
It reveals the earlier more optimistic Sammy Davis Jr. He was usually referred to in his glory days as the greatest all- around entertainer show- business ever had. And in truth he was a terrific dancer, a quite good but not great singer, and just a remarkably energetic entertainer. He had humor about himself and about the world, about his one eye, about his being a black Jew. One interesting part of this book tells about his friendship with Jeff Chandler an actor who was Jewish and who died young. And how that influenced on Davis’s own decision to convert to Judaism.
Davis was a person who you radiated not only great energy but a great hunger to be approved of and loved. He received tremendous applause on stage but perhaps that did not fully satisfy his need. Raised without formal schooling, and always on the road he too had a restlessness about him as if he were never at home in the place he stood. There was something to my mind tremendously moving about this part of his stage identity. He needed the applause so much the urge of the spectator was to see him get the applause.
His private life was no great picnic and included three divorces. His daughter by the actress May Britt who apparently was a very decent person and a good mother, has written a memoir about her often absent father. His friends Sinatra, Dean Martin , the Rat Pack are all with the exception of Shirley MacLaine now gone.
In a way in his struggle to get to the top, his fighting against prejudice his ‘making it’ he exemplifies the American dream. But in the prejudice he suffered, and in the downfall of his latter years he also seems to exemplify an American tragedy.
He was enormously likeable and gave millions of people pleasure with his on- stage antics.
Thanks Sammy you truly were a star.
This book tells in detail the story of his early and best years. It may be too long but it does have much valuable material for anyone who takes an interest in his life.