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Guillem Alonso was born in Barcelona in 1973. At the age of eight he put on his first pair of tap shoes. He has received several grants from the Generalitat de Catalunya to study tap dance in New York with dancers such as Brenda Bufalino, Barbara Duffy and Savion Glover, among others. In 1993 he won the first World Tap Championship in Switzerland, organized by IDO (International Dance Organization).
During the 1993-94 season he acted with the company J.M. Floats in the musical “Cal dir-ho?”, at Teatre Poliorama. During the Christmas of 1995 he danced as a soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, for the show ‘Yuletide Celebration’. He has been part of the best tap dance companies in the United States, such as the American Tap Dance Orchestra, Manhattan Tap, The Tap Collective (New York), and also Steps Ahead (Los Angeles), where he has performed in the United States and Europe.
In Spain, he has performed in the shows ‘Keatoniana’, ‘New Orleans Jazz Tap’ and ‘Sax Tap’. He has danced and choreographed ‘El Nas Vermell’ and ‘Scandal’, and has performed at the Goya Awards 1999 with Rosa M. Sardà. He has been the organizer and host of the Tap Jams and weekly improvisation sessions of tap dance at the Cova del Drac in Barcelona. During the seasons 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 he has been a soloist in the show ‘Fire Of Dance’, with which he has traveled to Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Holland, Slovakia, Hungary and Belgium. During the month of September of 2001 he acted on Broadway at the New Victory Theater (New York) with the show ‘La Vida Es Ritmo’, which was co-created with the company Camut Band. This same show has been screened at the festivals of Edinburgh (Scotland), Toronto (Canada), New Haven (United States), Greenwich (Great Britain) and Tàrrega (Spain). He is one of the few dancers who practice sand dance style, with which he has gained prestige and international recognition.
Guillem Alonso has been, as a teacher and organizer, the driving force behind a new generation of tap dancers in Barcelona. He is currently the Director of Escola Luthier Dansa (Barcelona), where he organizes his Professional Tap Training Program, open to dancers from around the world. In 2010 Guillem won the Dansacat 2010 Prize in recognition of his professional career.
Known as one of “Tap’s Leading Ladies” and cover girl for Dance Spirit magazine’s Tap issue, Maud Arnold is a member of Syncopated Ladies and performed in their sold-out full-length concerts in NYC, Los Angeles, DC, Vancouver, and Dubai.
Maud most recently was seen performing with Pharrell Williams and N.E.R.D on The Ellen Show and appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America and at Essence Fest in New Orleans after Syncopated Ladies’ video covering Beyoncé’s Formation, went viral.
Beyoncé shared the video on all of her social media and then hired the Syncopated Ladies to perform at her Ivy Park active wear clothing line launch at TopShop, London.
Maud has quickly become a sought after teacher, judge and performer worldwide. Mentored and trained by Debbie Allen, Maud has taught at Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles and Allen’s Dance Institute in Texas.
Further to teaching in the USA, Maud has taught tap dancing and Afro-Funk in Dubai, Brazil, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, Croatia, Ukraine and Russia.
Maud’s other Television Credits Include: BET Experience: 106 and Park, The Late Late Show With James Corden, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Switched at Birth,
Secret Talents of the Stars as a featured dancer with Mya, The Today Show and Syncopated Ladies winning Season 11 of FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance: Dance
Crew Battle. Maud can be seen in national commercials and print ads for Toyota, GAP and CANTU and has worked with Beyoncé on several commercials and music videos.
Maud is the co-director and producer of the critically acclaimed DC Tap Festival, pioneering new experiences for dancers and artists worldwide and with her sister Chloé
Arnold they were recognized by the US House of Representatives as arts preservers and ambassadors.
Maud is also a female entrepreneur that holds a degree from Columbia University. Further to teaching, she oversees Chloe and Maud Productions and their many entities including their clothing lines:
I LOVE TAP and UniLove as well as their tap dance workshops and after school programs.
Maud exudes her passion for tap dancing with her high energy, fun and action-packed dancing.
For more information: www.maudarnold.net.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Christopher Broughton began dancing at the age of 12 and never looked back. Under the instruction of Paul and Arlene Kennedy at Universal Dance, he immediately became a member of the Kennedy Tap company, world renowned and responsible for tap greats such as Derick Grant and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, the latter of which he had the pleasure of performing as cast mates in his first Tony, Astaire and Drama Desk Award winning Broadway show After Midnight. Broughton’s dancing has also led to National recognition with the NAACP ACT-SO Award not once, but twice. As an instructor, performer and choreographer, his art has taken him everywhere from St. Louis and Washington D.C. to Brazil, Finland, Cuba, Italy, Germany and beyond.
