This year, we have another jam packed, exciting, creative program prepared for the next generation of tap dancers. Students will have five days of instruction that will elevate their technique, enhance their musicianship, and master their improv skills. In addition, they will learn choreography from our esteemed guest artists. This unique program allows young tap dancers to be surrounded by others who love tap dance. An inspiring week not to be missed. Spaces are limited, sign up before it’s too late.
Students interested in joining our TapCo YTE or Competitive Choreography Program are asked to take Bootcamp.
July 13 – 17, 2020
with Starinah ‘Star’ Dixon and Danny Nielsen
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, our guest artists Star Dixon and Danny Nielsen will be joining us virtually via Zoom. What does that mean for you? You can join Bootcamp from anywhere!
Minimum 4 years tap training
Ages 11 – 17
Monday 9:00am – 3:30pm
Tuesday 9:00am – 3:30pm
Wednesday 9:00am – 3:30pm
Thursday 9:00am – 3:30pm
Friday 9:00am – 3:30pm
As this program will be running online we have provided more breaks for the dancers to step away from the screen.
Location
Online via Zoom
Links are provided after registration
If you would like to take Bootcamp in-person at VanTap, please send us an email, we currently have a wait list for in-person learning, to respect social distancing measures.
VanTap members get 10% discount
2020 Tap Bootcamp Guest Artists
Starinah ‘Star’ Dixon
Star Dixon is an assistant director, choreographer, and original principal dancer of world renowned tap company, MADD Rhythms. She has taught and performed at the most distinguished tap festivals in the country including The L.A. Tap Fest, DC Tap Fest, RIFF Dallas, Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s Rhythm World, and MADD Rhythms own Chicago Tap Summit. She’s performed internationally in Poland, Japan, and Brazil to name a few. Performance venues include Jacob’s Pillow, Kennedy Center, and the Lincoln Center. Outside of MADD Rhythms, she’s performed as a guest with such companies as Michelle Dorrance’s Dorrance Dance and Savion Glover’s All Funk’d Up. Star is currently on staff at numerous dance studios in and around Chicago.
Danny Nielsen
Danny Nielsen is one of the most sought out tap artists living in Canada today. He currently moved back to his hometown of Calgary, AB where he teaches, performs, judges, choreographs and travels abroad. Danny began his training with Gail Scott and furthered his knowledge of tap dancing by studying with the youth ensemble MADD Rhythms Canada and at various tap festivals in the States and Canada.
For the past 3 years, Danny has been touring with Vancouver based dance company Radical System Art (Shay Kuebler). The show entitled Telemetry features Nielsen in a role created exclusively for him. The show has enthralled audiences across the globe having performed in prestigious venues such as the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Place Des Arts in Montreal, the White Bird Dance Series in Portland, the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, and the Schritmacher Festival in Germany to name a few.
From 2010-2016, Danny lived in Vancouver, BC. He spent 2 years as the ‘Artist in Residence’ with the Vancouver Tap Dance Society and emerged on to the International tap scene as a soloist. He has taught and performed at various tap festivals in Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Brazil, the United Sates and Canada. In 2012, Danny was the recipient of the Santa Aloi Award from the Scotiabank Dance Centre. He used the grant to create and direct his first full length production Love.Be.Best.Free, which toured BC for a month in February of 2017. He recently just created his second full length production entitled ‘On Foot’ with the support for the Canada Council for the Arts.
Television credits include the worldwide broadcast of the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies and the opening number for the 2008 Jerry Lewis Telethon choreographed by Chloe Arnold in Las Vegas, NV.
