Photo by: Brian Mengini
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“The Hoofers not only can spark the floor, they take tap in unexpected directions.” (Lew Whittington, The Dance Journal) |
THE LADY HOOFERS TAP ENSEMBLE produces original works of choreography while preserving the tradition of improvisation in American rhythm tap, bringing innovative percussive dance to diverse audiences.
Founded in 2011, the Philadelphia-based, all-women ensemble is led by Kat Richter, Founder and Artistic Director, and Katie Budris, Managing Director. Through choreographic commissions, a bi-annual concert series at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre including The Tapcracker and On Tap, free community performances, and arts education programming, the ensemble centers the work of women artists and contributes to the revitalization of Philadelphia’s rich tap history by challenging the public’s perception of percussive dance.
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Photo by: Bicking Photography
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In recognition of The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble’s contribution to the wider dance community, our work is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, Penn Treaty Special Services District Support, PECO, and the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy. Past performance credits include the Kimmel Center, City Hall, the Painted Bride, the Wilma Theater, the Forrest Theatre, the Trocadero, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Grounds for Sculpture, and FDR Park. The ensemble also performs at private events and fundraisers and gives a number of free performances each year at community events and festivals including City Hall Presents, Performances in Public Spaces, West Park Arts Fest, Franklin Square, Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest, Headhouse Farmers’ Market, and World Dance Day.
PHOTO BY: KATIE BUDRIS
Note: The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble operates under Fractured Atlas's fiscal sponsorship program. You can support our mission by making a secure, tax-deductible donation online through Fractured Atlas. |
To continue the transmission of rhythm tap, The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble offers arts education workshops, residency programs, lecture demonstrations, and weekly Open Company Class. Our Youth Ensemble, founded in 2013, offers opportunities for young dancers to train under our directors and choreographers and to perform in our annual holiday concert, The Tapcracker. The ensemble has hosted Master Classes taught by renowned guest artists including Caleb Teicher, Roxane Butterfly, Karen Callaway Williams, Robyn Watson, Danny Gardner, Michele Dunleavy, Dolores Sanchez, and Andrew Nemr.
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Statement on Social Justice and Racial Equity
Following the words of Aaron Dworkin (2005 MacArthur Fellow, music educator, and Founder of The Sphinx Organization), The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble believes that all arts organizations must also be social justice organizations until social justice—and especially racial equity—is achieved. As an organization currently led by two white women working in what is, at its core, a Black art form, we are continually reevaluating our administrative processes and our artistic output to ensure that the ensemble works to dismantle—rather than perpetuate—white supremacy and systemic racism. To this end, we are committed to:
We acknowledge that statements such as these are only the first step in a long process, but hope that by posting them publicly, we can hold our administrative team and our dancers to greater accountability, and can encourage further dialogue, work, and ultimately much needed change.
- Hiring and casting dancers of color in all productions
- Mentoring, training, and promoting women of color in administrative positions
- Educating audiences about the history tap as a Black vernacular dance form
- Uplifting the practice of improvisation in tap
- Commissioning new works from women of color
- Offering paid administrative internships
- Supporting local women-owned businesses when working with outside vendors
- Prioritizing and compensating our staff for professional development training on racial equity
- Publicly supporting the Black Lives Matter movement
We acknowledge that statements such as these are only the first step in a long process, but hope that by posting them publicly, we can hold our administrative team and our dancers to greater accountability, and can encourage further dialogue, work, and ultimately much needed change.
