Tapestry 2011 Biographies

BRENDA BUFALINO is a mixed genre artist; choreographer and tap dancer, a dancer who sings, tells stories, writes books, works clay into shapes that dance, and paints pictures. She has performed her one person shows Internationally and has appeared as a guest soloist at Town Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall in New York City and The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., as well as in major concert halls through out America, Europe, Australia, and Israel.

As artistic director/ choreographer of The American Tap Dance Orchestra she toured America and Europe with her company, and appeared at The Joyce Theatre, and on PBS "Great Performances...Tap Dance In America with Gregory Hines."

Ms. Bufalino toured in a duet concert with her mentor and collaborator Charles "Honi" Coles from l976 to l983. She has received consecutive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts... l986-l996, and is a NYFA fellow. Her book "Tapping the Source... tap dance stories, theory and practice" is published by Cod Hill Press, and she has created numerous DVD’s and CD’s... tapping, singing, teaching and telling stories which are available from her web-site.

She is the recipient of the Flobert Award, The Tapestry Award, and The Tap City Award for outstanding achievement.

Website: www.Brendabufalino.com
Email: brendabufalino@yahoo.com

TONY WAAG is currently the Artistic/Executive Director of the American Tap Dance Foundation (formerly known as the American Tap Dance Orchestra) which he founded in 1986, along with Brenda Bufalino and the late Charles "Honi" Coles.

From 1989-1995, he co-created and operated, with Ms. Bufalino, Woodpeckers Tap Dance Center which became a model for numerous tap organizations and tap studios worldwide creating, producing, and presenting various educational programs for adults and children year-round, as well as annual winter tap intensives with master classes, courses and workshops taught by leading International artists and master tap dancers.

In 2001, he renamed the organization the American Tap Dance Foundation and created Tap City, the annual New York City Tap Festival with premiere performances of all styles of tap by artists from around the world, as well as an extensive training program for adults, teens and children, city wide events, tap jams, student showcases, panel discussions, lectures and film screenings.

As a performer and choreographer, he has been featured in hundreds of concert, film and television productions including appearances at the legendary Apollo Theater, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the United Nations, the Atlanta Arts Festival, the Utah Arts Festival, the Colorado Dance Festival, the Lincoln Center "Out-of-Doors" Festival, the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, PBS’s "Great Performances, a national Seagram's commercial, and in a French car commercial for Renault in Paris.

International appearances include USIA tours of Turkey, Poland, Cyprus, Latvia and Estonia, and recent American ambassador tours of Armenia and Romania with his production of Tap City on Tour. He has also taught and performed in Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, and Spain.

Mr. Waag has received numerous grants towards the presentation and preservation of tap dance as a unique American art form. In 2002, he created the first International Tap Dance Hall of Fame honoring the contributions of legendary tap dancers by preserving their legacies for future generations to enjoy. He also created the annual Tap Preservation and Hoofer Awards, the Gregory Hines Youth Scholarship Fund, and the Gregory Hines Collection of American Tap Dance Archives which are now housed at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

In 2009, he created and staged the touring production of “Thank You Gregory”, a tribute to the Legends of Tap Dance which can now be seen in theaters across the country.

In January of 2010, he opened the American Tap Dance Center in New York City where he currently directs on-going education and training programs for tappers of all ages and levels.

KELLY KALETA started her dance training in Western MA at the age of 6, studying ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop before graduating from high school.  While attending Boston University, she began teaching in the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts. She now teaches up and down the east coast and Canada, doing master classes and conventions, workshops and performances. She is a faculty member and choreographer for Gil Stroming’s Break the Floor, has done choreography for the Legacy Dancers and many competition groups, and her students have received numerous awards. In 2006, she was a cast member of Imagine Tap!, choreographed and directed by Derick Grant, and most recently can be seen in Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, a film written and directed by Damien Chazelle

TAP AND TRAY (Kurt Albert and Klaus Bleis) - Working together for over 20 years, Kurt Albert and Klaus Bleis have made TAP & TRAY one of the most successful European tap acts of all time. Based in Germany, the duo has performed throughout the US (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, North Carolina, Kansas City), Europe (Paris, Helsinki, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Malta, Germany), and Russia with virtually all of the finest tap dancers in the world.

Their training includes an apprenticeship with showbiz legend Carnell Lyons as well as intensive study with Motown legend Cholly Atkins, tap greats such as Charles “Honi” Coles and James “Buster” Brown, and tap guru Brenda Bufalino. Together they have worked with Bufalino’s “International Tap Dance Orchestra” in Germany and New York, Yogo Pausch’s “Dream Drummer Percussion Big Band” and in the funk tap show “Funked Up”.

Together with dancer Joshua Hilberman they produced the annual cult classic, “The World Championships of Paddle and Roll”, a parody of dance competitions.

