Tap Dance

Tap Dance Performance Ensemble

Program Directors Derick K. Grant & Dormeshia
July 28 – August 17 | At the Pillow

Artist Faculty Heather Cornell, Dominique Kelley, Lisa La Touche, Nicholas Van Young, Sam Weber, and Josette Wiggan with Virtual Guest Artists Kurt Albert, Roxane Butterfly, and Marshall L. Davis Jr. | Festival artists may lead additional classes and talks | Read about the Artist Faculty

For 24 dancers at an early-career, company-ready, or pre-professional advanced level. Dancers must be at least age 16 on arrival day; no exceptions possible.

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Tap artists Derick K. Grant and Dormeshia create experiences that honor tradition, pay homage to the pioneers, and celebrate the possibilities of now. Rigorous studio work, performing weekly, deepening tap history knowledge, seeing and discussing works from the tap canon, and attending Festival events while living and working on site as a dance artist, collectively builds the skills and connections necessary to become an exceptional performer-collaborator in the field, with a distinct artistic voice.

Studio days feature technical, improvisational, and collaborative/ensemble skill-building sessions; all with an emphasis on musicality and working with musicians. Creative development rehearsals led by the Artist Faculty include in-depth coaching and mentoring. Weekly virtual Legacy in Rhythm sessions will share how the legacies of pioneers continue to impact today’s artists and their work in the field. Festival Artists will lead weekly workshops for dancers to explore their own creativity or investigate the movement languages and choreographic approaches of a diverse group of dance makers. Both scheduled and informal discussions with Artist Faculty, Festival Artists, and School Alumni will offer deeper insights into the expectations, professional standards, and industry practices needed to sustain a career in dance.

The Ensemble performs weekly for Pillow audiences to strengthen the artistry needed to meaningfully express choreographic intent. The first and second program weeks conclude with informal Pause-in-the-Process studio showings, shared on Instagram Live. On the final program day, the Ensemble appears on the iconic Henry J. Leir outdoor stage to share excerpts of the range of work entrusted to them as performers. The in-person and live-streamed Pillow audience includes School-invited choreographers and company directors the Ensemble performers aspire to work with in the future. Dancers depart the program as life-long members of the global Jacob’s Pillow Alumni network.

Performance Ensemble dancers also:

Attend Festival performances, scholar-led talks, and other events after the studio day during the second program week. These take place at the Pillow’s three stage venues and across the Jacob’s Pillow grounds.
Participate in career-building seminars and discussions led by Festival Artists, Artist Faculty, and Pillow Alumni. Career topics focus on building an artistic practice, choreographic voice development, wellness practices, contract negotiations and decisions, dance citizenship, and strategies to achieve the momentum needed to confidently and resiliently forge one’s own path in the field.
View Pillow-available-only digital dance works connected to Artist Faculty, Festival Artists, and program curriculum in the Jacob’s Pillow Archives, as well as explore the wealth of material that aligns with personal dance interests.
Complete program assignments which may include improvisational studies, collaborative movement invention, choreographic ideas, journal writing, and other activities.
Build a Career Network from the seamless daily interactions at the Festival with peers, staff, Artist Faculty, artistic directors, company members, dance supporters, audiences, community members, and visitors.

The Jacob’s Pillow School Experience is a day-to-evening conservatory style curriculum, designed to instill the stamina, perseverance, entrepreneurial, and collaborative voracity required to live and work as a creative dance artist.

TO APPLY

Open the sections below for materials needed for a complete application.

2025 Tap Dance Application Deadlines & Notifications

Acceptd offers financial assistance to applicants who meet Application Fee Waiver requirements. Application Fee Waivers are subject to approval by the Acceptd Support team and are granted based on proper documentation, when provided in advance of an application submission. Contact Acceptd Support when you set up your portal.

*Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by Program Directors and School staff; with admittance status sent by email on a rolling basis if spaces are available.

Looking for a discount to a Jacob’s Pillow 360 Workshop in 2025?
Submit your application by the priority deadline, and you’ll receive a $5 discount code for a 360 workshop in your area! It’s your chance to connect with Jacob’s Pillow Artist Faculty and Alumni in a city near you.

Clicking BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION takes you to Acceptd, our application portal where you will upload materials described below.
Review the Application Guidelines located there in order to submit a complete and competitive application.
Before submitting, review your work carefully, as only complete applications are considered for acceptance. Scholarship applications, if applicable, must be submitted with your program application. For more information, see below.
If you need any assistance, contact school@jacobspillow.org.

Required Program Application Materials to Upload

1. Audition Video

Footage must be of clear viewing quality and preferably shot within three months, or as recent as possible, prior to submission. Media-enhanced, highly edited, or promotional type videos are not reviewed. Adjudicators prefer one concise video with a table of contents; multiple videos will be viewed if contents are properly identified. Use one of the following file types to successfully upload your video(s): MP4, M4V, AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG, MPEG, M2V, MKV, and WEBM.

Verbal self-introduction, 1 minute maximum
- Your name and current affiliation
- Why this program is important for you this year
- What you are showing on your reel
- Anything you wish to share about your footage: title/choreographer(s) of performance footage, why footage date not as preferred, etc. Remember, we are looking at who you are as a dancer, not where you are dancing.
Technique sampler, 6 minutes maximum
- Drills that move through toe/heel rudiments, flaps, shuffles, time steps, cramp rolls, paddle and rolls and other close floor work, pull backs, wings, etc. All in time, all acapella.
- 8 bars each of different grooves/feels/pockets (including a swing feel, a double-time swing feel, a straight feel, a funk feel, a 3/4, a 6/8, and 2-3 examples of any traditional material known). All in time, all acapella.
- 1-2 minutes of improvisation. This can be acapella or with music. If music is used, please make sure the volumes of the music and the taps are balanced.

2. Written Statement, in 500 words or less, please share:

Influences on your current dance work and artistic goals
Career aspirations and experiences desired to reach them
How you envision this program impacting your vision of yourself as an artist

3. Résumé/C.V.

4. Headshot

5. If 17 or younger, a Letter of Recommendation is required.

You will be asked to list the name, title, phone, and email of a dance teacher or artist who has agreed to write a Letter of Recommendation. On receipt of an email, they should be prepared to address the following:
- Technical and performance artistry
- Stamina to participate in rigorous, professional level classes, rehearsals, performances before the public, and evening responsibilities
- Ability to interact and live responsibly as a professional in a diverse artist community

BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION

Participation Requirements and Policies

Read Program Fees & Scholarships for program fees and all scholarship opportunities.
- The Scholarship Application is found within the Program Application.
- If you are a dependent, all financial information provided must be for your parent/guardian(s).
- U.S. and international dancers are eligible for scholarships.
- If you need any assistance, contact school@jacobspillow.org.
Read Participation Requirements & Policies for important eligibility details.

BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION

APPLY NOW

Scholarships
The School at Jacob’s Pillow Scholarships are open to any dancer needing assistance with program tuition fees. Program Applications are reviewed need-blind and Scholarship Applications are reviewed only when acceptance determinations are finalized. A Scholarship Application is located within the Program Application and must be submitted with the Program Application.

Alumni Spotlight
Meet Sterling Harris, Tap Program alum & 2021 Lorna Strassler Award recipient, currently a dancer with M.A.A.D. Rhythms: