18 – 22 June Online and In-Person. Workshops, presentations, discussions and live music tap jam!

Tickets FREE – £40 with discounts for students and low-income

Tap dance research takes many different forms: sifting through archives, developing creative practice, building artistic ideas or engaging with written and oral stories. At TDRN UK we ask how can we approach research in a way that honours the values, traditions and aesthetics of tap dance as a cultural practice and art form. What are the challenges and opportunities when working in an academic system or as an independent researcher?

Now in its 3rd year, the TDRN UK Research Festival showcases research connected with tap dance taking place both inside and outside of academic institutions. The sessions feature practical research projects exploring pedagogy, improvisation dramaturgy, and practice research. We share and explore ways of doing and thinking that have helped to shape these research projects and respond to the need for a ‘tap-centered’ approach. The Festival is an opportunity to bring tap dancers from around the UK and the globe together, and enjoy this dynamic and ever-growing community.

Tickets: 20% discount for students and those with low income on all tickets

• Research Festival ticket includes all online and in-person events £40
• Online Festival ticket includes 2 live events and a recording of Allana Radecki’s recent presentation Duke Ellington’s Dancers: The Women £6
• Research Festival Network Session is FREE
• Tap Jam ticket £5

Getting Here: Trains arrive into Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria. All stations connect with the tram route which can take you directly to Old Trafford in 15-20 minutes.

Map to Venue

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Online event 1. Research Festival Network Session: Duke Ellington’s Dancers – The Women (Part II) with Allana Radecki

Tuesday 18 June 2024 19:00 – 20:00 BST | 11:00 PDT | 14:00 EDT | 20:00 CEST 

FREE Network Session

In this follow-up event from the April TDRN UK Online Talk Series: Duke Ellington’s Dancers – The Women, Allana presents more of her research into the careers of Duke Ellington and his collaborators. Featuring oral histories and a focus on archival research, Allana reflects on the process of her research and what she has learned about the fascinating life stories of Aida Overton Walker, Elida Webb, Fredi & Isabel Washington, Marie Bryant and more! Learn how their different careers evolved beyond the stage, spanning performance, teaching, social activism and building communities. Read more

Online Event 2. Embodiology® and Tap Dance with Dr S. Ama Wray

Weds 19 June 2024 19:00 – 20:30 BST | 11:00 PDT | 14:00 EDT | 20:00 CEST 

Embodiology® created by Dr S. Ama Wray, is an outcome of examining ancestral knowledge, originating from a study of performance within traditional West African cultures. This improvisation praxis optimizes 21st Century “Super Skills” of spontaneous Creativity, Communication, Critical Action and Collaboration through six core principles. 

Dr S. Ama Wray will introduce Embodiology®, how it was developed and how this approach aligns with tap dance. Tap dancers Jess Murray and Annette Walker will join the discussion to share their experiences of taking part in the Embodiology® Immersion Program and how they have drawn upon this creative practice and conceptual framework as tap dancers and researchers. Read more

https://www.embodiology.com/

As always, the TDRN UK Research Festival is a social space to make connections and celebrate coming together to tap dance! Lunch is provided and at our festival closing party there will be a live music tap jam and improvisation workshop.

Reading Jazz Dance Practices: with Jreena Green of Jazz Dance Collective

Through this Jazz Dance Collective practical workshop, led by Jreena Green, you will embody the journey of authentic jazz from the plantation rhythms of Juba/Giouba, through to Harlem in the 1920s right up to the present day. The forgotten history of jazz will be explored through the work of Marshall Stearns, and the Labanotation of authentic Jazz dance movements contained in his book Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance. Read more

In Step with Culture: A Journey Across Tap Pedagogies and Historic Performance Pieces with Dr Trish Melton

This presentation and practical workshop will take the audience on a rhythmic and cultural exploration through various tap dance teaching methods (pedagogies) while also delving into the historical context of one iconic performance piece within the tap dance genre. Trish will provide insights into the way a tap dance class could be taught based on classical, cultural, and critical pedagogies and do so while teaching historic repertory that you can learn. Read more

Tap Dance and Music Collaboration: a dramaturgical thinking approach to creating performance with Jess Murray

This practical workshop with live music, will share different creative approaches to improvisation and creative process informed by the idea of dramaturgical thinking. Jess will lead you through a range of activities that explore collaboration, and develop your own performance ideas in a creative and supportive environment with others. Have fun with different creative tasks to get you thinking and experimenting, get some ideas to take back into the studio and enjoy being a part of a creative collaboration. Read more

Celebrating New Performance Work with Sole Rebel Training Company, Kerry Tap Ensemble and Shockout Tap Company

The UK and Ireland have a growing number of opportunities for young people and early career performers to train, perform and gain pre-professional experience. We shine a light on the work of three exciting performance companies and learn more about what they offer, how they work and how others might get involved. Each company will perform original choreography and share their experiences of learning, creating and performing it.

Tap Dance and Music Improvisation Workshop

Tap Jam Closing Party with Live Music hosted by Junior Laniyan

Jreena Green is a professional choreographer, dance teacher and ‘practical dance historian’. She has previously developed a module entitled ‘Charleston To Hip Hop’ that explores the links between current urban dance styles and African American dance styles from the 1920′s. Jreena has taught authentic jazz at many of the leading dance conservatoires including Rambert, Trinity Laban and Mountview and published several articles on jazz dance history in Britain. She is a co-founding member of the Jazz Dance Collective.

is a professional choreographer, dance teacher and ‘practical dance historian’. She has previously developed a module entitled ‘Charleston To Hip Hop’ that explores the links between current urban dance styles and African American dance styles from the 1920′s. Jreena has taught authentic jazz at many of the leading dance conservatoires including Rambert, Trinity Laban and Mountview and published several articles on jazz dance history in Britain. She is a co-founding member of the Jazz Dance Collective.

