Meet The Team

A native New Yorker, Emma Butensky began studying tap dance at age 7 with Susan Hebach. An original member of the Tap City Youth Ensemble, she had the opportunity to perform in a variety of different venues including Symphony Space, the Duke Theater, the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, MeTV (Nickelodeon), and City Center. She was also a featured dancer on the TV show Angelina Ballerina. In the summer of 2012, Emma was the youngest member to be selected for the second ever Jacob's Pillow Tap Program. She performed in December 2012 with this group at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 2014, Emma became a YoungArts Winner in tap. In May 2018, Emma graduated from Vassar College. While there, she was President of Vassar's largest dance group, Vassar On Tap, and produced eight tap shows. In 2019, Emma was on faculty at the UK Tap Festival, and in 2023, she assisted Lisa LaTouche with the pre-professional program at Tap City. Emma has been teaching youth and adult classes at the American Tap Dance Foundation since 2018, and she has performed at numerous ATDF events, including Tap City's Rhythm in Motion. In 2021, Emma graduated with an M.S.Ed in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street Graduate School of Education. She is currently a pre-K teacher at Compass Charter School in Brooklyn. Emma has had the honor of studying under tap masters such as Michelle Dorrance, Nicholas Young, Max Pollak, Lisa LaTouche, Brenda Bufalino, Barbara Duffy, and Derick Grant.

Rachel Binney is a tap dancer based in New York City. Rachel began dancing in Brewster, NY where she studied as a multidisciplinary dancer with Nicole Aravena. She took a special interest in tap dance, and sought further training at Steps on Broadway with Derick K. Grant, and the American Tap Dance Foundation as part of the Tap City Youth Ensemble.

Some of Rachel's performance appearances include the New York City Tap Festival, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Tribeca Film Festival, Dance Off The Grid, Tap Family Reunion, and more. Rachel has co-produced and choreographed a show entitled "Love Notes to Tap Dance" through the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU. Recently, she was a featured choreographer for Steps Beyond Foundation’s Performance Lab presented at Steps on Broadway. Rachel joined Dance Lab New York as Rehearsal Director for their 2022 Tap Dance Lab Cycle under the direction of Ayodele Casel and Torya Beard with choreographers Naomi Funaki, Dario Natarelli, and Demi Remick.

Rachel attended Lehman College for Rehabilitation Science and collaborates with arts education organizations such as A Free Bird and Dance Education Equity Association (DEEA). Rachel is currently on faculty at Rivertown Dance Academy, and a guest teacher at studios across the greater New York (city) area.

Brian Sylvester Davis (Teacher) started as a street performer. With the support of his mother Angela Marie Davis, he tap danced on a board to raise money for his lessons and trips. He can now gratefully call himself a professional Dancer, singer, actor, choreographer, and teacher. His belief is that "I am you and you are me," and he aspires to reach every member of his audience as a member of his own family, thus giving him the nickname "Brother Brian". Brother Brian began by building a foundation in dance with the North West Tap Connection in his home town of Seattle Washington under the artistic direction of Dr Darryln A. Smith and Melba Ayco. In the Duo of the Tapoholiks with Seattle native Alex Jackson, he choreographed the show stopping number “I Like The Way You Move,” which won the Seattle Apollo Star Search and earned the Tapoholiks a spot on the legendary and nationally televised “Showtime at the Apollo”. While competing, Brian attracted the attention of CP Lacey who then offered Brian a spot as the substitute "Executioner" for the Apollo Theater's historic "Amateur Night" competition, a title formerly held by the late great Sandman Sims. As a graduate of the University of the Arts, he earned a BFA in Modern Dance and a Musical Theater Minor. Brian holds the title of Philly Tap Idol for 2008, and is a former member of Tap Team 2 of Philadelphia under the direction of Robert Burden.  Brian studied acting and voice with the Lola Louis' Creative and Performing Arts Studio (CAPAS). The passionate Lola Louis would teach Brian with love and compassion as if he were her own. She not only coached him, Lola taught Brian about Love and instilled the "I am You" principle into Brian's life and work. Brian is eternally thankful. His Theater Credits include, “My One and Only” Goodspeed Opera House, "Rhythm is Our Business" 14th Theater (NYC), "Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic" Liberty Theatre (NYC)  "On Kentucky Avenue," Triad Theater New York, NYC) and Broadway's "After Midnight" on board the Norwegian Escape as the Tap Mathematician. Notable Choreographic Credits include, "I like the Way you Move" Performed on the Nationally Televised Showtime at the Apollo Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic (Off Broadway,) The Broadway Bound Musical Showcase of (Dorothy), Bojangles New Musical and his own show, "TAPTASTIC"

