Jersey Tap Fest

From 2010 through 2020, Jersey Tap Fest was New Jersey's sole tap dance festival featuring master classes with world-class tap dance artists and an exravaganza of a show that was named Best Place to See Live Dance in New Jersey by New Jersey Stage.

Founded and Directed by Hillary-Marie, this annual tap dance event took place over a span of 4 days during the hottest week of the New Jersey Summer, and at its height, hosted over 250 tap dancers from all over the world, ages ten through adult, and its always-sold-out TAP 'N TIME show. 

The culmating TAP 'N TIME performance was attended not just by tap dancers, but local New Jersey theatre, dance and music lovers from all over the tri-state area who eagerly awaited the annual celebration. The performance was held at SOPAC (2010), Bloomfield College's Westminster Arts Center (2011-2017), Morris Arts Museum (2018) and Grooves Unlimited (2019). The show featured performanced by the headlining faculty of the event, live music under the direction of Andrew Atkinson, and pre-professional tap dance companies from all over, including Capitol Tap, MYTE, Boston Tap Company, JAM Youth Project, Mary No & Co, FutureSTEP Tap Company, and more. 

This event was a long-time staple of the Tap Dance Community at large, as well as the New Jersey dance scene, and featured a long list of tap dance artists, including Dr. Harold 'Stumpy' Cromer, Deborah Mitchell, Karen Callaway Williams, Maurice Chestnut, Jason Samuels Smith, Jason Janas, Caleb Teicher, Ray Hesselink, Lisa LaTouche, Jeffry Foote, Kyle Wilder, Lynn Schwab, Anthony Morigerato, Justin Myles, Mark Orsborn, Bril Barrett, Ayodele Casel, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Sean Fielder, Heather Cornell, Claudia Rahardjanoto, Nicholas Young, and many more. 

From 2010 through 2018, the festival ran under the traditional tap festival format, with a jam packed schedule of back-to-back master classes, history sessions, tap talks, a tap jam, student showcase, and panel discussion. 

In 2019, Hillary-Marie felt that a shift away from large-scale events was on the horizon, and decided to host an intimate edition of the festival for 20 select tap dancers from around the world, focusing entirely on the collaborative creative process. 

In 2020, the festival culminated, ending on a decade-long high-note of serving and celebrating the tap dance community of New Jersey. 

Come back to this page again soon for photos and video highlights as well as stories of this beloved tap dance event that was known for celebrating the local New Jersey Tap Dance Community that has produced some of the Tap Dance Community's favorite tap dancers of today, and offering tap dancers from all over the world an inspiring, energizing and exciting training ground, each and every single Summer. 

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