The Tap City Youth Ensemble enters its fifth year in the 2009-2010 season. This exciting performance ensemble, founded by the American Tap Dance Foundation, offers serious, young tap students professional training and performing experience.
The Tap City Youth Ensemble gives intermediate and advanced tap dancers ages 11 to 19 the opportunity to work with professional choreographers to learn classic and contemporary tap repertory. The Ensemble is directed by Susan Hebach with mentorship by Brenda Bufalino, Margaret Morrison and Tony Waag. The TCYE meets weekly in rehearsal with Ms. Hebach to prepare for performances in New York City. Dancers hone tap skills and deepen their knowledge of tap history through special master classes, rehearsals with guest tap artists and live musicians, video showings and tap history lessons. The Tap City Youth Ensemble performs in a range of New York area venues including formal concerts, school shows, free public events, and Tap City - The New York City Tap Festival each July. Dancers are selected by audition.
There are three levels of the Tap City Youth Ensemble. Dancers placed based on skill.
Tap City Youth Ensemble I & II: Advanced teens ages 14+
Rehearsals begin Sunday, September, 2010 and run through June, 2011. (details TBA)
Rehearsal Schedule: Sundays
TCYE I 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
TCYE II 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
TCYE III: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
All Rehearsals will be held at:
American Tap Dance Center
154 Christopher Street, #2B (bet. Washington & Greenwich Streets)
New York City
Tuition and Fees 2009-2010:
Reg fee
Materials fee
Yearly tuition new members
3 Installment payment plan
TCYE I:
$40
$75
$1500
$500 / trimester
TCYE II:
$40
$75
$960
$320 / trimester
TCYE III:
$40
$75
$960
$320 / trimester
Scholarships are available through the ATDF Gregory Hines Memorial Scholarship Fund. Application can be downloaded from this website by clicking on the Scholarship link http://www.atdf.org/scholint.html.
All students who want a scholarship for the 2009-2010 year must submit a new scholarship application.
Deadlines and important dates:
Fall 2009
Mon, Aug 10
Scholarship app deadline–returning students
Sun, Sept 13
Auditions for TCYE 2009– 2010
Sun, Sept 27
First day of rehearsal, new members
Full tuition and fees due or 1st payment of
3-installment payment plan due
Thur, Oct 1
Scholarship application deadline–new students
Sun, Oct 11
All members return to rehearsal
Date TBA
Meeting for all parents and students
Sun, Nov 29
No rehearsal -- Thanksgiving weekend
Sun, Dec 20
& Dec 27
No classes – Holiday Break
Winter 2010
Sun. Jan 10
1st days of Winter term.
2nd payment due of 3-installment payment plan
Sun Feb 14
No Class - Mid-Winter Break
Spring 2010
Sun, Mar 28
1st days of Spring term
3rd payment due of 3-installment payment plan
Sun, Apr 4
No class - Easter/ Passover Break
Sat, May 22
Spring Concert of TCYE & all ATDF students
Sun, May 30
No Class - Memorial Day Weekend
Sun, Jun 13
Last day of TCYE term
Late June
Additional rehearsals TBA for Tap City 2010
About the Tap City Youth Ensemble
In the 2009-2010 year all levels of the Tap City Youth Ensemble will learn classic and contemporary tap works from guest choreographers. The ensembles will continue to rehearse and perform repertory from last year while new works are added. The Ensembles perform in a variety of New York area venues, from informal showings, promotional events, school shows, outdoor concerts and professional performance venues. All three levels of the Ensemble will perform at Tap City 2010– The New York City Tap Festival in July. Additional performances throughout the year will be announced.
TCYE members come from New York City, Long Island, Upstate NY, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The Ensemble rehearses weekly with Ensemble Director and choreographer Susan Hebach and works frequently with guest teachers and choreographers including Brenda Bufalino, Barbara Duffy, Ayodele Casel, Harold Cromer, Michelle Dorrance, Derick K. Grant, Jared Grimes, Molutsi Mogami, Tony Waag and Margaret Morrison. They have learned new contemporary works as well as classic tap repertory by Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, James "Buster" Brown, Eddie Brown, Charles “Honi” Coles and the Copasetics. The Ensemble has been featured in articles in Dance Teacher Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine and Time Out New York Kids and appeared on television on NY 1. and Nickelodeon's METV.
“Past and future come together . . . in the recently formed Tap City Youth Ensemble, which performs classic routines like the Copasetics’ “Chair Dance” with brash adolescent energy” (Star-Ledger).
About the TCYE Levels:
Tap City Youth Ensemble I is the most advanced ensemble, made up of advanced teens. TCYE I is our main performance group and will have more performance opportunities than the other two levels.
Tap City Youth Ensemble II is made up of intermediate teens who are working towards TCYE I.
Tap City Youth Ensemble III is our group of talented dancers ages 11+. Level III will learn and perform classic and contemporary tap repertory geared towards their skills.
Performance Highlights of the TCYE 2006-2009 Seasons:
TCYE Performances highlights:
Tap City – The Annual NYC Tap Festival at the Duke on 42nd St, the Joyce Theater, & Symphony Space.
ATDF New Tap Choreography Showcases
ATDF's Annual Spring Gala
The Apollo
Tap Extravaganza
Career Transitions for Dancers Gala at NYC's City Center
Long Island Children's Museum
National Dance Week, NYC
Tappy Holidays
Dancewave’s “Kid’s Café” Festival
Manhattan Restoration Project
Macy's Charity Day
School and Hospital Shows in NYC & NJ
Jamming it up at Capezio
Danskin Strreet Fair
From 5-Points to Harlem in Foley Square, Manhattan
Nickelodeon's METV
Beat Street & More!
For more information contact the ATDF at shebach@atdf.org or call our office at 646-230-9564
Tap City features
eight action packed days of programs and events where hundreds of
tap dancers converge on the tap dance capital of the world to study,
perform, teach, observe, share and dance!
Master Tap Intensives give advanced students a chance to work with a top teacher and choreographer in the field. Students experience first hand the choreographic process and creation of original material that will be presented in future productions produced by the ATDF.