Barbara Duffy’s (Teacher, TTT) performance highlights include “The Gregory Hines Show”, where she was a featured dancer, actress and choreographer, “Gala for The President”, performing with Gregory Hines before President and Mrs. Bill Clinton and as dance captain and featured dancer in Brenda Bufalino’s American Tap Dance Orchestra. Barbara performs as a featured soloist across the United States and overseas, including London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, where she was hailed as “a riveting performer” by the Independent. Her all women ensemble, Barbara Duffy & Company performed at the Duke Theatre, NYC, the Joyce Theater, NYC, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, NYC, the University of Richmond, the Tanz Haus Theatre in Dusseldorf, Germany, Jacob’s Pillow and with Tony Waag’s Tap City on Tour. In August, 2008, Barbara received the “Rhythm World Award” for preserving and passing on the legacy of Leon Collins. She was also the recipient of the American Tap Dance Foundation’s prestigious “Hoofer Award” in July, 2013 and the New York National Tap Day Committee’s “FloBert Award” in May, 2015.  She holds a BA in Performing Arts. A highly sought after teacher, Barbara has taught at numerous workshops and festivals in 20 countries and was on the faculty of Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center and the American Tap Dance Foundation. Since 2014, she has been a proud faculty member of the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Tap Teacher Training program.  Most recently, Barbara was featured as a dancer and actor in the short film, “When Snow Falls”, directed and choreographed by Anthony Morigerato, co-starring Ted Louis Levy. The film has won the 2021 New York International Film Award for Best Musical and Best Director for a short film. It has also won an honorable mention for Musical/Dance Film from the 2021 Los Angeles Film Awards, as well as being chosen as the “Official Selection” of many other film festivals. Barbara’s book, “Tap into Improv, A Guide to Tap Dance Improvisation” is available on Amazon.com. Her greatest inspirations are Brenda Bufalino, the late Leon Collins and the late Gregory Hines.

SANDRA KLUGE is a Tap Percussionist born in Bremen (Germany), based in Brooklyn (NY), and performing and teaching internationally.

She writes, records, and performs her own original music, in which Tap is the exclusive percussive instrument, both solo and with a band. Sandra is deconstructing the classic Tap vocabulary in order to be a full band member, rather than just the cherry on top.

Her performance highlights include various collaborations with Thomas Marek, the tap ahead festival, Swiss Tap Days, Düsseldorf Photo Weekend, Symphony Space, Judson Church, Festival de Musique Improvisée de Lausanne, Basilica Hudson, and many more.

Sandra has been invited to teach at renowned institutions such as the legendary tap ahead festival, tap club Cologne, and Soundspace Philadelphia, and to be a teaching artist in residence at Thomas Marek's Studio Footprints. She is currently on faculty at the American Tap Dance Foundation and Mark Morris Dance Center. In addition, Sandra teaches private lessons in person and virtually, working with students from around the world.

Her work has been featured on the Tap Love Tour Podcast, German Tap Magazine, Dance Advantage, Dance Writer Australia, Canvas Rebel, Vocalo Radio, and others.

Sandra is the only Tap Percussionist to be an alumna of the Art Omi Music Fellowship Program and has recently premiered her composition "Anything = Everything", commissioned by the International Contemporary Ensemble. She is currently an artist in residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation.

She was first introduced to Tap at the age of 10 by her Mom. In the following years, she studied with greats such as Barbara Duffy, Sebastian Weber, Pia Neises, Derick Grant, and Heather Cornell, to only name a few, as well as forming a deep relationship with the art form through endless hours of historic video footage and daily self-study. She has been part of Tap City's Pre-Professional Program twice, once with Michelle Dorrance, and once with Sarah Petronio, and graduated from Daniel Luka's tap apprenticeship S.O.N.T.I. with magna cum laude.

She was part of the tap dance company KatadoS por Aí, where she had the opportunity to dance as a guest artist at festivals such as Brazil International Tap Festival and at the New York Tap Festival, Tap City. While at the company, Maria worked under internationally renowned choreographers such as Michelle Dorrance, Steve Zee, Juliana Garcia and Caio Nunes.

In 2021 she produced, choreographed and starred in the dance short film Luvemba, screened in 14 festivals internationally including: Future Dance Festival (New York, United States), Sans Souci Brasil (Campinas, Brazil/ Boulder, Colorado), Cinedanza (Modena, Italy) and Rio WebFest (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Other performance highlights include coordinating and leading a tap dance section with the band Unidos do Swing in its street carnaval parade, performing to a crowd of over 10,000 people.

She was selected by Michelle Manzanales, director of Ballet Hispanico, as a featured choreographer in the Future Dance Festival, produced by 92NY Harkness Dance Center. She was awarded by tap master Dianne Walker at New York City’s Tap Festival with the Tap City Award in 2013 and won Desafio Tap in Rio in 2015 and 2022. She is a two time winner of the Bill Bojangles Prize, the biggest tap dance choreography competition in Brazil.

Maria Clara holds a bachelor degree in History from University of São Paulo. Her education and training also include Level 1 of the Tap Teacher Training offered by American Tap Dance Foundation, where she was mentored by Barbara Duffy. Maria has worked as a tap teacher continuously for 10 years and is a lifelong learner.

Lisa La Touche (Teacher/Artist in Residence/TTT) Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, some of Lisa's performance highlights have included touring with Savion Glover's production, STEPZ, and also performing in both New York's Off-Broadway and the North American touring casts of STOMP.   She has previously worked with and performed in  Jason Samuels Smith's company A.C.G.I and in excerpts from "Chasin' the Bird", and has also performed alongside Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards as part of the original  The Cotton Club ensemble in Harlem.   Other companies she has worked with have included Max Pollak’s Rumba Tap, Barbara Duffy and Company, Tre Dumas' JusLisTeN, M.A.D.D. Rhythms, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project and also The Cab Calloway Foundation Inc.   Lisa has produced and directed her own concerts within North America and is continuously working as performer, choreographer and teacher internationally in countries such as Brazil, China, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and across Canada to name a few.   She is also a previous faculty member of the School of Jacob's pillow under the Direction of Dianne Walker and has appeared as an artist in residence at The American Tap Dance Foundation and the Vancouver Tap Dance Society and as guest faculty at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in NYC.

Kaleena Miller (Teacher/Artist in Residence) is a tap dancer and choreographer based in Minneapolis and New York. She is a 2015 McKnight Dance Fellow, recipient of grants from the Jerome Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board and was named one of DANCE Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2016. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Air Le Parc (France), Everwood Farmstead Foundation (WI) and the Southern Theater (MN) as part of their ARTshare programming. Kaleena was a founding member of Rhythmic Circus and toured extensively with the show Feet Don’t Fail Me Now! from 2009-2017, highlights including performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland), the Kennedy Center (DC) and the New Victory Theater (NY). She received a BFA in Dance from the University of MN- Twin Cities. She is currently Co-Director of the Twin Cities Tap Festival, Director of Kaleena Miller Dance and KMD2 in Minneapolis and an Artist in Residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation in New York.

Kaleena makes sound-focused dance and performance work, rooted in tap dance technique and deep listening modalities.

She was named one of DANCE Magazine’s 25 to Watch, received a McKnight Fellowship for Dance and a Sage Award for People’s Choice, was a finalist for the Jerome Hill Fellowship, and has received funding from the Jerome Foundation and Minnesota State Arts Board. Her work has been presented at the Walker Art Center, American Swedish Institute, Icehouse, First Avenue, Jazz Central, Bryant Lake Bowl and the State Theater in Minneapolis, and at Arts on Site, Center for Performance Research and Symphony Space in New York. She has held residencies at Air le Parc (France), American Tap Dance Foundation (New York), Everwood Farmstead Foundation (Wisconsin) and Southern Theater (Minneapolis).

Kaleena has a BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, a Deep Listening certification from the Center for Deep Listening at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and is currently pursuing an MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

She co-founded and co-directs Twin Cities Tap, which produced the acclaimed Twin Cities Tap Festival from 2015-2021. She also directs KMD2, a making-driven pre-professional ensemble, currently on hiatus. She is a proud member of the recently formed HeardTheory Collective, a group of interdisciplinary tap dance artists and scholars.

Kaleena has had the honor of performing in works by Roxane Butterfly, Joe Chvala, Heather Cornell, Michelle Dorrance, Jon Ferguson/Theatre Forever, Derick Grant, Lisa La Touche, Michael J. Love, April Sellers, Sandy Silva, Jumaane Taylor and Laurie Van Wieren. She was a founding member and performer with Rhythmic Circus (including performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, Kennedy Center, New Victory Theater and on America’s Got Talent), and was also a touring performer with Buckets and Tap Shoes.

She is thankful for and deeply indebted to her first tap dance teachers: Karla Grotting and Char Weiss.

