Blog Archives
RECAP: November Tap Jam
Our second Seattle Tap Jam was even better than the first. What fun! We upgraded the event to include the following: a dessert and coffee bar, cafe-style seating at candlelit tables, and a full trio of rockin’ musicians!
We had tappers as young as 3 get on the floor all the way up through adults. I was so happy with the energy of the jam. Everyone was totally supportive. Good vibes all around. We jammed as a group at the beginning, traded 8′s and 4′s in small groups, then those that wanted to improvised solo or with another person, and we finished off in a classic jam circle trading with each other and the musicians. There really was a comfortable participation level for every age and level (Even for spectators, too! Everyone had an enjoyable time tasting some spectacular desserts, bidding on silent auction items, and watching the musicians and dancers do their thing!).
NOVEMBER JAM
I want to take a second to give a huge thanks to the following people and businesses who, by offering their time, products, and services, helped to make our tap jam such a big success:
MUSICIANS
Butch Harrison, pianist
This was my first time meeting and working with Butch and it was such a pleasure! Spectacular musician. I would highly recommend picking up some of his music at: www.CDbaby.com/cd/butchharrison
Patrick McDanel, bassist
This was also my first time meeting and working with Patrick, and I had a really great time doing so! So great to have this fantastic bassist at the jam. Thanks, Patrick!
Frank Heye, drummer
Frank is the man! This was our second tap jam together – it was a real joy to have him back again. We all had a great time trading rhythms with him. He is the one who brought both Butch and Patrick to us, to form an incredible band for the evening! He performs with the classic R&B band, The Big Dog Revue. Check out their website to see when they’re playing next, and get to one of their concerts! www.bigdogrevue.com.
SILENT AUCTION DONORS
Anthony Peters’ Tap Dance Seattle is THE PLACE to tap in North Seattle for adult beginners through advanced (Youth classes are also taught at the studio via SoleSound Youth Tap Program, and with Karen Omahen (inquire with studio for details)). The studio is nestled just one block up from Greenlake in a gorgeous neighborhood. Formerly called Johnson & Peters Tap Dance Studio, this studio is currently still transitioning over to the name “Tap Dance Seattle.” You can find a basic listing of classes offered by visiting the website and clicking on Anthony Peters’ name: www.tapdanceseattle.com, but for detailed info about registration, payments, etc, please visit the studio in person and speak with someone at the front desk. The studio is located at: 6600 1st Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115 Their phone number is 206.729.7620.
Premiere Dance Center is located in Redmond, WA, right near Microsoft Campus. This is a great studio that offers multidisciplinary dance education, with opportunities to participate on dance teams, performance companies, and more! Toddler classes, youth and teen classes, adult classes…. ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, tap, and more! Check them out at: www.premieredancecenter.com
Cass Vaivadas, Chef/Baker Extraordinaire – Cass makes incredible, incredible food and desserts. One bidder walked away with a gift certificate for a custom cake from Cass, and everyone was lucky to be able to taste her delicious cake creations onsite because she brought some to share at our dessert table! I would highly recommend contacting Cass if you are searching for a unique, absolutely stunning cake for your next holiday, celebration, or gathering. She can be reached at casandravaivadas-at-aol-dot-com or via phone at: 206-372-1411.
Blissful Bubbles Would you believe that the picture to the left is actually soap? Yep, it’s true! We had a fun donation from Blissful Bubbles: Cupcake Soap! Check out their incredible soaps at http://www.etsy.com/shop/bubblecups?ref=seller_info
Josh Rawlings, Pianist: I have worked with Josh on many occasions. He is absolutely superb. A beautiful person, a beautiful musician, through and through. Check out what this cat is up to on his website, or maybe even contact him to setup some private piano lessons! www.joshrawlings.com
The Hayden/Chan Family – Thanks for that gorgeous table runner! A lovely addition to our silent auction.
Ella’s Almost Ugly Dolls – One of our young company members hand sews these super cute dolls as a contribution to the silent auction. This time, she made a Fall Trio consisting of a Turkey, an Acorn, and an Owl. SO Adorable. Thanks, Ella!
