Manhattan Tap - Company Biographies

COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES

ABOUT THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR...

Heather Cornell, the sole choreographer for Manhattan Tap, is an internationally renowned tap soloist, choreographer and teacher who apprenticed to six of the original tap masters and had the rare honor of having then shared the stage with her mentors. She has been featured in shows with Cookie Cook, Buster Brown, Chuck Green, Steve Condos, Eddie Brown, Honi Coles, Jimmy Slyde, The Nicholas Brothers, Gregory Hines, and Savion Glover. Ms. Cornell has been credited for pioneering a new style of tap choreography for the concert stage, one that has been dubbed by Dance Magazine as "visual music."

ABOUT THE DANCERS...

Charon Aldredge (Jazz Rep Show, Danzas Para Soné, Excursion Fare) has trained with just about every tap great there is, beginning at the age of three. She has performed all over the world, including performances with Honi Coles, Debbie Allen, Savion Glover, Eddie Brown and more. She recently completed a tour of Cab Calloway's Legacy of Swing, starring Cab's very own daughter, Chris Calloway. Charon gracefully stepped into her first triple threat role singing, acting and wooing audiences with her amazing dance versatility in tap, swing and jazz. Previously a featured dancer in the national and international tours of Riverdance, Charon has performed with many companies, in venues from NYC's Joyce Theater to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Charon received her early training at the Los Angeles County High School for the Performing Arts and in 1997 received a Bachelors of Fine Arts from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

Marshall Davis, Jr. (Jazz Rep Show, Danzas Para Soné) was born in Miami, Florida and began tap dancing at the age of 10. By the age of 11 he was a finalist in the Philip Thomas "Rising Star" Competition and was the 1989 Florida winner for the Tri-Star Pictures Tap Day contest, a promotion for the movie "Tap" starring Gregory Hines. At age 13 he won the 1991 Star Search Teen Dance Champion. Marshall's dancing is most heavily influenced by his mentor, the late Steve Condos. He has also trained with Buster Brown, Edwin Holland, Paul Kennedy, Ted Levy, LaVaughn Robinson and Sam Weber. Marshall recently starred in the Tony award-winning Broadway production of Bring in da Noise Bring in da Funk with Savion Glover. He performed in Babes in Arms directed by Garland Wright and in 1992, was named "Most Unusual Dance Soloist" by the Miami Herald. Marshall is the recipient of the Isaac Hayes' "Breaking the Barrier" award for his achievements at such an early age.

Michelle Dorrance (Jazz Rep Show, Danzas Para Soné) began tap dancing under the tutelage of Leading Youth Tap Director, Gene Medler at age five in Chapel Hill, NC. She spent ten years with his North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble performing with them at the St. Louis Tap Festival, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project and international festivals in Austria and Brazil. She has taught and performed as a solo artist at the NC Rhythm Tap Festival, the International Feet Beat Festival in Finland and in Tokyo, Japan. Michelle was dance captain and soloist in the premier run of Common Ground (Irish Step, Tap, Clogging), was a spotlight dancer with the vintage jazz band The Squirrel Nut Zippers and was a cultural ambassador to Russia for the town of Chapel Hill, NC representing tap dancing as an indigenous American art form. Michelle has studied with Brenda Buffalino, Barbara Duffy, Josh Hilberman, Savion Glover, Ted Levy, Van Porter, Dianne Walker and Sam Weber. Michelle graduated from the Gallatin school.

Sabine Hasicka has been collaborating with Manhattan Tap since 2000. Originally a trained ballet dancer, she has garnered an excellent reputation as a multi-faceted tap dancer in her native Austria and well beyond. She continues her own ventures with musicians, singers and dancers such as Bebe Ouali, Denis Charles, Sigi Finkel, Sebastian Weber, and Alexander Lackner. Her own projects Rhythm & Shoes and Staccata have been touring throughout Europe, much to the acclaim of both critics and audiences, who have come to relish the creative approach Sabine Hasicka brings to the interplay with her respective partners, be it musicians or dancers.

