Photo by: Wide Eyed Studios
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“The Hoofers not only can spark the floor, they take tap in unexpected directions.” |
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. As a dedicated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble’s programming encompasses performance, education, and community outreach, centering the work of women artists and contributing 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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Performance
The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble produces original works of choreography while also preserving the tradition of improvisation in rhythm tap. Our bi-annual mainstage concert series at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre includes ON TAP, and our original annual holiday production, THE TAPCRACKER. We also produce short dance films, perform at private events, and give a number of free community performances each year.
Mentoring and Training
Our ensemble provides service to the broader tap community through college and university residencies, workshops taught by our First Company dancers and teaching artists for local schools and studios, an annual Summer Intensive for both students and teachers, a weekly Open Company Class for professional/pre-professional advanced tap dancers, and master classes that are open to the public taught by guest artists (including Caleb Teicher, Roxane Butterfly, Karen Callaway Williams, Robyn Watson, Danny Gardner, Michele Dunleavy, Dolores Sanchez, and Andrew Nemr). We also mentor the next generation of tap dancers through our Youth Ensemble (ages 9-12, by audition only) and Apprentice Company (ages 13-18, by invitation only), providing students from PA, NJ, and DE with pre-professional performance training.
Community Outreach
Bringing our art form back to its roots, the Ensemble gives a number of community performances each year through partnerships with local schools, libraries, museums, civic groups, and cultural organizations. Established in 2013, our residency program at John Moffet Elementary School provides the entire fifth grade class with free tap shoes and free tap shoes, culminating in a year-end performance for family and friends. We also currently offer financial assistance and need-based scholarships for pre-professional dancers and are working toward expanding our educational programming to include free or sliding scale community classes for local students who come through our residency program, and/or who lack access to traditional dance studio programs.
The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble produces original works of choreography while also preserving the tradition of improvisation in rhythm tap. Our bi-annual mainstage concert series at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre includes ON TAP, and our original annual holiday production, THE TAPCRACKER. We also produce short dance films, perform at private events, and give a number of free community performances each year.
Mentoring and Training
Our ensemble provides service to the broader tap community through college and university residencies, workshops taught by our First Company dancers and teaching artists for local schools and studios, an annual Summer Intensive for both students and teachers, a weekly Open Company Class for professional/pre-professional advanced tap dancers, and master classes that are open to the public taught by guest artists (including Caleb Teicher, Roxane Butterfly, Karen Callaway Williams, Robyn Watson, Danny Gardner, Michele Dunleavy, Dolores Sanchez, and Andrew Nemr). We also mentor the next generation of tap dancers through our Youth Ensemble (ages 9-12, by audition only) and Apprentice Company (ages 13-18, by invitation only), providing students from PA, NJ, and DE with pre-professional performance training.
Community Outreach
Bringing our art form back to its roots, the Ensemble gives a number of community performances each year through partnerships with local schools, libraries, museums, civic groups, and cultural organizations. Established in 2013, our residency program at John Moffet Elementary School provides the entire fifth grade class with free tap shoes and free tap shoes, culminating in a year-end performance for family and friends. We also currently offer financial assistance and need-based scholarships for pre-professional dancers and are working toward expanding our educational programming to include free or sliding scale community classes for local students who come through our residency program, and/or who lack access to traditional dance studio programs.
PHOTO BY: WIDE EYED STUDIOS
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. |
Impact
In recognition of The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble’s contribution to the wider dance community, our work has been 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. The Ensemble has also been featured on WHYY, PHL-17, Fox29, and Visit Philly in addition to Operation Tap. Read more about our work in the Philadelphia Inquirer, thINKingDANCE, or the Broad Street Review. 
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The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble performs both locally and regionally with past performance credits including Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, City Hall, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Painted Bride, Wilma Theater, Forrest Theatre, Trocadero, and the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Community performances include City Hall Presents, The Porch at 30th Street Station, Performances in Public Spaces, West Park Arts Fest, Franklin Square, Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest, Headhouse Farmers’ Market, FDR Park, Grounds for Sculpture (Hamilton, NJ) and World Dance Day (Baltimore, MD).
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:
• 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.
• 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.
