Whether you've always wanted to tap, or have years of experience under your belt, our Winter Class Series is for you! Join us in 2024 on Sunday afternoons at our rehearsal studio in Jenkintown from January 14 through March 3 for an 8-week class series culminating in an informal student showcase (optional) and open rehearsal for invited guests. Kat Echevarria Richter will be teaching Beginner and Intermediate level classes, with Robyn Watson teaching Advanced. 

• Classes will be held at Diverse Dance Company, 400 York Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046 from January 14 - February 25.
• The final session and informal showcase will take place on March 3 from 3:00-5:00pm at the Institute of Dance Artistry, 400 Commerce Dr, Fort Washington, PA 19034. More details below.
• Participation in the final showcase is optional; absences need not preclude participation.
• Pre-registration is required; individual and drop in classes are not available for this series.

Register

Beginner Tap with Kat Echevarría Richter
Intended for those who are brand new to tap, or who have previous experience and would like to work at a slower pace. We will learn basic tap rudiments including balls and heels, shuffles, flaps, cramp rolls, and paddle rolls. Students will also work on their musicality through a variety of call and response exercises and improvisation games.
• 4:00-5:00pm
• Ages 9+, adults welcome.

Intermediate Tap with Kat Echevarría Richter
For dancers with a minimum of two years of experience in tap. We will work on cramp rolls, paddle rolls, time steps, pullbacks, wings and other intermediate steps. Students will also work to increase their understanding of jazz music fundamentals including improvisation, syncopation, and swing.
• 5:00-6:00pm
• Ages 9+, adults welcome.

Advanced Tap with Robyn Watson
For dancers with a minimum of five years of experience in tap. We will focus on rhythm, working through advanced variations of a variety of tap steps. Classes will typically include tap history and improvisation as well. Ages 13+, adults welcome.
• 5:00-6:00pm
• Ages 13+, adults welcome.

Register

2024 Instructors

Kat Echevarria Richter

Kat Echevarria Richter is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble. Her professional training began with the New Jersey Tap Ensemble under the direction of Deborah Mitchell and continued under Junior Laniyan of the London Tap Jam. In 2005, she received a scholarship to Oxford University, and later returned to the UK to complete her graduate work in dance anthropology. Her choreography has been praised by Lew Wittington of the Philadelphia Dance Journal for “tell[ing] great stories in tap and step idioms, less reliant on tricks and traditions and more on innovative tap artistry.” Kat also teaches dance history and all levels of tap technique at Stockton University, writes for Dance magazine, and regularly presents and publishes her tap research.

Photo by: Wide Eyed Studios

Robyn Watson

A native of Philadelphia, Watson began dancing at the age of five, and at the age of ten was asked to join the Philadelphia based Tap Team Two and Company where she served as member and choreographer until 2002. In 2005, Dance Spirit Magazine listed Robyn as one of the "20 Hot Tappers, 20 and Under." In 2016, she served as the tap instructor for the Broadway sensation Shuffle Along. Robyn has collaborated and performed with singer/musician Rhiannon Giddens, in addition to working, studying, and performing under the direction of tap dancer Savion Glover for eight years. She has also performed with noted artists in the discipline including Dianne Walker, Germaine Ingram, and the legendary Mabel Lee. Robyn received her B.A. in Theater from Temple University and has been a resident artist at the Painted Bride Art Center. She currently serves as a professor of dance at Muhlenberg College.

Additional Area Tap Classes

As one of the region's premiere tap companies, we often receive questions from parents and students who are interested in finding local tap classes. We are not a dance school or studio, but several of our First Company and Apprentice dancers work as Teaching Artists for the Ensemble and also teach locally (in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware). Directors Kat Echevarria Richter, Katie Budris, and Tamera Dallam are also available for Master Classes, Private Lessons, and College Residences. Please contact The Lady Hoofers for more information private lessons or sign up for our mailing list to receive information about future Master Classes, Workshops, and Tap Intensives.

In order to assist local dancers with furthering their studies in tap, we have put together the following list of programs for which our dancers teach, however these classes are not produced by The Lady Hoofers. Please contact the schools and studios listed directly for detailed class information.
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Michaela Clovis - TLC Academy of Dance, Albescon, NJ

Tamera Dallam - Parkside Academy of Music and Dance in Parkside, PA

Jenny Husta - Ovations Performing Arts Academy, Waretown, NJ; Spotlight Performing Arts Center, Winslow, NJ; Encore Performing Arts Center, Egg Harbor Township, NJ; and Dance Forum South in Galloway, NJ

Deonna Powell - Chez Renee the Studio of Dance in Middlesex, NJ

Kat Richter - Stockton University in Galloway, NJ

Mary Kate Selby - The Dance Centre in Skippack, PA​

Tara Tucci - NextStage Dance in Barrington, NJ & Mount Laurel, NJ

Sarah Vogan - Chesco Dance Center, Avondale, PA; Studio of Valley Forge, Valley Forge, Pa​

Tap Board Information

During the Covid-19 pandemic, dancers around the world practiced their craft at home, The Lady Hoofers included! To support the wider tap community, we compiled information for purchasing or making your own at home tap board. We hope you find our recommendations useful. Please tag us on social media @theladyhoofers to show us your #HoofersAtHome moves on your new board!

Tap Board Info