Chikako Iwahori (Jazz Rep Show, Danzas Para Soné) was born in Tokyo, Japan. She started dance at the age of ten studying ballet, tap, jazz, African, baton twirling and karate (in which she holds black belt.) In 1995 she moved to New York to study with legendary tap masters. From 1996-2001, she worked with Feraba African Rhythm Tap Company. In 1998, she joined Dha-Fuzion (world music & dance performance troupe) and is performing extensively with the group. In 2000 she started working with the Manhattan Tap Company. She also has been singing in Keba Cissoko's West African Band Tamalalou since 1996.

Parris Mann (Jazz Rep Show, Excursion Fare) was part of the European cast of the Broadway Dance Musical Black and Blue. Prior to his European tour, Parris was seen in numerous performances throughout the United States. He has performed as a principal dancer with the New Jersey Tap Ensemble and was awarded the State of New Jersey Governor's Award for Dance Excellence. Parris was a member of the cast of the hit show Riverdance. He performed weekly at NYC's prestigious Supper Club from 1996 to 2001.

Michael Minery (Jazz Rep Show, Danzas Para Soné, Excursion Fare) has established himself as one of the finest tap dancers working today. He combines youthful power with the finesse of the old time hoofers. Now in his sixth season with Manhattan Tap, he has performed with the company throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. He is also a principal dancer and soloist with the New Jersey Tap Ensemble and has a steady weekend gig at NYC's famed Supper Club. Michael choreographs and teaches workshops nationwide, including an original piece for the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble as well as being the rhythm tap teacher and choreographer at For Dancers Only in New Jersey. He was assistant choreographer to Ms. Cornell on The Tap Suite, written by Ray Brown for Manhattan Tap, which premiered at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall with the Ray Brown Trio.

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS...

The Manhattan Tap roster of musicians and guest musicians is impressive in its own right. Add to that list all the musicians who they have played or recorded with and you've got a comprehensive history of jazz - from stride to swing to bop - and on. The musicians who have worked with Manhattan Tap have toured all of the continents save Antarctica, have been seen on numerous television shows, have composed for all mediums, and have appeared on numerous recordings.

Musical Guest Artists and Composers...
Ray Brown, Keith Terry and Crosspulse, Michelle Hendricks, Lewis Nash, David Leonhardt, Keith Saunders and David "Fathead" Newman. Manhattan Tap's own list of players over the years - Ray Gallon, Keith Saunders, David Leonhardt, Michael Weiss on piano; Clint Houston, Bill Moring, Lee Hudson and Tony Scherr on bass; Keith Copeland, Mickey Tucker, Kenny Washington, Lewis Nash, Ronnie Burrage, Eddie Ornowski and Akira Tana on drums; Frankie Malove and Angel Quinnones on hand percussion; Rich Perry on saxaphone; James Chirillo and Jeff Ciampa on guitar. Special guest musicians include Robin Eubanks on trombone and Gene Bertoncini on guitar.

The jazz world that the Manhattan Tap musicians inhabit in their playing and recording gigs include work with - Red Garland, Tommy Flanagan, J.J. Johnson, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Betty Carter, Branford Marsalis, Sonny Stitt, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Machito, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Hank Jones, Stan Kento, Chet Baker, Art Blakey, Zoot Sims, Milt Jackson, Art Farmer, the Paul Winter Consort, Mel Torme, Jon Hendricks, the Benny Carter Orchestra, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Frank Foster Slyde Hampton, Cab Calloway .... and the list goes on .....

The Hard Bop Trio has been the musical complement of Manhattan Tap's tap percussion for the company's jazz repetory show for ten years. The group was formed by Eddie Ornowski to tour Japan in 1990 with pianist Keith Saunders and bassist Bim Strasberg. In the summer of 1991 Keith Saunders took over as leader and the band began its newest incarnation. The band has recorded three CDs for the TCB label and is a mainstay on the New York jazz scene. In addition to performing with Manhattan Tap for the company's jazz repertory show, the band tours and performs throughout New York City as a quintet with trumpet and saxophone. They have performed regularly at Visiones, Birdland, The Squire, Chelsea Commons and Steinway Hall. The HardBop Quintet wrote, arranged and recorded the jazz soundtrack for a series of promotional spots for VHL.