In 2007, hardship struck Broughton’s life when he spent over a year recovering from a major injury to his left leg. He has very much since returned and is at the peak of his game. Since his triumph, Broughton has performed and toured the world with greats such as Jason Samuels Smith, R&B singer MYA, Ted Levy and Chloe Arnold to name a few. Company work has included national and international tours with Dorrance Dance, including Bessie Award winning work The Blues Project co-created/choreographed by Michelle Dorrance, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Derick K. Grant, and Toshi Reagon. He has also performed as a featured dancer on the 25th Anniversary International tour of Riverdance; a critically acclaimed run of the Signature Theatre’s revival of Jelly’s Last Jam featuring choreography by Jared Grimes; Magic of The Dance; Rasta Thomas’ Tap Stars; The Cotton Club Parade at NY City Center; and the national tribute tour of Thank You Gregory!. Christopher’s athletic choreography, courage and charisma are in the highest demand and he continues to learn and grow his art. Christopher Broughton owes his sincerest gratitude to his sister Chantel Heath, who introduced him to the world of dance, Tonie Nicholas, son of the legendary Fayard Nicholas, and Paul and Arlene Kennedy; without whom, he wouldn’t be where he is today.
In the dance field, Suzy is a master tap teacher and choreographer. Suzy started her dance training in Chicago and studied at Gus Giordano and Lou Conte. She has trained with some of the best master tap teachers in the country including Jason Samuels Smith, Mark Goodman, Gregg Russell, Dianne Walker, Mark Mendonca and many others. Suzy has taught tap on the convention circuit for Dance Educator’s of America, Focus Dance Conventions, Star Systems, Mark Goodman’s Totally Tap, Dance RAW and N-House Productions.
This fall, Suzy will be touring with The In10sive workshops with Tap Unplugged. She is also a regional and national dance competition adjudicator for Spotlight Dance Cup, In10sity Dance and Star Systems. She has done choreography for several benefit shows for theJuvenile Diabetes, Caitlin Robb Foundation and Mercedes Benz. She’s the owner of a tap production company calledRhythm Essence Productions. Her tap group, Tap 24.7, has done numerous guest performances for different events and concerts, as well as several tap festivals.
She enjoys teaching around the country as a master tap teacher to many studios, and inspiring tap students of all ages. Her choreography is rhythmic, energetic and cutting edge while mixing in modern music. She excels as a teacher, understanding many levels and breaking down steps and technique that is easy to understand. Suzy teaches in Phoenix at Bender Performing Arts and does tap choreography for their company, Dance Motion.
Ray Hesselink is a Director/Choreographer living and working in New York City.
Ray has presented choreography at various festivals and venues around NYC. Ray specializes in creating character-driven choreography and excels at comedic storytelling through dance.
Ray loves to make people laugh! As a dance instructor, Ray has had the privilege to help train the children who performed in Broadway’s Billy Elliot: The Musical.
Ray is on Faculty at Juilliard, Broadway Dance Center and STEPS on Broadway in NYC. He also coaches actors privately.
Ray holds a B.A. from the School of Theater at UCLA.
“Shelby’s choreography is fabulous and she’s a triple threat in the theatre. She is a thinker and she can write. She can write her own plays, her own musicals, her own everything… She’s a wonderful storyteller and I’m sure she’s gonna write a whole bunch of stuff that’s gonna merit as well as her dancing.”
Dr. Harold ‘Stumpy’ Cromer
Off Broadway, Shelby assisted Gail Pennington Crutchfield on the choreography of ‘Freckleface the Musical’, and acted as the SDC observer for three-time Emmy nominated choreographer Mandy Moore on
‘Nobody Loves You’ at Second Stage Theatre. She also frequently assisted the late tap legend Dr. Harold ‘Stumpy’ Cromer both in choreography and master classes, has become Chloe Arnold’s dance captain for
a number of projects on the East Coast, and was the assistant to NBC SMASH’s Emmy Award winning choreographer, Joshua Bergasse, for his musical theatre choreography showcase at City Center Studios. Additionally,
Shelby’s choreography has been featured multiple times in
the annual Tap City ‘Main Event,’ New York City ‘Tap Extravaganza,’ and Motor City ‘Motor City Soles,’ as well as ‘Tappy Holidays,’ ‘Band of Gypsies’ and the first ‘Young Choreographer’s Festival.’
Shelby has made television appearances tapping on both Sesame Street and The Steve Harvey Show. Other notable venues include the Apollo Theatre, Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, Symphony Space, The George
Street Playhouse, The Duke Ellington Theatre, and Detroit Orchestra Hall.
Jenefer is a native of Detroit and has been performing, teaching, directing, and choreographing professionally for over 25 years. She holds a BA in the Performing Arts from Oakland University and a MAEd from the University of Phoenix. She is the co-founder of Tap 24.7, and appeared on stage with Scuff’d Up, Especially Tap Chicago, Dance Chicago, Detroit Tap Festival, Sesame Street Live, and was featured on TV by Your Life A to Z and Phoenix 3TV. Jen has worked with legends such as Savion Glover, Ben Vereen, Debbie Allen, Jimmy Slyde, Dianne Walker, Barbara Duffy, Professor Robert Reed, and Heather Cornell, and the Nicholas Brothers. Directing and choreographic credits include: American College Dance Festival, Tap 24.7, 13 the Musical, Hairspray, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, How to Succeed, Seussical the Musical, and many more. Faculty credits include the Motor City Tap Fest, The St. Louis Tap Festival, Circle City Tap Fest, The Las Vegas Tap Festival, Nexus Dance Conventions, Tap Into the Network, and more.