Jessie Sawyers, Visual Musician – Hey, this is me! Haha. About a year ago I discovered that I really enjoy painting ceramics. Last April, I produced a music and dance show at the Triple Door called FLOW, at which I auctioned off 10 of my original ceramic pieces and donated a portion of the proceeds to Starlight Children’s Foundation. Painting ceramics is something I want to keep exploring and keep sharing with others, so I decided to donate one piece at each tap jam from now through June! I have more work samples on my website at: www.JessieSawyers.com under “visual art”.
OTHER CONTRIBUTERS
Thank you for your support and assistance. This could not have happened without you!
Anthony Peters, The Scudder/Davis Family, The Hawkins/Weinland Family, The Hayden/Chan Family, The McCord/Salman Family, Dan and Lisa Sawyers, Jovon Miller
NEXT MONTH’S JAM: Saturday, December 11th from 7-9pm
Location: Tap Dance Seattle @ 6600 1st Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115
Hope to see you there!
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ABOUT THE JAMS
These events double as a way for tap dancers to come together – to jam, share ideas and steps, perform for one another, dance with live music – and as a Fundraiser to send a group of young tap dancers to the NY Tap Dance Festival in July 2011. We’ll be hosting one jam per month until then!
The group for which we’re raising funds is SoleSound Youth Performance Co, and consists of four young girls between the ages of 9 and 11. To meet their goal and get to the NY Tap Fest, at each jam the girls will be collecting a cover charge of $10 per person (or $7 with tap shoes / free for kids 5 & under), selling food and beverages, and holding a silent auction with great products and services from local businesses. That’s right, the girls will be doing this – they’re putting in the work at each event to literally earn their way to NY. Tap dancers and non tap dancers are encouraged to attend!
Peace,
Working with Travis Knights
What a beautiful beginning to the year 2010.
I had the incredible honor of working with International tap dancer Travis Knights for almost two months between February and April. He was a very significant contributor to FLOW, to the show’s concept, to why it even came about in the first place, and certainly to the fact that it came to fruition as quickly as it did. This was a highly concentrated period of creative output in preparation for the show, and I feel so fortunate that Travis chose to take this journey with me.
Travis and I met at the Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival three years ago. Upon meeting him and speaking with him, this is what I saw: a fellow younger generation tap dancer with an immense respect for the art form and its masters; a very accomplished artist with a resume packed full of incredible experiences – including a role in the movie “Bojangles” with Savion Glover and the late Gregory Hines; and most recently, the biggest performance of his life as a principal tap dancer in the Opening Ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver – but simultaneously, an artist who is hungry to learn more, hungry for the continued expansion of his own ability to communicate through the language of tap; an incredibly dynamic, mesmerizing performer who comes to the stage with purpose (he has “something to say,” as we tap dancers like to put it) – his presence onstage is honest and he has a sincere desire to connect with the audience. Powerful.
Travis’ Choreography
The piece we spent the most time rehearsing for FLOW was a gorgeous, transformative piece choreographed by Travis to the song “Butterfly.” Working on this choreography truly propelled me to the next level, both in expression and technical ability. It was a beautiful journey, and I hope we can bring this piece out again in the future!
The original composition for the song “Butterfly” was by Herbie Hancock, but Travis’ inspiration came from Robert Glasper’s version:
And get this: The Robert Glasper Experiment came to Jazz Alley just two weeks before the premiere of FLOW. We were both in total disbelief when we found out that they’d be here… in Seattle! What are the chances? It was a “stars aligning” kind of moment that made everything for FLOW feel so right. Very Cool. …hearing them play “Butterfly” live was spectacular! Talk about an ‘inspirational-on-the-verge-of-depressing-because-they’re-so-phenomenal’ performance. Haha. Amazing!
Following their show, we met saxophonist Casey Benjamin and drummer Chris Dave:
I could go on.
And on.
But, I’ll end here by expressing my gratitude one last time. It was such a pleasure.
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Pictures from FLOW:
Peace,