Margaret Morrison is a rhythm tap soloist, choreographer, writer, dance scholar, and teacher. Her dance works, theater productions, fiction, and scholarship explore tap at the intersections of gender, race, queerness, and history. She has taught and performed across the United States, Europe and Brazil and is the recipient of the Flo-Bert Award and the American Tap Dance Foundation Hoofer Award for her contributions to tap dance.

The New York Times hailed Margaret's performing as “feather-footed and musically astute.” She has worked for over thirty-five years in multi-discipline collaborations with percussionists, poets, jazz musicians, and dancers. She began her performing career in 1986 as a founding member of the American Tap Dance Orchestra, directed by Brenda Bufalino. She toured internationally with the ATDO and appeared on the acclaimed PBS-TV Special, Tap Dance in America with Gregory Hines. Margaret also tapped in a national commercial for Seagrams. As a cultural ambassador of tap, she toured to Armenia, Romania, and Moscow, hosted by the US Embassy. She choreographs for ensembles and independent film, and wrote, starred, and tap danced in her first play Home In Her Heart, which ran for over 40 performances in New York City. 

Margaret holds an MFA from American Dance Festival/Hollins University. Her scholarship on tap dance has been published in Dance Research Journal, Dance Chronicle, and Los Angeles Review of Books. She is currently at work on a novel about 1930s jazz women.

Margaret is a popular master teacher specializing in rhythm tap technique, jazz musicality, improvisation, tap composition, and tap dance history. She has served as Education Advisor for the American Tap Dance Foundation and was on the dance faculties of Barnard College and NYU-CAP21. As creator and co-director of the Rhythm Tap Teacher Training Program, she mentors tap dance instructors across the globe in rhythm tap pedagogy and jazz excellence.

Training:  Margaret was born in Los Angeles where her early training included ballet with Natalia Clare of Ballet La Jeunesse, and tap and jazz with Dean Barlow in Van Nuys. In her 20s, she studied rhythm tap intensively with Brenda Bufalino and all the great masters of the Tap Renaissance, including Jimmy Slyde, Sarah Petronio, Steve Condos, Honi Coles, Buster Brown, Cookie Cook, Lynn Dally, Chuck Green, and Gregory Hines. She was also a student of modern dance technique, improvisation, and composition at Barnard College with Cynthia Jean Cohen Bull (Cynthia Novack) and Janet Soares, and took advantage of the wealth of dance training in New York City: modern from June Finch and the Cunningham Studio, Contact Improvisation, clowning, West African dance forms, and percussion. In 2010 she completed an MFA in Dance from Hollins University/American Dance Festival, working with Thomas F. DeFrantz as her thesis advisor. She has studied acting with Carol Fox Prescott, Alexander Technique with Anne Waxman, voice with Birdey Rutkin, Pilates with Allison Easter, and writing with Cheryl King.

Ivan Owens began his dance training at 14 in Arizona. Studying every style of dance that was offered and venturing off into voice, musical theatre and acting too. Ivan studied at Tucson Ballet, Alvin Ailey Summer Dance Intensive and Debbie Allen Dance Academy where soon after he began his professional dance career! Since then, Ivan has performed in Big Band Beat in Tokyo Disney, he’s toured with Royal Caribbean & Norwegian Cruise Lines. Ivan has worked and danced alongside some of the industry’s top names such as Debbie Allen and Chloe Arnold to name a few. His most recent works include assisting Chloe for the Late Late Night Show with James Corden and performing in her tap company Apt 33 in Lincoln Center Outdoors. Other works to include On Kentucky Avenue and Taptastic. You can catch Ivan in Chloe Arnold’s Tap Company. Apt 33 and Brother Brian Davis’s Tap Company, Taptasic! Currently, Ivan is in Bring it On The Musical directed by Tonya Pinkins.

Adante is an actor, singer, and dancer from Brooklyn, New York. He began his journey with a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey Bounding Boys program and later, The American Tap Dance Foundation, which was endorsed by prominent tappers such as Gregory Hines. Adante has also worked on various print and commercial projects.

He later joined The Lion King Gazelle Tour as “Young Simba” and toured around the country. Upon returning to New York, he was in Love and Information, written by Caryl Churchill. During high school, Adante had the privilege of having his own play published by Samuel French and performed by his peers in collaboration with Roundabout Theatre Company. Additionally, Adante sang support for the likes of Bernadette Peters and Lorde on venues such as Late Night with Seth Meyers. 

After graduating from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, has began working to share his passion for song and dance with others as a tap teacher at PurElements and now, The American Tap Dance Foundation.

