Tap Dance Lessons, Show the Week of July 25-30

Tap dance teachers and performers will meet in St. Louis the week of July 25 through July 30 for classes, workshops, tap jams and panel discussions.

The event will end with an All That Tap show at the Blanch M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri, St. Louis campus.

Arnold native Logan Miller will return home to teach and perform as part of the 20th Annual St. Louis Tap Festival.

Miller said the festival is an opportunity for teachers, performers and students to see what’s next in the world of tap.

The festival is for all ages and all skill levels, Miller said.

“We just want people who are interested to come out at any level any age. It doesn’t matter how old you are. We’re all there to learn, and you never stop learning,” Miller said. “If you have any interest in tap whatsoever, if you ever wanted to take a tap class, or you ever were interested in tap at all, you should definitely check it out.”

The show features tap stars from the movies, Broadway and television. There will be a mix of favorite artists, new faces, old masters and rising stars, in tap dance styles from polished jazz to hard-edged hip-hop.

Highlights this year include tap superstar Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, who was on the cover of the May issue of Dance magazine, and Oscar and Emmy-award winning actress Cloris Leachman as the show’s mistress of ceremonies.

In addition to Miller, St. Louis’ own award-winning Carolbeth True Jazz Trio will provide music for the show.

Festival classes and workshops will be held from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm Monday through July 29 and from 8:30 am to 11:15 am July 30 at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel.

Fees for festival classes and workshops vary. Call 314-531-8277 or visit www.tapheritage.org for more information.

Tickets for All That Tap are $15, $20 and $25. To purchase tickets, call the Touhill at 314-516-4949 or visit www.touhill.org.