The Story

Hillary-Marie is an interdisciplinary American tap dance artist, a visual music maker who tells vivid stories through the universal languages of music and dance. Her unique multi-modal voice blends foot, body, and vocal percussion with compelling storytelling to craft immersive rhythmic experiences that transcend traditional boundaries of performance art. Her dancing has been described as having “feet like feathers with steel bones,” a testament to her combination of strength and grace.

She has captivated audiences as both an internationally acclaimed soloist and a sought-after collaborator, sharing the stage with music greats including Grammy Award-winning a cappella group Take 6, Grammy-nominated group Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, trombone legend Wycliffe Gordon, Luther Vandross' music director Nat Adderley Jr., and A Chorus Line composer Marvin Hamlisch. Her collaborations also span vocalists Emily Braden and Nancy Harmes, bassist Jennifer Vincent, singer-songwriter Ami Madeleine, pianists Mark G. Meadows and Willerm Delisfort, percussionist Vincent Pierce Smith, and beatboxer Mark Martin.

Her work has been recognized with multiple Fellowships and Awards from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, in Choreography (2017 award recipient, 2023 funded finalist) and Interdisciplinary Arts (2024 award recipient). From 2019 to 2022, she held a fellowship at NJPAC, where she developed her award-winning and touring one-woman show, In The Pocket.

Beyond the stage, Hillary-Marie is the founder and creator of iTapOnline.com, the go-to resource for tap dancers and teachers worldwide, and is widely regarded as a teacher of teachers. Mentored by and an assistant to Vaudeville legend Dr. Harold “Stumpy” Cromer from 2007 until his passing in 2013, she is committed to preserving the oral tradition of tap dance, ensuring its vibrancy for future generations. Her iTap Teacher Certificate Program and iTapOnline Studio train hundreds of educators annually in her signature methodology, The 5 Fundamentals of Tap Dance and The Fundamental Fusion Approach.

• Plant mom.
• Nora Roberts on the nightstand.
• Love language: cooking.
• Nak Muay, ooweee.
• Bilingual.
• Serial journaler.
• Every day starts with morning pages.
• Reading The Artist’s Way (again).
• Always chasing sunlight and collecting stories.

Hillary-Marie’s tap dance roots run deep. She began her dance training in jazz dance at the age of five at her local dance studio in New Jersey and learned to play the drums from her father. Eventually combining her two passions, she began studying tap dance at age twelve. By fourteen, she was performing eleven shows a week with the pre-professional company Showstoppers at the Edward Nash Theatre.

Her training continued under Karen Callaway Williams, whose credits include the Tony Award-nominated Duke Ellington musical Play On!. In 2006, she joined the New Jersey Tap Ensemble’s youth company and, three years later, became a principal dancer of NJTAP under the direction of Deborah Mitchell.

From 2007 until his passing in 2013, Hillary-Marie was mentored by and served as an assistant to Vaudeville legend Dr. Harold “Stumpy” Cromer, half of the world-famous duet Stump & Stumpy, who shared the stage with icons like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.

A native of New Jersey, Hillary-Marie founded Jersey Tap Fest at the age of 17. This annual event, one of the largest tap dance festivals in the United States, ran through 2020 and was named the Best Place to See Live Dance Performances in New Jersey by New Jersey Stage.

At age 19, she moved to New York City and began performing weekly at Harlem’s Cotton Club as part of Bessie-award winner Dormeshia’s group, The Cotton Club Sophisticated Ladies. During this time, she also worked with Emmy-award-winning artist Jason Samuels Smith (A.C.G.I.) and Derick K. Grant (Rhythm Is Our Business). Her performance credits also include performances with Heather Cornell (Conversations), Roxane Butterfly (New Dance Alliance), Maurice Chestnut (The Above Ground Project), Christopher Scott (W-L-U-V), Lisa LaTouche (Tap Phonics), and as a featured guest artist with the Boston Tap Company (Rhythm in the Night).

Hillary-Marie went on to open Grooves Unlimited Dance Studio (2012–2023) with her co-founder Shani “Virgo” Alicea. Grooves Unlimited became the only dance studio in the United States dedicated entirely to hip hop and tap dance, and the home of FutureSTEP Tap Company. It served as a creative home for hundreds of young Groovers each week, embodying the mission to ignite their passion for hip hop and tap dance culture.

In 2016, Hillary-Marie founded iTapOnline.com, an international online education platform for tap dancers and teachers. Through iTapOnline, she continues the oral tradition in the digital age by preserving the stories, techniques, and teachings passed down to her, and sharing them with tap dancers around the world. What began as a way to keep tap dance accessible has grown into a global community of tap dancers and tap teachers dedicated to studying, sharing, and honoring the art form. In this way, Hillary-Marie carries her Tap Family Tree forward, ensuring that the spirit and tradition of tap dance continue to thrive for generations to come.

Hillary-Marie holds deep gratitude for the tap dancers of both past and present, those who carved the path through rhythm, resilience, and artistry, and those who continue to keep it alive today. She honors the legends whose stories and steps built the foundation of the dance, and she recognizes the teachers, peers, and students who carry that tradition forward with heart and authenticity. For her, every shuffle shared across generations is an act of remembrance and renewal, and a way to share gratitude and say thank you.