Clique
Atlanta, Georgia, UNITED STATES - When I was 6 years old, the only thing I wanted to do IN THE WORLD was take tap classes. It wasn’t in the cards for me, but this incredible work by The Tap Rebels reminds me why I loved it so much. Check out more of their work: Instagram | Website | YouTube
FROM THE ARTISTS:
Founded in 2018 by Vanessa Zabari, The Tap Rebels is a professional dance company exclusively focusing on the discipline of Tap. Its mission is to create, to present, to preserve and to extend the electrifying art of tap dancing, through exciting performances and educational programming of the highest quality, presented to the widest possible audience. It consists of seven members: Monica Battle, Teresa Jade, Haley Jenkins, Kayla Stafford, Mary Beth Stinson, Odyssey Wilson, and Vanessa Zabari. The Tap Rebels, Atlanta’s only professional tap company, has a clear mission of “bringing tap back”. To tap dancers, tap never left, but it often gets forgotten about in the dance community. The company believes in keeping tap alive through performance, education, and innovation. The Tap Rebels’ mission is to inspire tap dancers by traveling around the world by teaching and performing tap.
One of the main goals of the Tap Rebels is to educate young tap dancers through a set curriculum. It will include taphistory and incorporate its’ long standing history into our educational component. Another goal is to inspire audiences through innovative tap dances and choreography. We want to show audiences different ways that tap can be current, fresh, and nothing like they have ever seen before. Lastly, our goal is to travel globally to teach and perform in order to inspire as many people as we can.
Covid has affected our work by preventing us from rehearsing. In the early stages of rehearsing, we were greatly impacted by the inability to rehearse and perform. As many artists during this time, we had to take a break during the peak of Covid last Spring and Summer as dance studios were closed and dancing/contact was not allowed. With many restrictions in place, we have learned to adapt to the new rules and regulations. We are happy to be able to rehearse in a safe way. We have found digital ways to present our work and outside venues to film and perform. We never take advantage of the ability to rehearse and we are grateful for any opportunity we have to perform!
This work was choreographed by company member Teresa Jade. It is a piece that showcases seven powerful women. The dancers are tap dancing to a mix of hip hop songs that brings tap to life with high energy and dynamics. As a company, we like to show that tap can be done in a variety of different ways. This piece was an expression of showing that tap is here in Atlanta, Georgia and it is here to stay.