Archive of Events:
2004May 24 - Tap Day Celebration at Scotia Bank Dance Centre - Tap Day Honouree, Jim Hibbard.
November 12- Jim Hibbard inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Dec. 11 and 12 - Workshop with Lisa LaTouche and Tre Dumas of M.A.D.D. Rhythms Canada.
Tap Jams at the Hot Jazz Club.
2005
March 11 and 12 - Workshops with Heather Cornell.
April 17 - Last Tap Jam at the Hot Jazz Club.
May 21- Workshop with Lisa LaTouche, Artistic Director of M.A.D.D. Rhythms Canada.
May 22 - Tap Day: "Turn on the Tap" at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre - Tap Day Honouree, Dr. Jeni Legon.
August 29 - Workshop with Roxane Butterfly.
2006
January 27-February 5 - Workshops with Heather Cornell.
May 27 - Tap Talk at the Vancouver Public Library:" Legends of Canadian Tap Dance".
May 28 - Tap Day: " Tap To It" at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre- Tap Day Honouree, William Orlowsky.
October 29 - Musical luncheon to mark Jeni Legon's 90th birthday.
Tap Jams at the Anza Club.
2007
February 16, 17.18 - Workshops with Lynn Dally, artistic director of the Jazz Tap Ensemble.
May 20 - Tap Day: "Tap Attack" at the Shadboldt Theatre in Burnaby- Tap Day Honouree, Len Gibson.
December 8 and 9 - Holiday Tap Weekend: Workshops with Lisa LaTouche.
Tap Jams at the Anza Club.
2008
May 11 - Tap Talk at the Vancouver Public Library - "The Art of Tap Dancing: Its History and Icons".
May 18 -Tap Day: “Beat Feet & Rhythm” at Shadboldt Theatre in Burnaby- Tap Day Honouree, Heather Cornell.
Tap Jams moved to the Kerrisdale Legion October, 2008.
Hallowe'en Tap Jam - October 26, 2008
Grace Inglis and Jeff Hyslop were a hit at the Westcoast Tap Collective's Hallowe'en Tap Jam. Grace has always wanted to do a duet with Jeff and on Sunday he made the trip over from Vancouver Island especially to dance with her. Since The WCTC is honouring Grace Macdonald this year and Shel Piercy of Infinity Films has agreed to do a film tribute, Razzmatap's Grace Inglis (Grace Macdonald's niece) and Jeff Hyslop (one of her star pupils) were interviewed for the film before the performance. A quick rehearsal before the show was enough for Grace to learn the steps and they were off!The tap jam was a very successful evening. There was amazing music by the Bill Costin Trio; lots of fun with our wonderful MC, Patrick Lambier; games with prizes; and outstanding performances by dancers from Vancouver Tap Society, Razzmatap and Classic Steps.
Valentine Tap Jam-February 15, 2009
The Valentine Tap Jam was a great evening. Thanks to Cristi Lowis and Troy Mclaughlin for teaching us new steps. Thanks to The Rhythm Room dancers for their wonderful performances. The Bill Costin Trio was great and the Jim Hibbard, Mika Komatsu, Troy McLaughlin challenge was a highlight. We had fun!!
Scholarship 2009
The Westcoast Tap Dance Collective is pleased to announce that our scholarship winner this year is Jed Duifhuis. Congratulations Jed. Jed Duifhuis began to tap dance at the age of 8. To further develop, he has attended Arts Umbrella in the Professional Dance Training Program for five years where he attends approximately 20 hours per week of ballet focused classes. Arts Umbrella’s Artistic Director, Artemis Gordon notes that Duifhuis’ strong dedication to dance is evident and describes him as a very focused and gifted young dancer who displays an aptitude for movement, a sense of musicality, a physique that can adapt to the physical rigor of dance without injury, and most important an intellect that can absorb the tenets of dance training at a young age. Duifhuis’ current tap teacher, Jennifer Bishop, says that Jed has a unique taste for music and a sensitivity and style rarely experienced in a student of his age. He is a very dynamic, dedicated young man, whose patience and nurturing is evident in the children’s tap class he currently assists Bishop with. Duifhuis’ has had opportunity recently to work with William Orlowski, one of the greatest tap dancers Canada has ever produced. With this award-winning choreographer the piece presented in the audition for the West Coast Tap Dance Collective scholarship was developed. The work is set to an excerpt from Duke Ellington’s sacred concerts titled “David Danced Before the Lord”. Orlowski recognizes the additional asset that ballet training gives Jed in his tap dancing, and describes Jed as having the exceptional ability, talent, attitude, strength, technical control and musical phrasing suited for difficult choreography.