TAP & TRAY inherited their vaudevillian specialty – dancing wildly while spinning large silver trays – from their late mentor, the great Carnell Lyons from Kansas City, Missouri.

Contemporary artists with a flair for old-time show business, TAP & TRAY entices their audience into the magic world of rhythm.

YOKO MIWA

"Pianist Yoko Miwa displays unpretentious melodies, elegant phrasing, and the lyrical sensibility of a jazz poet." —Jazziz Magazine

Japanese pianist Yoko Miwa has earned a reputation as one of the jazz world’s lyrical, melodic, and accessible players. All Music Guide says that "what’s consistently impressive is her ability to deliver complex and challenging musical ideas in a compelling and yet frequently gentle and inviting way." She has released four CDs on major labels in Japan and has become a critically acclaimed and internationally recognized touring performer and educator.

The Day We Said Good Bye (Sunshine Digital, Japan), Miwa’s fourth CD as a leader, was recorded by the Yoko Miwa Trio at WGBH Studio One. The trio, here comprised of Miwa, Kendall Eddy (acoustic bass) and Scott Goulding (drums), played together in the same room, so the recording captures the immediacy and energy of a live performance. The CD contains two originals, one of which, the title track, Miwa dedicated to two of her friends who had recently passed.

Since her arrival in 1997 in Boston, Massachusetts, she’s forged a prominent place in the city’s jazz scene. The Yoko Miwa Trio is a favorite at the area’s jazz venues and has been a house band at Ryles since 2002. Her 2009 sold-out debut at Scullers Jazz Club filled the popular club with an enthusiastic crowd. The trio has appeared on "Eric in the Evening" on WGBH, was featured on the National Public Radio show "Jazz After Hours," and was interviewed live on the popular radio show "Voice of America," which is broadcast worldwide.

Born in Kobe, Japan, Miwa studied classical piano from the age of four and then eventually studied with jazz organist/pianist Minoru Ozone (the father of the well known Japanese pianist Makoto Ozone). She won a scholarship to Boston’s Berklee College of Music, and after graduation became the personal accompanist for Grammy award-winning jazz singer Kevin Mahogany. In 2001, Miwa was a featured performer in Washington D.C. at The Kennedy Center’s "Mary Lou William’s Women in Jazz Festival." Her performance and recording credits include Slide Hampton, Arturo Sandoval, George Garzone, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi, Joe Hunt, Kevin Mahogany, John Lockwood, Johnathan Blake, and Mike Turk.  

PAUL ARSLANIAN- a professional pianist, composer and dance accompanist since 1970, began working with tap dancers in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1974. As Musical Director for the Jazz Tap Ensemble (1979-1984) and the "Fascinating Rhythms" tour for Boston's Dance Umbrella (1992-1995), he toured the U.S. and Europe and worked with dancers such as Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, Honi Coles, and Jimmy Slyde.

In addition to his own 1994 CD "It's The Feeling That Counts", his compositions have been recorded by jazz artists John Hicks, George Coleman and Roy Hargrove. Paul made his theatre debut composing and performing music for People's Light and Theatre Company in Philadelphia, and his score for Arabian Nights was nominated for a Barrymore Award as "Best Original Music" in 1997. Paul also composed new music for Twelfth Night, performed by the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival in 1996.

BAMIDELE DANCERS AND DRUMMERS (Marilyn Middleton-Sylla and Sekou Sylla) are art educators, composers, musicians, dancers and choreographers from Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean who are dedicated to the preservation of African and African rooted cultures through dance, music and song. Members have expertise in African, Caribbean and Brazilian culture.

The company has presented concerts, lecture demonstrations, workshops and classes for student and adult audiences in colleges, Universities, and theatres throughout the United States, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Europe and Africa. In 1996 the BDD were selected to appear in print ads for the State of Massachusetts in conjunction with the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism. The company was selected "World Beat Group of the Year" for the Massachusetts Pioneer Valley in 1993. They were selected to perform for Nelson Mandela in 1990 and have performed with folk singer Pete Seeger. The BDD appeared in the filmed attraction "Secret of the Luxor Pyramid."

BDD are on the roster of the Mass. Cultural Council and have been on the roster of Young Audiences of Mass. since 1987. For scheduling school programs in Massachusetts please call Young Audiences at (617) 629-9262. For scheduling school programs outside of Mass. and for workshops, concerts, or lecture demonstrations in Mass. and beyond please contact the BDD.

