July Workshops:
Discover how groove shapes improvisation and choreography. Practice with a professional drummer while exploring how to identify and hold a groove, comp, respond to and collaborate with other musicians. Whether you're interested in performing with musicians or hoping to deepen your musicality as a dancer, this workshop will strengthen your rhythm, listening skills, and creativity.
Sunday July 12th: Grooves with Theous Jones:
Theous Jones with Dylan Szuch. Credit: Doug Boemker
Explore tap dance as a melodic instrument. Discover how to approach a tune through its lyrics, with exercises to shift your focus from the purely percussive aspects of tap dance to its melodic possibilities. You'll learn how these skills can strengthen your communication and collaboration with the musicians you perform with, as well as other dancers, opening up new ways to express yourself through tap dance.
Sunday July 26th: Playing the Tune with Robbie Link:
Robbie Link with Josh Hilberman. Credit: Denise Cerniglia
Workshop Info:
Location: NC Dance Institute (5910 Duraleigh Rd #101, Raleigh, NC 27612)
Time: 1:00pm - 2:15pm with time for Q&A and practice afterwards (~2:30pm)
Price: $30 / workshop or $50 for both.
What to expect: All you need is yourself, your tap shoes, and a notebook. Any other resources will be provided for you. You will be up on your feet dancing! There will be elements of improv and opportunity to collaborate with the musicians. This is open to any dancer 13+, who is interested in learning about tap dance from a musician’s perspective.
Theous Jones is a freelance drummer and music educator dedicated to bridging the gap between tap dancers and musicians throughout the Triangle. He has led numerous percussion workshops for tap dancers, tap jam sessions, and performed with Footnotes Tap Ensemble. Theous is an experienced percussionist who works with marching percussion ensembles, jazz combos, big bands, and concert bands. He currently serves as the Percussion Director and Designer at Apex Friendship High School, and operates the Music & Rock School, a music studio where he nurtures the next generation of drummers.
Theous Jones
Robbie Link
Robbie is a life-long music educator. He has been teaching bass and cello for over 40 years. Robbie started working with tap dancers through Gene Medler and the NC Youth Tap Ensemble in the 80’s. He currently still works with NCYTE and plays with the world renowned tap dancers that come through the NC Rhythm Tap Festival every year. Robbie has taught double bass at East Carolina University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, Duke University Pre-Collegiate String School, and currently has his own private studio coaching students of all ages. Robbie has performed with symphony and chamber ensembles as well as jazz and folk groups and has played on over 100 recordings.
