7th International Feet Beat Tap Festival

August 4-10, 2003 in Helsinki

FACULTY 2003
Finale / City Beat -tap concert 2002

Sofi Kyrklund (Helsinki, Finland)
 Producer, performer

A full time tap teacher since several years in Helsinki, (Helsingin Tanssiopisto) and other dance schools and eduational institutions. Professional Diploma from the Theater Academy of Helsinki in dance teaching. She has given several workshops in Finland and abroad, performed with solo and duo tap numbers including acting and singing at various events - also on television. As a choreographer Sofi has made many awarded pieces. She has studied among others in New York. Most important teachers Brenda Bufalino, Heather Cornell, Barbara Duffy, Robert Audy, (USA) and Pascal Hulin, Victor Cuno and Derek Hartley in Europe.

Sofi Kyrklund has been organizing the Feet Beat tap events since 1997. In the fall 2002 she established a tap dance company: Feet Beat Tap Ensemble, that performed successfully at the Royal Dutch Tap Dance Human Rhythm Festival in Holland in January this year.

Mari Fujibayashi (Kyoto, Japan)
 Contempo Tap, Beginners
Counterpoint Tap, Interm.-Adv.
August 7-9.

Mari Fujibayashi went like Olivia with a scholarship to New York to study. She is an award winning organ player with BA in music, a published composer and music teacher besides tap. In New York she has taught at Steps and at Woodpeckers. Further more she has taught at festivals in the US, Germany, Russia and Japan. She is teaching and performing regularly in Japan.

Olivia Rosenkrantz (France/NYC, USA)
 Contempo Tap, Beginners
Youth Tap (9-14 year-olds), Int
August 7-9.

Olivia Rosenkrantz lives in New York since many years, where she teaches regularly and performs. She has taught at Steps and Broadway Dance Center among many places. Besides tap she has a training in modern dancing and singing as well. She has toured internationally with Heather Cornell's Manhattan Tap and perfomed with renowned musicians like for instance the late bass player Ray Brown and the late tap artist Buster Brown.

Bril Barrett (Chicago, USA)
 Funky Beats, Beg, Interm. and Adv.
New Beats, Interm. and Adv.
August 5-9.

A Master funk tapper with innovative styles devoted to promote percussive rhythm of tap. As an instructor he has received endless recommendations. He has performed with among others The National Tour of Riverdance, in Tap Dance Kid, Gregory Hines Live, at The Chicago Human Rhtyhm Project and at The St. Louis Tap Festival.

Josh Hilberman (Boston, USA)
 Finding the Groove: Beginners
New Groove: Beginners
Buck & Wing: Intermediate/Advanced
Feet Music: Intermediate/Advanced
Youth Tap (9-14 year-olds): Interm.
Improvisation: All levels
August 4-9.

A teacher that will make you feel comfortable in class and have fun. Even Gregory Hines has recommended him to everybody. Hilberman has tought at many big festivals in the USA and abroad. Has gained reputation as one of the leading choreographers of tap dance. Started tap dancing under the instruction of Gene Medler in North Carolina and continued to study for Diane Walker at Leon Collins Dance Studio in Boston where he has also been a faculty member among other places. He toured for a long time with Manhattan Tap (Artistic Dir. Heather Cornell).

Josh Hilberman will teach you how to listen and interprete the music. He was a popular teacher at the Feet Beat Tap Festival last year.

As a performer Hilberman seems to have fun with his feet. "A scientist of the soul, creating fusion from motion and sound." The Calgary Herald

Hervé Le Goff
Latin Tap, Elem. and Beginners
August 4-9.

A former soloist with the American Tap Dance Orchestra (aritistic director, Brenda Bufalino). He created together with the French pianist Frédérique shows of songs and tap dance that they performed with in New York, Paris and Montrèal. He is a co-founder of the Charniére -tap dance company, that also has performed in New York.

A smoothly mooving rhythm tap dancer who uses the whole body. In his classes you will learn how to tap dance to Salsa beats.