JOSHUA HILBERMAN - Tap dance artist Joshua Hilberman has been creating and performing original theatrical productions in New England and around the world for over 20 years. A unique solo performer groomed by tap and vaudeville stars of the 1930's, his touring experience includes "Fascinating Rhythms," three seasons with Manhattan Tap, Tap City on Tour, and three seasons in Germany with Thomas Marek's "About Tap." Recognized with the National Endowment for the Arts/Dance USA National College Choreography Initiative Award, and with the 2009 Presidential Scholars Teachers Recognition Award, Hilberman was artist-in-residence for the  2010 season with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. 

Further propaganda can be found on his website:  www.Hilbermania.com.

"…after modest opening remarks, he became the zany tap wizard he really is, dancing in half a dozen styles with costumes of ever-escalating weirdness…With the inventive pleasure of all great tappers, he can throw a complex tornado of steps into the ground, but he can also fling a leg out in space to suspend the beat, or skim bodily across distances without suppressing the rhythmic storm that’s going on in his feet."
The Boston Phoenix, March 4, 2008

The Hilbermaniacs are world-class, sparkling throughout. Josh Hilberman, showmaster of the evening, and one of the best dancers in the world, was also the first-class Jumping-Jack of the evening.”
Nurnberger Zeitung, January 23, 2006

“An avant-garde tap dancer challenging conventional performance ideas while wearing very little in Dusseldorf.  A new-vaudevillian in a bright pink tuxedo, jumping around on small drums.  An award-winning choreographer working with dancers at Wayne State University in Detroit.  And the traditional ukulele-strumming, kazoo-playing, tap-dancing one-man band.  All are incarnations of Chapel Hill native and current Boston resident Josh Hilberman, who, said the late great Gregory Hines, is “one of the best of the new generations of tap dancers.”
The Chapel Hill Herald, June 10, 2005

RYAN P. CASEY - A 2009 young ARTS scholarship recipient in tap dance, Ryan P. Casey is now an undergraduate student at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Inspired by Savion Glover's appearances on Sesame Street, he began studying tap and jazz at the age of five at The Dance Inn in Lexington, Massachusetts, and soon expanded his interests to ballet, hip hop, lyrical, and Jump Rhythm. He spent seven seasons with the Legacy Dance Company, under the direction of Thelma Goldberg, and served as Dance Captain of the New England Tap Ensemble, directed by Riverdance alumnus Aaron Tolson. He has danced in ensemble pieces and self-choreographed solos throughout New England as well as Baltimore, Miami, and New York, and was featured on an episode of the sixth season of "So You Think You Can Dance." He is currently engaged in fusing tap dance with original spoken word poetry, and his performance piece "When Push Comes to Shove" was selected to premiere at the 2010 Gallatin Arts Festival in April. He will be on faculty at the "Tap into a Cure" festival in Edmonton, Canada this August.

Drika Overton's career as a jazz tap artist has spanned over 2 decades and includes work as a producer, director, educator, performer and choreographer. She is the creator and artistic director of the Portsmouth Percussive Dance Festival and Clara's Dream: A Jazz Nutcracker and works throughout New England and the U.S. Drika has received numerous awards for her work, including an Artist Fellowship from the NHSCA and has been a featured artist at the New York City Tap Festival; the Southeastern TapExplosion in Atlanta; the Bates Dance Festival; the New England Artist's Congress'; Liz Lerman's Dance Exchange's Shipyard Project; Public Television; and numerous jazz clubs, concerts and festivals. Drika is the artistic director of MaD Theatricals, a unique collaboration of nationally and internationally recognized jazz and tap artists.

Dianne “Lady Di” Walker, a pioneer in tap dancing’s resurgence has a 30 year career spanning Broadway, Television, Film and International Jazz Dance Concerts and Festivals. United States Artists has recently announced Ms. Walker as the recipient of the USA Rose Fellow 2008, Dance. Ms. Walker is touring with the show, "The Souls of Our Feet", produced by Acia Gray, and funded in part by the NEA, American Masterpieces Program. She has been dubbed the "Ella Fitzgerald" of Tap Dance. Savion Glover and his contemporaries affectionately call her, “Aunt Dianne,” acknowledging her unique role as mentor, teacher and confidante. Ms. Walker holds a Master’s degree in Education, and has taught at Harvard, Williams College, University of Michigan, UCLA, Bates, and Wesleyan. She serves on the board of several tap organizations, and served 10 years on the board of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Grant awards include The National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Jacobs Pillow, and New England Foundation for the Arts. She received Oklahoma City University’s 1998 “Living Treasure In American Dance Award,” adding to a long line of awards and lifetime tributes recognizing her contribution to the art form and excellence in teaching. She began her dance training in Boston with Mildred Kennedy-Bradic and later, Leon Collins, Jimmy "Sir Slyde" Mitchell and Jimmy Slyde. In 1979, she began a professional dance career under the watchful eyes of her esteemed mentors. She is grateful to many musicians and tap dance legends that have given to her so generously throughout her career such as Gregory Hines, Honi Coles, Cholly Atkins, Tina Pratt, Barry Harris, Max Roach, Alan Dawson, Ruth Brown, Nicholas Brothers, Peg Leg Bates, Arthur Duncan and many others. Leon Collins passed away in l985, leaving Dianne to continue as one of the Directors of his school. It is with a great sense of pride that she continues to share this rich legacy with her students. Dianne is Artistic Director of “TapDanZin, Inc." (Boston), and is currently collaborating with schools in Minneapolis and Tokyo.