Recently, Jenefer was awarded prestigious Oakland University MaTilDa Award for Alumni Lifetime Achievement in Dance, was a finalist for the Ahwatukee Chamber’s Educational Mentor of the Year and Phoenix Best Teachers, and has won numerous inspirational awards including one from former Governor John Engler of Michigan.
Founder of JMill Productions, Jenefer produces Just West of Broadway and The Phoenix Tap Festival. For more information visit www.justwestofbroadway.com! Follow Jenefer on Instagram @jenk360, Twitter @JMillP, and like my Facebook @JMillProductions and @jwobaz.
Karen is an international, award-winning artist, recognized for her outstanding artistry and contributions to the tap world. She is known for being both the first African-American female tap dancer and dance captain in Riverdance – The Show and the only African-American female tap dancer and dance captain in Riverdance on Broadway. Other Broadway credits include the Tony Award Nominated Duke Ellington musical Play On. Karen has been featured on the cover of Flow Magazine and in the documentary, Been Rich All my Life. The story of the Silver Belles, a group of chorus girls from the 1920s. 1930s and 1940s. Ms. Callaway Williams has performed with the original Silver Belles at the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theatre; and for the likes of Bill Clinton, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. She is currently a Second-Generation Silver Belle and the Artistic Director of this group. Karen has toured extensively performing in 35 States and 13 countries having just returned from a two and a half month run of Hinton Battle’s American Variety Bang in Osaka, Japan.
Ms. Karen Callaway Williams is a living legend in the tap dance world. She is mentioned several times in the Tap History book Tap Dancing America by Constance Valis Hill. She was featured in a Black History edition of ESSENCE Magazine, which highlighted four female African-American tap artists. In 2013, Karen was a Flo-Bert Honoree and received the Florence Mills Award. In July 2015 she was awarded the prestigious Hoofers Award from the American Tap Dance Foundation. Dance Magazine heralded her as “a graceful dream with taps as happy as a song.” The New York Times called her “a gifted traditionalist with laughing eyes”. She was also appeared in the documentary Bojangles: the Legacy and in a special guest spot on Sesame Street. Karen is a Featured Artist and was the first Dance Captain and charter member of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble having recently celebrated 24 years with the company, performing in their high energy shows A Stop on the A-Train, The Next Step, Rhythm is our Business, By George It’s Gershwin and Pass it on.
Ms. Callaway Williams taps can be heard tapping on Duke Ellington’s Music From The Sacred Concerts: as performed by the Princeton University Concert Jazz Ensemble as the Tap Dancer in “David Danced Before the Lord”, a role rarely performed by a female dancer. She has been featured as a tap solo artist with both the Baltimore and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras on several occasions; performing movements from the iconic Morton Gould’s Tap Dance Concerto. She was also featured with the Detroit and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras for their Yuletide Celebrations, and the BSO Holiday Spectacular. She has been a guest performing artist with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Callaway Williams has toured all over the world: Performing with the Duke Ellington Big Band in The United Arab Emirates; in Romania with Tap City on Tourthrough the Unites States Embassy; in the All that Tap Taipei festival in Taiwan; in Canada with Tap Giants; and in Bejing, Mexico, and Canada with Riverdance.
Over the past 30 years Ms. Callaway Williams has established herself nationally, and internationally, as a prominent tap instructor. She has taught for Spelman College, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan, New York City Dance Alliance, national and international tap festivals, dance camps, master classes and enrichment programs. She gives lecturer/demonstrations and educational assembly programs in elementary, middle and high schools for the Paper Mill Playhouse on “Legends of Tap Dance”. She traveled regularly to Zurich Switzerland as an instructor for the Zurich Tap Festival.
Karen has also authored several children’s books introduce kids to tap dancing, including Gabriella’s Tap Shoes, Gabriella and the Tap Dance Floor, and Rhythms for Ruby. She is currently working on her forth book for children, Gabriella: The Girl Who Lost her Shuffle. Her books are available on Amazon and in The Dance Connection office.
Kelsey Rose Young is a performer, teacher, and choreographer based in Detroit, Michigan. Kelsey is on faculty with Showstopper Dance Convention,
Fuzion Dance Camp, and Motor City Tap Fest. She has recently taught at the Big Apple Tap Festival and the Phoenix Tap Festival.
In 2017 she started the Wing It Tap Intensive which travels throughout the country with numerous top instructors. She is the current
director and lead choreographer for the pre-professional tap company – Detroit Tap Repertory, as well as a member of Shelby Kaufman’s tap company,
G.L.Y.D.E. and Suzy Guarino- Hall’s company, TAP 24.7.