Tap Into This!

Tap dancing is a uniquely American art form, born of the fusion of West African drumming and dancing with the clogging and step dancing of Scottish, Irish, and English settlers. There is a rich history in this art form, including a time when tap dancers were in heavy rotation on vaudeville stages across the country. This year, we have a few different acts ready to tap into your sense of joy and wonder! You'll want to have these performers on your radar.

Founded in 2012, Alchemy Tap Project to inspire teens and young adults to further the evolution of tap dancing. This group brings the fun, percussive tap style to a wide range of music, from jazz to classical, electro-swing to hip-hop, and everything in between! Director and Choreographer Josh Scribner grew up in Seattle and began tap dancing at the age of eight as part of the Tap Squad with Cheryl Johnson. He spent years tapping in various venues, including on the television show Showtime at the Apollo and Cirque du Soleil’s first Broadway production, Banana Shpeel. Josh also helped with the creation of a Cirque du Soliel show, Zaia. We’re very excited to have this group on stage to illustrate the amazing innovation happening in tap today! Click here to find out when they'll be on the Moisture Festival stage.

Photo by Michelle Bates

Shoehorn is a performance artist like no other. He can make music with his feet while dancing with his saxophone, creating a whirlwind performance that you’ll have to see to believe! Shoehorn can also play a number of other instruments, including the Tapercussion e-tap instrument of his own creation. Songs range from classic to original, and Shoehorn plays both solo and as a member of various groups, including Fools in Paradise, Baby Gramps Time Warp, and Evening Star Orchestra. Shoehorn is also a recording artist, with both a CD and DVD under his belt! In addition to his extensive range of music abilities, he is an internationally recognized tap soloist. Shoehorn's tap skills have been featured in the Emmy-nominated PBS TV documentary JUBA: Masters of Tap & Percussive Dance. We are so excited to bring him back to Moisture Festival! You can see which shows he'll be performing in by clicking here.

Brian Jones credits his eleventh grade English teacher with introducing him to the rich tradition of tap, and as of 2015, he has spent 43 years of his life as a tap dancer and choreographer. In those years, he has shared the stage with Ethel Merman, Robert Goulet, The Persuasions, and The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. Known for his tap company, The All-Tap Revue, Brian has toured from Hawaii to Europe, delighting audiences with his feets of fancy. Beyond performing, Brian shares his love of tap dance through teaching classes in Rhode Island, and his website even contains notations for tap dances he has choreographed. We'll be scheduling him into shows very soon, and you'll be able to see what dates and times he'll be performing right here!