Research Festival 2022

Research Festival 2022

Mar 1, 2022

 

  • Tap dance workshops, panel discussions, research presentations, live music tap jam.
  • Online and in-person!
  • Tuesday 5th and Thursday 7th April online
  • Sunday 10th April in person @ De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
Book here

Tap Dance Research Network UK present a programme of events that brings together tap dance performers, artists, scholars and researchers throughout the UK and North America.

Whether you tap dance or not, or are simply tap-curious, TDRN UK welcomes everyone to join us as we delve into the richness and diversity of research and creative practices in tap dance today.

The Research Festival celebrates the practical research of these diverse individuals by sharing embodied knowledges through practical workshops, presentations, and group discussions. We are also hosting a live music tap jam closing party. We welcome dance scholar Thomas DeFrantz, world renowned Canadian tap artists Travis Knights and Lisa La Touche, and connect with some of the UK’s leading tap and percussive dance artists and growing research community.

If you are looking to hit the boards with your shoes, there are practical sessions suited to all levels of experience and you can take part in the closing party tap jam where tap dancers jam with live music.

Tuesday 5th April – Online | 18:30 – 20:45 BST | 13:30 EDT | 10:30 PDT

‘Imagining The Perfect Ecosystem For Tap Dance’ A Discussion with Travis Knights and Lisa LaTouche

In this virtual discussion, LaTouche and Knights will dive into their personal experiences as well as researched historical events to analyze and determine the keys to environments that make tap dance thrive.

Thursday 7th April – Online | 12:00 – 13:00 BST | 07:00 EDT

‘Foot Percussion Discussion’ with Hannah James, Simeon Weedall, Rosamaria E. Kostic Cisneros

This online panel will discuss the individual practices of dancers from tap, clog, and flamenco dance. These practitioners will discuss approaches to working with rhythm, live music, and evolving performance practices.

Thursday 7th April – Online | 19:00 – 20:30 BST | 14:00 EDT | 11:00 PDT

Thomas DeFrantz ‘The history of the relationship between rhythm tap dance and the concert stage – an introduction’

Renowned dance scholar Thomas DeFrantz shares his research and thoughts around tap dance and the concert stage with a focus upon historical context. Followed by an open discussion.

Sun 10th April

11:00 – 18:00 – In-person event @ De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

19:30 – 21:30 Tap Jam Closing Party, Leicester, UK

  • Tap dance artists and researchers share insights from their practice and artistic research.
  • Tap dance workshops for all levels.
  • Film screening and talk about Jack Evan’s film Date Leap with Lee Payne.
  • Panel discussion: ‘Learning and growing through tap dance’ with Lexi Bradburn (Sole Rebel Tap), Harriet Spence (Theatre Tap London) and Lee Payne (Bruckfeet Productions). Chaired by dance educators and researchers from TDRN UK, Dr Trish Melton and Dr. Karen Wood. The panel will discuss their current approaches to tap dance teaching – including strategies, class content and embedding tap dance history and culture.
  • Routes into research – a practical introduction to developing your own research project idea. Ask questions, make connections and learn about opportunities and how to access them.
  • Open space discussions – Tap Dance Futures.
  • Closing party live music tap jam with Tap Rhythm Project hosted by Ademola Junior Laniyan.

Tickets

* Online day ticket (for Tues the 5th or Thurs 7th April) £10/ £8.50 concessions (includes access to a recording)

* In-person day ticket for Sun 10th April £60/ £50 concessions

* Whole festival ticket for all online events and in-person day £70/ £60 concessions (includes access to a recording of online events)

* Pay what you can option for all events – please contact info@tapproject.com for details

As a non-profit organisation, TDRN UK are not able to absorb booking costs into ticket prices which will be additional to those listed above.

Delivered in partnership with C-DaRE Centre for Dance Research at Coventry University and CIRID Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Dance at De Montfort University.

       

How to get here / places to stay:

https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/how-to-find-us/how-to-find-us.aspx

Places to eat:

https://www.dmu.ac.uk/dmu-students/your-dmu-experience/where-to-eat-and-drink/where-to-eat-and-drink.aspx

Map:

https://www.dmu.ac.uk/documents/study-documents/undergraduate-study-documents/visit-us/pedestrian-map.pdf

Getting here:

By Train

High-speed train links connect Leicester to London and many other large towns and cities, while bus and coach services provide great value and reliable connections across Leicester and to most parts of the UK. Park-and-ride services are also provided in the city.

By Car

M1 and A1: The campus is within easy access for travel from the north and south. M69 and M6: Close by for those travelling from Birmingham, Wales and the South West. Please use the postcode LE2 7DP to be directed to our main car park. Disabled parking spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Whitman Women: HERstories

Whitman Women: HERstories

Nov 15, 2021

Thursday 2 December 2021 19:00 GMT | 11:00 PST | 14:00 EST | 20:00 CET £6/£4

Book here

Who were the Whitman Sisters? Join us to learn how the Whitman Sisters were trailblazers, performers, producers, and businesswomen as they brought innovative tap dance to Black Vaudeville. Dr. Karen Campbell Kuebler presents her findings from the media of the time, sharing the fascinating life stories that highlight the links between then and now. As an experienced educator, Karen offers ideas and resources to broaden your approach to teaching tap dance history considering issues such as race and gender in performance.

Karen Campbell Kuebler is always moving and learning. As an undergraduate dance major in the 1980s, Kuebler realized her knowledge in dance history was severely lacking. This initiated a career-long research initiative to explore, connect, and apply dance history in her teaching and learning process. Kuebler began teaching Dance and French in Baltimore County in 1991. Since 2009, Kuebler has taught Dance History courses at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland and presented her research at conferences near and far since the 1990s. Kuebler shares her passion for dance history with her elementary students, colleagues, university students, family, and friends. She is excited to share the HERstory of the Whitman Women in her first textbook and looks forward to more revelations in dance history research.

Network Session February 2022: Teaching Tap – Improvisation

Network Session February 2022: Teaching Tap – Improvisation

Nov 15, 2021

Tuesday 22 February 19:30 GMT | 11:30 PDT | 14:30 EST/EDT | 20:30 CEST FREE

Book here

The next few sessions will focus on key areas of tap dance teaching and education. In each session, Trish Melton and other members of the group, will share their thoughts and experiences from their own teaching practice and research in tap dance pedagogy.

Improvisation is a core skill of a tap dancer and this discussion will highlight teaching strategies in use in various practices which are aimed at developing improvisational skills through listening to the music through our ears and our feet. 

Trish Melton will share games and activities drawn from practices used back in vaudeville but updated for todays studio: trading and “stealing” steps, for example. Jess Murray will share her approach to delivering tap classes and training programs that centre improvisation to develop technique, musicality and creative devising strategies.

As well as sharing ideas, techniques and resources, we will open the floor for you to have group conversations, ask questions and share your own approaches.

 

Network Session January 2022: Teaching Tap – Repertoire

Network Session January 2022: Teaching Tap – Repertoire

Nov 15, 2021

TDRN UK Network Session: Teaching Tap – Repertoire

Tuesday 18 January 2022 19:30 GMT | 11:30 PDT | 14:30 EST/EDT | 20:30 CEST FREE

Book here

The next few sessions will focus on key areas of tap dance teaching and education. In each session, Trish Melton and other members of the group, will share their thoughts and experiences from their own teaching practice and research in tap dance pedagogy.

We are fortunate that today we still have access to Tap Dance Masters who have a link to the originators of iconic, authentic tap dance repertory.  In this discussion Dr Trish Melton will share ways to incorporate repertory in our tap dance classes to develop our knowledge of tap dance origins, our understanding of jazz music and the structure of historical repertory routines.  She will discuss the importance of acknowledging our teachers and the provenance of the repertory.

As well as sharing ideas, techniques and resources, we will open the floor for you to have group conversations, ask questions and share your own “research-in-progress” to gain feedback in developing your own approaches. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the future development of tap dance teaching.

Network Session November 2021: Teaching Tap – Online

Network Session November 2021: Teaching Tap – Online

Nov 10, 2021

Tuesday 16 November 2021 19:30 GMT | 11:30 PDT | 14:30 EST/EDT | 20:30 CEST FREE

Book here

The next few sessions will focus on key areas of tap dance teaching and education. In each session, Trish Melton and other members of the group, will share their thoughts and experiences from their own teaching practice and research in tap dance pedagogy.

The COVID pandemic has challenged us as tap dance teachers as we converted to virtual delivery of our classes. As studios reopened there was a collective sign of relief as some bid a farewell to zoom – but for others there has been a benefit to this rethinking of our pedagogy and how we can effectively deliver when on-line.

Dr Trish Melton will discuss her research on the  benefits of on-line teaching and what delivering on-line can support when we return to the studio. Approaches to hybrid teaching will also be discussed.

As well as sharing ideas, techniques and resources, we will open the floor for you to have group conversations, ask questions and share your own “research-in-progress” to gain feedback in developing your own approaches.