Picture of Max by Marcos Ribeiro Max Pollak (Austria/New York, USA)
Rumba Mix,(Tap), Interm. and Adv.
Rumba Tap, Interm. and Advanced
Body Drumming, All levels
Improvisation, All levels
August 5-10.

Began his career as an actor, singer and jazz-drummer. He went to New York 1991 to tour with Manhattan Tap (aristic director, Heather Cornell). He has created a highly individual style of performance, choreography and teaching by fusing Afro-Cuban Folklore with Afro-American Rhythm Tap and Body Percussion. He has taught tap to professional students in Cuba and at many festivals. Max Pollak has been a popular teacher at the annual New York City Tap Festival and also at the Feet Beat Tap festival last year.

As a performer Max Pollak is an energetic dancer blending tap, body percussion and Afro-Cuban movements.

Above picture of Max by Marcos Ribeiro

Chester Whitmore (LA, USA)
 Vernacular Jazz, Elementary
Lindy Hop, Elementary
Choreography Class, Int.-Adv.
August 4-9.

Dancer, composer, comedian, actor, choreographer, stuntman, bandleader etc. - a multi-talented teacher that continues to surprise you. He started out as a tap dancer in 1974 and for many years he was a protégé of the famous tap legend John Bubbles. He has also worked together with many tap masters like among others the Nicholas Brothers, Willie Covan and stars like Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr. and Lionel Hampton. Chester Whitmore has his own well-reputed dance company, Black Ballet Jazz specialized in afro-american vernacular dancing.

As a performer you cannot see enough of him.

David Yoken (New York, USA/Turku, FINLAND)
Time Exploration for Movers/Tappers, All levels
August 4-9.

Percussionist and Composer, Masters of Arts in Music. He has created musical works for the stage, dance, film and video artists in many countries. He is a tenured associate Prof. of Music on the faculty of the Turku Polytechnic Arts Academy in Finland.

As an extremely young musician he had the remarkable opportunity to meet and work with the hoofers of the Copasetics, "Honi" Coles, "Cookie" Cook, "Buster" Brown, "Bunny" Briggs and "Sandman" Simms and among many of that famous tap ensemble.

David Yoken has extensive experience in creating scored and improvised music for choreographers. He has collaborated with many highly reputed dance artist of various kind including choreographer Carolyn Carlson, Donald McKayle and the José Limon Company. Yoken is interested in creating physical gestures and dynamic possibilites within the context of his sound world.

Junior Laniyan (London, England)
 Funky Beats, Beg., Interm. and Adv.
August 4.

A popular tap teacher at the Pineapple Studios in London.. He has performed on television and on film . Junior has been a lead dancer in Riverdance and has also been a guest performer in tap performances among others in London and New York.

Ramon Silverio (Cuba)
 Rumba Mix, (no taps), Int. and Adv.
August 4

Musician, actor, dancer and singer with studies at Escuela Nacional de Teatre de Cuba and at Conjuncto Folkórico in Santiago de Cuba. He has been living in Finland since 1992 and has been running a dance school teaching since 1997. In his school Salsa de Cuba he and his fellow teachers are teaching the Cuban musical traditions: dancing, singing and percussions.

Marika Kalenius (Helsinki, Finland)
 African dance teacher
August 10

An energetic teacher of West African dance with influences from jazz, contemporary dance and body drumming, Marika has studied Afro dance in Finland with among others guest teachers like Germain Agogny and Patrik De Souza Agogny and with teachers in New York. She has been teaching at the Theater Academy (Dance Department), Helsingin Tanssiopisto and at Tanssivintti as well as other locations. Her classes will be accompanied by Christer Hackman.

Christer Hackman (Helsinki, Finland)
 Percussions
August 10

A percussionist at the Dance Department of the Helsinki Theater Academy specialized in Oriental and West African drumming . Further more he accompanies contempary dance classes and composes theater music. He has been studying in Kairo and Guinea in West Africa.