Piano/Musical Director...
Keith Saunders (Jazz Repertory) spent his formative years in Los Angeles where he studied with Charly Shoemake, and, later, with Horace Silver. Keith worked extensively in L.A. with such well-known artists as Roy McCurdy and Bill Watrous as well as recording with Dick Berk's Jazz Adoption Agency for which he was the musical director. Since moving to New York City in 1984, Keith has worked and/or recorded with a wide variety of musicians, among them Richie Cole, Joe Lovano, Tom Harrell, Hank Crawford, and Lionel Hampton. In 1990, Keith became the leader of the NY HardBop Quintet, which had begun as a cooperative unit. As such, he has written and arranged music - recorded by the HBQ - for numerous television spots.

Bass...
Lee Hudson has been teaching, performing and recording in the New York area for approximately 20 years. He has toured extensively in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, and China with many artists including Jr. Cook, Lou Donaldson, Bill Hardman, Illinois Jacquet, Arthur Prysock and Sal Nestico. He has been playing with Manhattan Tap since 1986.

Drums...
Eddie Omowski is a graduate of the Crane School of Music, Univ.of NY at Potsdam. He has a Bachelors degree in Music Ed. He teaches in the inner city school system of NYC and has performed with Cecil Payne, Jerry Dodgion, Junior Cook, Buster Brown, and Ralph Lalama, among other great jazz artists. Recently returned from the Kent/Viceroy Festival tour of Turkey and Azerbaijan, he has performed throughout Europe, the U.S., Canada, and Japan. In New York, he has performed at the Blue Note, Smalls, the Village Gate, and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. His most recent work on CD's includes a recording with the Billy Lester Trio for Zinnia Productions and The Hardbop Quintet's release on the T.C.B. Productions label. He is a long-standing member and collaborator with Heather Cornell and Manhattan Tap, and has recorded spots for VH- I and ESPN worldwide concerts. The late John Hammond wrote, "This drummer is outstanding and always swings."

Guest Composer...
Bob Telson the Composer for Danzas Para Soné, has performed with Phillip Glass, Tito Puente and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama. His popular songs have been in the top 10 national salsa and black music charts, including Dyin' to be Dancin', which he wrote for Lee Breuer's A Prelude to Death in Venice. He was musical director of the National Public Radio series "The Territory of Art". With Donald Fagen he was a co-producer of the Warner Bros. Original-cast recording of The Gospel at Colonus which, together with the CD Songs from the Warrier Ant document his major collaborations with Lee Breuer.

In 1989, Telson received an Oscar nomination for Best Song for "Calling You" from his score for the film Bagdad Cafe. That song, as well as his music from the Twyla Tharp ballet, Sextet, and the song "Barefoot", written with and sung by K.D. Lang, can be found on Telson's Warner Bros. CD, Calling You. His songs have been recorded by Joe Cocker, George Michael, George Benson, Celine Dion, and most recently Brazilian stars Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa. In 1995 Telson composed a score for the Broadway show Chronicle of a Death Foretold, which received a Tony nomination for Best Musical.

ABOUT THE STAFF...

Lighting Designer/ Technical Director...
Stephen Quandt is the resident lighting designer for Manhattan Tap, and his collaborations with Heather Cornell have taken them to numerous venues throughout the United States, Canada and France. In New York City he has designed for Manhattan Tap at the Merkin Concert Hall, the Danny Kaye Playhouse, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and the Joyce Theater. He designed the lighting for the off-Broadway musical Always.... Patsy Cline, at the Variety Arts Theater, the American Living Room Series at HERE!, The Naked Angels Theater Co., The Willow Cabin Theater Co., The Harlem School of the Arts, and The Bronx Opera. He has designed numerous ballets for the State Ballet of Missouri, operas for the University of Chicago, and Christmas musicals in Bogota Columbia.

Production Stage Manager...
Pamela Edington just completed stage managing the opening festivities for the Nancy Lee and Perry Lee Bass Performance Hall, in Fort Worth, Texas. Other recent credits include the 1998 Actors Studio MFA Repertory Season and the off-Broadway productions of Always ... Patsy Cline and The Green Heart.