(BLOOMFIELD, NJ) -- Jersey Tap Fest, NJ's sole dance festival featuring world-class tap faculty and extravaganza, celebrates its eighth year, August 10-13, in East Hanover and Bloomfield, NJ. The expanding 4-day festival is moving to the home of Nicole’s Broadway Dance Company, with a full menu of nearly 60 beginner, intermediate and advanced classes in tap, improvisation, stepping, lindy hop, music theory, and more.
In offering optimal opportunities for students to interact with the faculty and their peers, registrants also participate in jam sessions with live accompaniment, share their own works in a student showcase, and engage in tap talks with the festival’s esteemed faculty. In tradition, the festival will conclude with TAP ‘N TIME, the main stage event featuring faculty members, regional tap companies, and other special performers.
“There is something really powerful about housing multiple generations in the same room during the festival,” says Hillary-Marie, director and founder of Jersey Tap Fest. “We’ve seen the festival grow— with international students joining us each year, to more students taking advantage of the varied levels, and the talent being pushed to the limits. As a tap dance artist, it’s gratifying to be able to support and bring together the tap community during this festival.”
Classes will be taught by a stellar all-star line-up of more than 16 internationally recognized teachers, including: Anthony Morigerato, Ayodele Casel, Lisa LaTouche, Ray Hesselink, Hillary-Marie, Karen Callaway Williams, Mark Orsborn, Justin Myles, Claudia Rahardjanoto, Jason Bernard , Charles Renato, Corey Hutchins, Jeff Foote, Asha Griffith, Kyle Wilder, and Andrew Atkinson.
Bridging together students and faculty, the yearly TAP ‘N TIME showcase will be held Saturday, August 12, 7:30 p.m. Attracting tap enthusiasts throughout the Northeast, the evening will feature live music, rhythmic dance and tap performances by Anthony Morigerato (SYTYCD), Ayodele Casel (Spoleto Festival), Justin Myles (STOMP), Mark Orsborn, Karen Callaway Williams (Riverdance) and more to be announced.
With a strong and clear commitment to tap education and artistry, Jersey Tap Fest founder Hillary-Marie, was recently awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for choreographic artistic quality. Additionally, this summer, Hillary-Marie will broaden her educational capacities with the launch of iTapOnline, an online membership portal to virtual tutorials, feedback opportunities, and classes in technique, choreography, improvisation, and musicality. She is also the co-founder of the recently expanded and renovated Grooves Unlimited Dance Studio, located in Livingston, NJ.
More information on the festival can be found at www.jerseytapfest.com. Audiences can interact with the festival on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube @jerseytapfest, and with hashtags #jerseytapfest and #JTF2017.
TAP ‘N TIME PERFORMANCE and VENUE INFORMATION
TAP ‘N TIME will be performed at Bloomfield College's Westminster Arts Center, located at 449 Franklin Street, Bloomfield, NJ, on Saturday, August 12, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available online July 1 and range from $20 for students and seniors to $25 for the general public.
2017 Jersey Tap Fest Schedule
Jersey Tap Fest | Thursday, August 10 – Sunday, August 13
Class Location: Nicole's Broadway Dance Company 30 Littell Rd, East Hanover, NJ 07936
Performance Location: Bloomfield College's Westminister Arts Center 449 Franklin Street, Bloomfield, New Jersey
Registration and Schedule: www.jerseytapfest.com/registration/
Thursday, August 10, 2017
9:30 a.m.: Check-In
10:00-11:30 a.m.: 3-Day Residency (Casel, LaTouche, Morigerato)
11:45-1:00 p.m.: Advanced (Casel), Intermediate/Advanced (LaTouche) Intermediate (Morigerato)
1:15-2:15 p.m.: Tap Talks/Lunch (Hillary-Marie, LaTouche, Hutchins), Tiny Taps (Wilder)
2:30-3:30 p.m.: Shim Sham Class (Hillary-Marie), Tiny Taps (Foote)
3:45-5:00 p.m.: Improvisation (Hillary-Marie, Hutchins, Wilder) Adults Only (Foote)
5:15-6:30 p.m.: Advanced (Hutchins) Intermediate/Advanced (Foote) Intermediate (Wilder) Adults Only (Williams)
7:30 p.m.: Jam Session—Live Music
Friday, August 11, 2017
9:30 a.m.: Check-In
10:00-11:30 a.m.: 3-Day Residency (Casel, LaTouche, Morigerato)
11:45-1:00 p.m.: Advanced (LaTouche), Intermediate/Advanced (Morigerato) Intermediate (Casel)
1:15-2:15 p.m.: Tap Talks/Lunch (Hillary-Marie, Casel, Morigerato), Tiny Taps (Griffith)
2:30-3:30 p.m.: Music Theory for Tap Dancers (Hillary-Marie/Atkinson), Tiny Taps (Foote)
3:45-5:00 p.m.: Advanced (Hillary-Marie), Intermediate/Advanced (Wilder) Intermediate (Bernard) Adults Only (Hillary-Marie)
5:15-6:30 p.m.: Advanced (Hillary-Marie), Intermediate/ Advanced (Bernard) Intermediate (Hutchins) Adults Only (Williams)
7:30 p.m.: Student Showcase
Saturday, August 12, 2017
9:30 a.m.: Check-In
10:00-11:30 a.m.: 3-Day Residency (Casel, LaTouche, Morigerato)
11:45-1:00 p.m.: Advanced (Morigerato), Intermediate/ Advanced (Casel) Intermediate (LaTouche)
1:15-2:15 p.m.: Hip-Hop (Alston), Tiny Taps (Renato)
2:15-3:15 p.m.: Lunch, Tiny Taps (Rahardjanoto)
3:15-4:30 p.m.: Advanced (Wilder), Intermediate/Advanced (Rahardjanoto) Intermediate (Renato) Adults Only (Hesselink)
4:45-5:45 p.m.: Intermediate/Advanced (Hesselink)
7:30 p.m.: Main Stage Event: TAP ‘N TIME
Sunday, August 13, 2017
9:30 a.m.: Check In
10:00-11:00 a.m.: FutureSTEP Company Audition
11:15-12:30 p.m.: Advanced (Hillary-Marie), Intermediate (Foote)
12:45-2:00 p.m.: Advanced (Myles), Intermediate (Orsborn)
2:15-3:30 p.m.: Body Percussion (Myles)
3:45-5:00 p.m.: Advanced (Orsborn), Intermediate (Myles)
Founded in 2010, by Hillary-Marie, Jersey Tap Fest is New Jersey's sole dance festival featuring world-class tap faculty. The festival is focused on serving tap dance by uniting the tap community, teaching its history, preserving its percussive and improvisational style, expanding the art and promoting tap as a cherished American art form. The demanding and rigorous annual program provides repertoire and master classes, which provide tappers opportunities to improve their technical abilities, hone their performance skills, network within the community and increase their overall knowledge of the art form. Jersey Tap Fest celebrates non-competitive opportunities of self-advancement for the basic tapper, tap teacher, tap enthusiast, pre-professional and professional artist and tap master.
