Knock On Wood Tap Studio ~ 20th Anniversary Showcase 6/7/15

Knock On Wood Tap Studio Marks 20th Anniversary

Celebrating June 7 with Student Showcase and Special Guest Performances

For two decades, Knock on Wood Tap Studio (KOW) has passed down the excitement and energy of tap with dancers of all ages and abilities. As one of the few studios in the nation dedicated exclusively to tap dance, KOW has preserved and promoted this uniquely American art form, ensuring that it not only survives, but thrives in the Washington area and beyond.

To mark reaching its 20th Anniversary milestone, KOW is expanding its annual Student Showcase, bringing back distinguished alumnus and other troupes that have been part of our history for special performances and a reception. The KOW 20th Anniversary Celebration is set for Sunday, June 7, 2015 at 2pm at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD.

Renee Kreithen and Yvonne Edwards (Miss Yvonne) founded KOW in 1995. Miss Yvonne, who continues to teach and perform, said “What I am most proud of is how many young people have not just learned this truly American art form and its rich history, but have built life-long friendships and given back by teaching.” Students at KOW range in age from 5 to 80+ years old. “Tap is something you can enjoy throughout your life and it provides great exercise, a fun way to relieve stress and enjoy the camaraderie of learning and performing together.”

KOW’s youth tap ensembles, first Tappers with Attitude, and now Capitol Tap (an in-residence ensemble), have performed around the world and across the nation. KOW alumnus, including Mya, Bakaari Wilder (who has performed on Broadway), Jason Holley, and Justin Lewis have gone on to careers in entertainment and tap dance, with several passing along the tradition by teaching new generations and tapping across the globe. Last winter, two current members of Capitol Tap who grew up at KOW, appeared in Maurice Hines Tappin’ Thru Life at Arena Stage in Washington.

Those scheduled to perform at the June 7 event include:

• Alumni of Tappers with Attitude
• Capitol Tap
• Former members of Step Aside
• Shannon Dunne Dance

What: Knock On Wood Tap Studio 20th Anniversary Showcase

Date: Sunday, June 7, 2015

Where: Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd East, Silver Spring, MD

When: Performances 2:00 p.m. with Reception immediately following the showcase.

Cost: $15 at the door; and $12.00 in advance; Free for children under 5.

More information: www.knockonwood.org

Get Gifts AND Support a Wonderful Community Orchestra!

Capital City Symphony's Online Holiday Auction
CLOSES TONIGHT - December 11th!

Support the Capital City Symphony!
From now through TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11th, the Capital City Symphony, in residence at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, will be holding an online auction to raise much needed funds.

Why Participate?
Your support will help the Capital City Symphony continue its mission to present affordable concerts to the public, perform creative programs in a relaxed concert format, and provide appealing performance opportunities for talented amateur as well as professional players. This includes providing FREE tickets to kids age 16 and under, offering performance opportunities for young artists, and presenting our annual FREE Community Carol Sing.View all of the auction items here.

ART

Hand-crafted Serving Bowl by Lala Howard of Birdswood Studio in Croton-on-Hudson NY
Hand-crafted Vase by Lala Howard of Birdswood Studio in Croton-on-Hudson NY

CDs and DVDs (see more under KIDS!)

Song of Solstice CD (Jennifer Cutting)Chaise Lounge: The Complete Collection (5 CDs) (Charlie Barnett)
New Deal Rhythm CD (Doug Bowles)Sir James Galway 12-CD Set - Signed
Twilight DVD Collection

CLASSES

$50 Gift Card to Joy of Motion Dance Center
Tap Classes at Knock On Wood Tap Studio
$150 Gift Certificate, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
Kindermusik - One free semester of class

DINING

A romantic dinner for 2 at Martin's Tavern in Georgetown

FOOD and GOURMET ITEMS

Craft Beer - 2 mixed 6-packs from Three Merry Men Brewery
Cornucopia in Bethesda - $25 Gift Certificate
Gluten Free Baked Goods, donated by Possibilities Publishing Company
Two dozen freshly baked Chocolate Chip Cookies, donated by Cookies by Jennifer
Salmon Poacher

KIDS!

