Tap dancing

"...cause I don't think improvisation comes off the top of your head. It comes from your learnings." Jimmy Slyde

 

What makes me passionate about tap dancing is the combination of percussion and movement, the challenge of it, the constant learning, and its rich tradition and history. I am especially inspired by performing with musicians and developing my role as part of a band, creating something together in the moment through improvisation.

At the same time, I have spent a lot of time learning traditional tap dance repertoire created by wonderful dancers such as Eddie Brown, Carnell Lyons, Mabel Lee, Charles "Honi" Coles, Pete Nugent, and many more. Through this repertoire I learned the language of tap dance, how rhythmic ideas are built, and how they connect to jazz music.

A big part of my development as a tap dancer was shaped by many amazing tap dancers and musicians who generously shared their knowledge and experience with me. The most notable is my mentor, Josh Hilberman, who shared with me much of the traditional material I know and taught me about performing and improvising.

Tap Dance and Piano

A duo project with the wonderful pianist Julien Gillian. Together we perform a mix of arranged and improvised pieces, offering insight into the history of tap dance and the evolution of its repertoire. Tap dance functions both as a rhythmic instrument accompanying Julien’s piano and as a choreographic dance form.

Easy Does It 

A quartet with Tom Callens (sax), Wouter van den Broeck (piano) and Victor Foulon (bass). The fourth instrument is tap dance. We play arrangements of existing songs, classical pieces and folk songs and everything groovy. The repertoire consists of jazz and tap choreographies,  traditional tap dance routines and improvisation. 

Solemates

Solemates grew out of regular training sessions where tap dancers exchanged knowledge and practiced together, evolving into a committed performance group. Our repertoire combines traditional tap choreographies with original work, honouring the form’s roots while exploring new directions. In June 2025, we received a Dansstroom grant from Danspunt, which allowed us to study with renowned Liège-based tap dancer Josh Hilberman.
Group members: Nancy van Camp, Bart DeCoutere, Leau Gabriels, George O'Neill, Bára Hrebackova 

Tap Dance Improvisation

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