Dr S. Ama Wray is a TEDx Speaker and Professor at the University of California, Irvine, serving in both the School of the Arts and Humanities. Embodiology® is the outcome of examining ancestral knowledge, originating from a study of performance within traditional West African cultures. The result of action research, Dr. Wray’s returns tangible benefit to the community, restoratively contributing to the paradigm of research justice in relation to African practices, moreover indigenous peoples worldwide.

Dr S. Ama Wray received her Ph.D. in Dance Studies from the University of Surrey in the UK. An award-winning artist, working for over 30 years across the Americas, Africa and Europe, Wray has collaborated with seminal artists including Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin and Nicole Mitchell. She has been a guest professor at many institutions including Princeton, Harvard, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Temple, University of Arizona, University of Ghana, Legon and UC Berkeley. Wray’s research led her to examine West African cultures, art and social practices which are at the root of the ubiquitous creativity present in the Diaspora. Dr. Wray is the creator of Embodiology® – a methodology based on West African principles of human communications. Embodiology®’s distinctive breath-informed, rhythmic movement and music concepts have shown efficacy in elevating vitality, wellbeing resilience and creativity. Stemming from this, JiM™ – Joy in Motion – a virtual iteration – was created at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to support everyday people transform their indoor isolation into spaces of ‘co-liberation’. Embodiology® is being taken up by a variety of sectors including health and wellness, education, corporate leadership, professional development and arts organizations. As a public intellectual Wray has been a guest speaker/lecturer at the United Nations, Institute of Advanced Studies and other globally renowned organizations.

Jess Murray is known in the UK for her work as a tap dance performer, educator and tap jam host (Tap Rhythm Project, London Tap Jam, Tap Dance Festival UK). She is interested in the relationship between dance and music collaboration, improvised performance and dramaturgy and is currently undertaking a practice research Ph.D funded by Midland4Cities at De Montfort University exploring this. Jess has appeared as part of London Jazz Festival in Finding Synaesthesia and with the Michele Drees Jazz Tap Project with whom she also performed at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club. Jess performed as a Clog dancer with The Lock In Dance Show for 3 UK tours, Glastonbury Avalon Stage and the Edinburgh Fringe. She worked for Les Commandos Percu, performing in France, Belgium, Holland and collaborating to create On the Night Shift for the Olympic Opening Ceremony at Windermere and Paralympics Closing Ceremony in 2012. 

She works collaboratively with musicians to create original performance work such as Tap Rhythm Project, SoundMoves, and outdoor arts show Sound Catchers. Jess was lead choreographer for outdoor performance ‘tap dance and story-telling extravaganza’ Tappin’ In, for the Commonwealth Games and Birmingham International Dance Festival in 2022.

Dr. Trish Melton is a tap dance educator, researcher and choreographer. She runs a community-based dance school and a tap dance performance group: The Kerry Tap Ensemble. Trish also runs a global project management consultancy. A professional background in teaching and training in project management is entirely transferable to all aspects of her professional life.

Her key research area is tap dance pedagogy. She completed an MA (Distinction) in dance education with the RAD/Bath University. Her research explored the narratives of tap dance teaching: the oral history passed down through the Tap Masters and reviewed what this means for teaching today through practical action research. Her current research interests continue to be tap dance pedagogy with one area of focus being the use of tap dance repertory in teaching and how the historical and cultural perspectives can enhance the learning experience. She is currently undertaking a PhD in Tap Dance Pedagogy at The Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) Coventry University UK.

Allana Radecki is an artist, educator and performer, Allana Radecki has a BA in Fine Arts and MA in African American, African Diaspora Studies from Indiana University. Her research focuses on the interlocking roots and culture of jazz music and dance through autobiography and oral history. Her current book project examines the multi-faceted relationship between Duke Ellington and jazz dance, with an emphasis on tap dancers. A noted teacher of Hatha Yoga, Rhythm Tap and Modern Dance since 1986, she has taught thousands of classes to thousands of people of all ages. As a jazz tap dancer, Allana loves to improvise and also explores West African and Afro- Brazilian percussion including many years with Women of Mass Percussion and five seasons with the Indiana University Brazilian Ensemble.

Junior Laniyan is the founder of the London Tap Jam. Junior Laniyan trained at The Sylvia Young Theatre School. He has performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall with Tobias Tak in Out Of The Blues, and New York on Tap, Cross Currents Turned on Tap as well as Finding Synaesthesia which was for the Salzberg & London Jazz Festivals with Canada’s Heather Cornell. He also performed the Mr Bojangles solo in Robbie Williams Live at the Royal Albert Hall. International credits include Copasetics (Switzerland), Feet Fusion Tap Concert (Finland), Los Sones Negros (Spain) with Flamenco legend Juan de Juan, In La Serana Festival Internacional de Jazz with Cristián Cuturrufo, and Riverdance (Germany, Ireland, Korea, UK and China) where he filmed Riverdance Live From Beijing DVD.

Junior was a member of the Michele Drees Quartet performing at at London’s 606 Club, 2013’s London Jazz Festival, as well as opening for Jazz legend Jon Hendricks at Ronnie Scott’s and being invited to perform at the Ernesto Nazareth Chorinho Festival (Brazil). His tap choreography credits include Sky 1’s Louis Spence’s Show Business, Net A Porter’s online Autumn Winter Shoes Campaign a commercial for Zain in Lebanon and Dance consultant for London’s 2012 Olympic opening ceremony.