ParaNorman Stocking Stuffer PackageKids' Blu-Ray and DVD Collection
Geomag - The Original Magnetic World Toy
Birthday Party Performance by "Mr. Gabe"

MEMORABILIA

Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2, Essentials Gift Bag

SERVICES

Performer or Artist Headshots, by Nelson Rietzke Photography
Professional Headshots for Business or Website, by Nelson Rietzke Photography
3 Month World Deluxe Ancestry.com Membership

TICKETS – ENTERTAINMENT

2 Tickets to a Greenbelt Arts Center Production
2 tickets to Capitol Hill Chorale ~ Handel's Messiah
2 tickets to Capitol Hill Chorale ~ June Concert of Lieder
2 Tickets to the Paganini Project at the Library of Congress
4 Tickets to Imagination Stage
4 tickets in a suite at the Verizon Center for the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, donated by Aramark
Family 4-Pack of Tickets to ComedySportz Richmond!
Two (2) Tickets and Two (2) Drink Vouchers for the Atlas Performing Arts Center
Capital City Symphony - 2 Tickets to OPERA! La Boheme Concert 4/14/13
Capital City Symphony - 2 Tickets to Season Finale Concert 5/19/13

TRAVEL

$75 towards a 1 Night Luxury Suite in the Heart of Midtown Manhattan
Two Romantic Nights at Moose Meadow Lodge in Vermont
One Week at a Condo at Carolina Beach, NC

UNIQUE EXPERIENCES

CCS Junior Guest Conductor 2013 - 2:30pm Concert
CCS Junior Guest Conductor 2013 - 4:30pm Concert

Learn more about the Capital City Symphony, a community orchestra in residence at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C., made up of both dedicated amateurs and professional players. 

Tap in Takoma Park! Knock on Wood Tap Studio Opens in Takoma Park on September 19, 2011

KNOCK ON WOOD TAP STUDIO 

IS MOVING TO TAKOMA PARK!

Knock on Wood Tap Studio, which lost its long-time space in Silver Spring last spring, has found a new home on Willow Street in downtown Takoma Park. The studio will be open for business on September 19, with a full schedule of classes at all levels for kids, teens, and adults. The schedule and registration information can be found on their website at www.knockonwood.org.

Since opening in 1994, Knock On Wood Tap Studio has continued to redefine conventional tap dance, serving a diverse student body and offering classes for all levels and age groups. The studio is one of only a few facilities of its kind in the United States.

Tap dance is fun and gratifying - and great exercise! - for people of all ages and skill levels. Knock on Wood specializes in rhythm tap, a form of percussive dance that gives you the skills to make music with your feet. Drawing from a number of musical genres including jazz, blues, and swing, our classes help students develop skills in technique, basic steps, and combinations. Classes are available for children (from age 4), teens, and adults. It's never too late to start!

A native Washingtonian, Knock on Wood founder Yvonne Edwards is Washington's celebrated "Tap Lady." She has been dancing, teaching, and choreographing for over 50 years. Ms. Yvonne has taught master classes at the International Conference of Black Dance in Atlanta, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, and at the New York City Tap Festival, as well as throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Her choreography is included in the repertoire of Tappers With Attitude. A longtime participant in Washington Performing Arts Society's Artists in Schools Program, in 1993 she was the recipient of the "Contribution to Dance in the District" award presented by the DC Ensemble, DC Arts and Humanities, and DC Art Works. She has been honored by the International Association of Blacks in Dance, and was named "Tap Teacher of the Year" by the American Tap Dance Foundation. In September 2006, she received the Metro DC Dance Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Dance Education." In December 2006, she received "Excellence in the Arts and Humanities Award for Education" at the Executive's Ball of Montgomery County, MD. In September 2007, Ms. Edwards received the WPAS "Pola Nirenska Award for Lifetime Achievement" at the Metro DC Dance Awards.

