2001 - Marda Kirn is the founder and former Director of the Colorado Dance Festival, one of the top four dance festivals in the US, recognized nationally for its innovation and quality programming. She has served as a grants panelist for the NEA and other granting organizations. In addition to starting CDF, Marda has founded innumerable dance and arts organizations and received several awards. Tap projects included CDF's first 2-week rhythm tap festival (1986), co-directed with Sali Ann Kriegsman (under the aliases of Nip and Tuck) which became the model for tap festivals across the country; the first Creative Residencies for rhythm tap ever held (led by the late Charles "Honi" Coles with Brenda Bufalino, Jimmy Slyde and Sarah Petronio); the first Tap Conservatory (co-curated and co-developed by Lynn Dally and Brenda Bufalino), and a variety of tap humanities conferences, and activities focusing on the history, theory, and criticism of the art form.