Gal Ribak (teacher) is a tap dancer, instructor, and educator who began her rhythmic journey with Yuval Beck in Israel at the age of 9. She performed across Israel and Europe, collaborating with Percussion groups like "Demente" and "RhythMania". Her captivating presence has graced hundreds of stages, including "Israel's Got Talent" and the mesmerizing "Wow Show - Las Vegas" in Eilat, Israel, "Pestigal" and many more. Beyond her performances in Israel, Gal's passion led her to travel worldwide, seeking inspiration from top dancers in tap festivals and events. Her quest for Tap has taken her to places such as Sweden, Spain, France, Romania, Greece, Mexico, the USA, UK, Italy, and Germany.Gal creates an enjoyable and secure space for learning, infusing her classes with a blend of her love for tap and its history. Adding a unique touch, she incorporates Mediterranean influences into her choice of music and rhythms.

Jessee Leigh Robinson (teacher) is a New York City based tap dancer from Los Angeles, CA. In New York, Jessee is currently working with Anthony Moriterato’s production company “AM Dance Productions”. Her performance credits include The School Of Jacob’s Pillow Tap Dance Program on the Henry J. Leir Stage, The Broadway Rhythm Summer Jazz Festival, Steps Beyond Foundation, and Arts on Site. As a choreographer, Jessee has enjoyed the opportunity to present her work at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Arts on Site, and Dixon Place. Under the mentorship of Derick K. Grant, Jessee has created multiple one-woman shows. She has also choreographed and co-produced works titled "(In) Significant” and “It Never Entered My Mind”.

Mary Six Rupert started her dance training at the age of 2 and started performing at 2 ½. She has taught at The Juilliard School, Steps 74, Broadway Dance Center, and Bridge for Dance in New York City. She has taught master classes in Vienna; Paris; Beyreuth, Germany; and Fukuoka, Japan, as well as at academic institutions and private studios in California, Texas, Alaska and Ohio. Mary Six was a professor of 4 levels of tap at Wagner College for 8 years.

She also was a Radio City Rockette for 13 years including positions of dance captain, emergency swing and assistant to directors and choreographers.  She also performed in musicals such as 42nd Street, Gypsy, Singin’ in the Rain, My One and Only and Can-Can.  She worked with stars such Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno and director/choreographers such as Maurice Hines, Alan Johnson and Joe Layton.  The highlight of her tap-dancing career was performing a tap duet with Harold Nicholas (of the famous tap-dancing Nicholas Brothers) at the London Palladium.

Mary Six created Tap Dancing Hands Down®, which is a unique system of tap dancing with hands instead of feet.  This system allows those with mobility concerns to still enjoy learning and performing tap dancing. She uses Tap Dancing Hands Down® in her experimental dance company Tap: On Tap, which includes dancers with disabilities.

Tap Dancing Hands Down® is a trademarked system of tap dancing with hands instead of feet.  The dancer is seated, uses custom tap gloves and taps on a small wooden tap board placed in their lap.  This class is perfect for anyone with mobility issues including those with foot or knee problems,  balance issues, recent knee surgeries or wheelchair users, and more. It is taught very much like a traditional tap class including tap technique, terminology and fun choreography to a variety of styles of music. 

Originally from Pernambuco in Northeast Brazil, Lucas Santana started studying tap at 8 and has since performed on some of the biggest stages and TV shows in Brazil. He first collaborated with Music From The Sole in 2017, most recently appearing at Jacob’s Pillow, Joyce theater, Fall for Dance, Harlem Stage, The Yard, and Works & Process at the Guggenheim in NY and Bilbao. Lucas holds a degree in philosophy from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and a master’s degree in Theatre at UdeSC in Florianópolis.

Lynn Schwab, a member of Barbara Duffy and Company, RumbaTap, and The Tap Collective, has performed at such notable New York venues as The Duke on 42nd Street, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Town Hall, Off Broadway’s La MAMA, World Festival 2000, The International Street Performers Festival, The River to River Festival, Central Park’s SummerStage, Joe’s Pub, Studio 54, The Joyce and The Joyce SoHo Theatres. She has performed at Jacob’s Pillow and as a guest artist with Billy Siegenfeld and Jeannie Hill’s Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. With members of The Tap Collective, she choreographed and performed the Morton Gould Tap Dance Concerto with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with The Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, and at festivals in the U.S., Germany, Spain, France, Holland, and Estonia. She continues to tour the U.S. with Tap City on Tour and in addition to her regular classes at Steps on Broadway in New York City, teaches and performs at festivals and workshops in the U.S., Europe and Japan.