Knock on Wood Tap Studio

6925 Willow Street NW, Suite 101

Washington, DC 20012

www.knockonwood.org

(KOW's new phone service is not connected yet. A public phone number will be posted on their website as soon as it is available.)

Calling all Fans of Tap Dancing!

An amazing tap studio is in danger of closing. Grants and other funding sources are drying up everywhere.

Are you a tap dancer? Do you enjoy watching tap dancing in stage shows or movies? Do you just want to do the right thing, and help a worthwhile organization?

Please read the letter below, from the Board of Directors of Tappers with Attitude/Knock on Wood Tap Studio. Then, please consider making a donation. If you have connections or pull with any organizations that might be able to help, please send that information to the Board of Directors.

Thank you for your help!
Debbie Grossman
Tap Fan and mom to a fabulous young tapper

A Letter from the Board of Directors of Tappers With Attitude, Inc. to the Friends of Knock On Wood Tap Studio and Tappers With Attitude, Inc.

Website: http://www.tapperswithattitude.org/

January 2011

The members of the Board of Directors of TWA, Inc. wish all of our friends a happy and healthy new year. As you know, 2010 was a challenging one for TWA, Inc. As 2011 begins, it is with heavy hearts that we provide this update on the organization’s status.

Last summer, we launched a campaign to “Save our Studio” and you, the friends of KOW and TWA, came through big-time. We raised enough money to pay the rent that was past due and to continue to operate the Studio. Under Studio Manager Courtenay Swinton’s leadership, our Fall Session included 20 classes for tap dancers of all ages and skill levels, and our Winter Session with a similar number of classes is just beginning. Enrollment in classes has been solid if not spectacular. Courtenay has also held several additional events at the Studio, such as parties and tap-jams, to have fun and raise much-needed funds. Courtenay has also effectively identified individuals and organizations, including a new tap group named Capital Tap under the direction of Lisa Swenton-Eppard and Baakari Wilder, to rent the Studio when classes are not being held.

Unfortunately, despite these successes and promising developments, the current financial state of the Studio is not good. Other sources of funds critical to continuing to operate the Studio have not been forthcoming.

The Board developed what we thought was an excellent proposal to obtain additional funding from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC), an organization that has provided steady and significant financial support to TWA, Inc. over the years. To our dismay, we learned in late December that this funding was not granted. This outcome also puts in jeopardy other foundation funding explicitly contingent on obtaining the grant from AHCMC.

The Board was counting on the funds from AHCMC and other funders to kick-start our operations in 2011. Without these funds, we find ourselves once again in a crisis situation. We are actively talking to potential funders to see if we can find a way out of this crisis, but to be frank we are not optimistic that sufficient funding will be provided soon enough to keep the Studio open.

We are all heart-broken at this news and at its potential implications. We know that all of us hope we can find a way to keep Knock On Wood Tap Studio open for business and, more importantly, open to continue to create the magic that happens at KOW.

We invite all of you to contact one of us if you have any questions.

And, if you have ideas for possible funding sources that can help keep the Studio open, now is the time to bring them to the Board’s attention.

A million thanks to you all for your support of KOW and TWA over the years. Please understand how grateful the Board is for your support of the uniquely American art form of rhythm tap. No matter what happens over the next few months, it is important that we all keep dancing and that we all continue to have a song in our hearts.

With great fondness for you all,

The Board of Directors of Tappers With Attitude, Inc.

Tim Daniel, President (tpdaniel1955@gmail.com)
Ruth Silverstein, Vice-President
Penny Passikoff, Secretary
Dana Bynum, Co-Treasurer
Dr. Kindra Ingram, Co-Treasurer
Kisha Logan
Yvonne Edwards [Co-founder of Tappers With Attitude Youth Ensemble and Knock On Wood Tap Studio]

Website : http://www.tapperswithattitude.org/