Julia Boynton has performed with Brian Jones' All-Tap Revue, Heather Cornell's Manhattan Tap and co-founded StopTime, a N.E. jazz-tap quartet. She has taught tap in Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and closer to home at the New Orleans Center for the Performing Arts, the Florida Dance Festival, Jacob's Pillow, Harvard Summer Dance Center, M.I.T., Boston Conservatory, Emerson College, Boston College, the Leon Collins Studio, and the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio. Julia is currently on the faculty of the Dance Program at Harvard and the Dance Division of the Boston Conservatory, and is producer of the Beantown Tapfest, Boston's annual summer tap festival.

Sean Fielder started dancing at the age of three and by the age of 7, he realized that was so in love with tap that nothing was going to stop him from dancing. He began dancing at the Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts and by the time he was he was ten years old, Sean had performed in his first professional show called the " Jazz Tap Hip Hop Festival" with a Boston company called "Dance Umbrella".
Shortly after his 18th Birthday, Sean Fielder auditioned for Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, a musical that debuted Off-Broadway at the New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theater in 1995.

It moved to the Ambassador Theatre on Broadway and closed after 1135 performances on January 10, 1999. At the 50th annual Tony Awards, “Noise/Funk” won over major contender “Rent” in several categories including Best Choreography, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Featured Actress. In 1997 Sean was picked for the national tour of "Noise/Funk". Although Sean stared the tour as an understudy, he quickly worked his way to playing the lead role.

During the tour Sean performed for: Hillary Clinton, Jay Leno, Sinbad, CNN World News and many more. Sean has since toured with names like Debbie Allen, Dick Clark and recently performed in the 2007 presentation of the “Bean Town Tap Festival” and the “Urban Nutcracker”.

Sean started a Boston based Non-Profit dance company called “Boston Tap Company”, which has performed at Mass Moca with Dianne Walker and friends, Boston University, The South End House and the Robert White Community Center.

Sean’s motto is: “The Only Way To Be Different Is To Be Yourself.” http://bostontapcompany.org

The Legacy Dance Company was founded in 1988 by Thelma Goldberg and Rebecca (Galarza) Robichaud as a means to provide more serious dance training and performance opportunities to dedicated and talented young dancers. Since its beginning, the emphasis has been on excellence through training and performing, focusing on both technical expertise as well as joyful dance presentations. Throughout the year, from the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer performance at the Hatch Shell to the annual Holiday Benefit show, to the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony, these dancers share their joy of dancing with others, and in the meantime, help to raise money for worthy causes. Highlights of their 20 years include performing Brenda Bufalino’s “Buff loves Basie” and “In the Mood”, Josh Hilberman’s “C-Jam” and “Lacapella” and Billy Siegenfeld’s “No Way Out” and “Bombs over Baghdad.” These tap and jazz professionals and others are reinforcing our rhythm-based curriculum and are helping to reinforce our commitment to train multi-disciplined dancers for today’s dance world.

THELMA LARKIN GOLDBERG has been Executive Director of Dance Inn Productions (DIP) since it acquired non-profit status in 1997. Under her leadership, DIP has produced an annual Tap Day celebration, honoring Dianne Walker, Buster Brown, Brenda Bufalino, Jimmy “Sir Slyde” Mitchell, LaVaughn Robinson, Sue Ronson, Dean Diggins, Sarah Petronio, Jimmy Slyde, Paul Arslanian and Rosemarie Boyden. She has co-produced numerous shows, among them Tap Ole, Barbara Duffy and Company, and Josh Hilberman’s “Heeling Powers of the Left Brain” with artistic director Josh Hilberman. In addition to tap-related programming, she also presents a Youth Ballroom Program, regular Jump Rhythm Jazz Workshops, and Jimmy Locust workshops. Founder and Director of The Dance Inn, one of New England’s premiere dance studios, Thelma directs the programming for 600 weekly students and teaches numerous weekly classes. She is the tap coach for the Legacy Dance Company and is on the staff of the NYC Tap Festival. Her goal to bring dance into the community has resulted in a busy local performing schedule which ranges from the Making Strides against Breast Cancer event to the Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies and more. She is proud to be a member of Boston’s diverse and dynamic tap community.