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People
 Heather CornellHeather Cornell, “one of the world’s most innovative and creative tap artists”, is known for her deeply musical approach to the art form of tap dance. An intuitive musician known for her impeccable time and emotional phrasing, Heather’s recent endeavors have been in creating music ensembles where she functions as the percussionist. Her newest show, “Finding Synesthesia”, with pianist Andy Milne, vocalist LaTanya Hall and cellist Dave Eggar, was commissioned by London’s prestigious Southbank Center and premiered at the London Jazz Festival, 2007. Ms. Cornell co-created (with ) a music/tap summit in Lefkada, Greece, where her concepts of training free thinking “bilingual” artists in music and dance are put into action. Her newest project, CanTap, brings together Canada’s finest tap dancers, in Deconstructing the Jazz Club, a remarkable new take on improvisational expression. She is artistic director and choreographer for the acclaimed Manhattan Tap, one of the busiest music/dance companies in the world in the 90’s. She has directed, taught and inspired generations of tap dancers, notably Max Pollack, Tamango, Roxanne “Butterfly” and Olivia Rosenkrantz. Called “the Oscar Peterson of hoofing” (Globe and Mail, Toronto, Canada), Ms. Cornell was apprentice to six of America’s tap masters, and performed frequently with Buster Brown, Eddie Brown, Harriet Browne, Cookie Cook, Steve Condos and Chuck Green. Known for her innovative collaborations on original music for tap, Ms. Cornell was mentored by the great bassist, Ray Brown. She is one of the pioneers of concert tap and in working with world music. She choreographed for Broadway and international theater works. TV and radio credits: KQED special w. Honi Coles; Gregory Hines’ Tap Dance in America; Canadian jazz series Sounds Impressive; WYNC’s Around NY. Awards: Legend of Tap: West Coast Tap Dance Collective, 2008, Vancouver, Canada; The Tapestry Award, Boston, MA, 2010. |