STLRC Presents...
The Pre Professional Intensive showcase
2022
Welcome to the Pre Professional Intensive Showcase 2022. During this 2 week intensive, the students worked closely with the performers of our professional ensemble, moSTLy TAP, to hone their skills in performance, technique, music theory, improvisation, tap dance history, injury prevention, and resume preparation. In addition, students attended STL Rhythm Fest where they studied with world-renowned tap dance masters. We are very excited to share some short excerpts of our studies with you this evening!
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STL Rhythm Collaborative is a nonprofit organization that relies on the support of the community to present opportunities such as the Pre Professional Intensive and our annual STL Rhythm Fest. We truly appreciate your support and participation in our programs.
Thank you!
meet the cast
Lucy Becker
Lucy is 15 years old and this is her second year in the pre professional program with STL Rhythm Collaborative. She began all forms of dance at Charmette Academy of Dance at 4 years of age. Since then she experienced dance at different studios but found her love and passion for tap dance at 13 at COCA. She has traveled throughout the region and East coast to study under Tommy Wasiuta and to follow her love for tap. Lucy is also a percussionist at Lindbergh High School and she performs in the marching band,symphonic band, and in the jazz ensemble as the program’s resident tap dancer.
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Khalia Bishop
Khalia Bishop began her dance training when she was 2 1/2 years old at the Movement Arts Center. She is now 13 and dances competitively there. She currently attends Oakville Middle School where she will be going into eighth grade in the fall. She has recently started to get more into tap and really enjoys it. This is her first year with the Pre Professional Program and she is super excited.
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Madyson Brown
Madyson Brown was born in Saint Louis and started dancing at age 2 1/2. She is currently 14 and dancing at the Movement Arts Center. She is thrilled to be performing in her first pre professional showcase.
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Cayla Copeland
Cayla Copeland is 16 years old from Washington Missouri, who began her dance training at the age of 3 at Dance Craze. She attends Borgia High School where she has won 2 state championships a part of the Starry Knights Dance Team. She is very excited to be a part of the Pre-Professional Program for a second time!
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Maya Drikow
Maya Drikow began her dance training at the age of 3 at Miss Diana's Dance School. She is currently 15 year old and trains under many styles at The Movement Arts Center in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to her in studio training, she also dances on the Mehlville High School dance team. She is thrilled to be performing in her first Pre-Professional tap showcase this summer.
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Sadie Loless
Sadie is a 15 year old dancer located in St. Louis, Missouri. She has trained at the Professional Dance Center in all styles since she was 4 years old. She is an honor student at Gibault Catholic High School and will be going into her sophomore year. Sadie has most recently been competing with her dance studio and tap dancing in the STL Rhythm Collaborative's student program. She is excited to be joining the program for her second year.
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Payton Miller
Payton Miller began her dance training at the age of 4 at Miss Diana’s School of Dance. Now, at the age of 13 she is a dancer at the Movement Arts Center. She currently goes to Oakville Middle School and will be going into 8th grade. This is her first year attending the pre-professional program and she is very excited.
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Maggie Schneider
Maggie Schneider is a fifteen year old dancer from St. Charles, Missouri. She has trained in multiple styles at Performing Arts Centre since age three, she also has spent many years on their competition team. Maggie currently attends Duchesne High School where she is a Student Ambassador, maintains a 4.5 GPA, and is on the varsity dance team. This is her second year with the Pre-Professional program and she is so excited to be back!
Gracie Simone
Gracie Simone is a 16-year-old tap dancer from St. Louis who started her dance training at 4 years old and is currently dancing at Performing Arts Centre. She has competed 4 tap solos in her lifetime and is in the progress of her 5th with professional Maria Majors. She also has won a national championship at UDA in Orlando, Florida with the Golden Girls dance team. This is her first year performing with the Pre-Professional Student Program and will be a junior at Francis Howell High School. Gracie is super excited to work and perform with her dance friends!
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Tate Wilson
Tate Wilson is 16 years old and a student at Holt High School. He started dancing at 8 years old and is currently dancing at Performing Arts Centre. Tate has been to Riff, Woodshed, Twin Cities Tap Fest, and the St. Louis Tap Festivals. He is currently in the student program for moSTLy TAP for the second year and is planning to attend Woodshed for the third time later this summer.
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Piece Selections
Tap dance is an oral tradition, passed down from generation to generation. There are many ways tap dancers celebrate and pay tribute to artists who have made significant contributions to the art of tap dance throughout history. One way we pay homage to those artists is through the education and practice of historic routines.
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We have three historical routines to share with you today.
Group A will perform "Opus One"
At the conclusion of the show, both groups will perform the "Shim Sham Shimmy" and "B.S. Chorus."
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Opus One: "Opus One" is a historical piece of tap repertory originally choreographed by Dr. Harold "Stumpy" Cromer in 1938.Cromer used to say "Opus One" was not just a dance, but a way of life. After Cromer's passing in 2013, his mentees, including Sarah Reich and Andrew Nemr to name a few, carry out his legacy by passing down the work to younger generations of tap dancers.
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Shim Sham Shimmy: Also known as the "International Hoofer's Anthem." Leonard Reed takes credit for its creation but Rusty Frank says Reed and Willie Bryant created it with the Whitman Sisters (a song and dance troupe who directed their own shows and became one of the longest-running and highest paid acts on the black vaudeville circuit). Whitman Sisters asked them to come up with a finale for the entire cast. The routine (Shim Sham) features four sequences popular with chorus girls. Reed and Bryant added it to their own act, calling it “The Goofus.” They often performed to “Turkey In the Straw.” After the duo separated, Reed became the Shim Sham’s main personality. Rusty Frank says Reed’s genius was in the order he put the steps. The routine became “The Shim Sham Shimmy” when a shoulder shake was added in the 1930s.
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The B.S. Chorus: "The B.S. Chorus" (BS doesn't stand for Boy Scout) is a tap community standard that has been passed down many generations. The creator of the dance is unknown, but this 32-bar standard was popularized by The Copasetics. While there are many variations on the steps, the format of the piece itself is consistent featuring Timesteps, a Crossover, Wings, Trenches and Over The Tops.