For the third consecutive year, I am proud to be performing at the Massachusetts Dance Festival, representing tap dance once again with the Legacy Dance Company. At the 2011 festival, my choreography received lovely praise in the Boston Globe, and I hope it will be as well-received this year!

We will be performing excerpts from my dance/music/poetry work-in-progress, “My Manhattan,” on Saturday, June 23rd at 7:00 p.m. at the Boston University Dance Theater, alongside many other talented companies from around the Bay State. Tickets are available at the door or for a discounted price online.

In addition, I will be teaching workshops, “I’ve Got Rhythm,” for beginner and intermediate tap dancers on Saturday & Sunday, June 23 & 24. Curious? Read on:

This workshop will introduce students to a rhythm-first approach to tap dancing: how to understand tap via rhythms rather than steps or counts; how to “scat” rhythms aloud and then play them with our taps; how to use the whole body as an instrument; and how to connect what we hear, or what we want to hear, with what we do with our feet. We’ll learn to think rhythmically and understand how that affects our dancing and how we perceive our relationship to the music.

For times, pricing and other information, visit the website and sign up for a workshop.

Don’t forget — the festival will also take place in September at UMass Amherst, where I will be performing and teaching again.

The Massachusetts Dance Festival is run by a group of incredibly passionate, dedicated and talented volunteers working hard to display the great dance talent that the state has to offer. It needs YOUR support to continue to grow! Please visit their website and find out more about all of the events that are planned. Don’t just come see my performance and/or take my workshop — support others’, too, and keep dance thriving in MA!

For a sneak preview, you can see some of my previous poetry/dance work on my Media page — or, if you’re in Miami, you can see me perform one of my pieces-in-progress as part of a choreography showcase at inkub8 on Saturday, June 9th!

In rhythm,
Ryan