Dance Classes at Knock On Wood Tap Studio in Takoma Park - Starting 9/4!

KNOCK ON WOOD TAP STUDIO

Check out the full schedule of FALL CLASSES

at Knock On Wood Tap Studio,
starting on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th:
http://www.knockonwood.org/fall-session-2014/.

Lots of classes for all ages:
little kids (ages 4-10), TEENS, and adults.
Beginners to Advanced.

Plus, just for teens, also at the KOW Studio:
DANCE ADDITION - TEEN JAZZ/MODERN DANCE

Meryl Shapiro, director of The Dance Addition of Takoma Park and a professor of dance at Montgomery College, is once again offering a t(w)een modern dance/jazz class
on TUESDAYS from 5:00-6:00 pm at the Knock On Wood Tap Studio in downtown Takoma Park.

Fall classes start September 16 and run through December 9.
Cost is $195.
Classes missed for inclement weather will be made up.

Warm-ups, stretching, center floor, and across the floor combinations build strength, toning, flexibility, coordination, and endurance for all young dancers.

All are welcome to join in the fun! (For grades 7-12).

Email danceaddition34@gmail.com for more information or to register for the class.


Knock On Wood Tap Studio is in downtown Takoma Park, 

across from CVS, 3 blocks from the Takoma Metro 

at 6925 Willow Street, NW, Suite 101.
http://www.knockonwood.org

March 9 - Tapping the Classic at Knock On Wood Tap Studio

March 9, 2014 from 2-3pm

BS Chorus
taught by Baakari Wilder

Throughout the year, Knock On Wood Tap Studio will be offering Sunday afternoon workshops featuring different classic tap dances. Come learn some fun bits of tap history, and be able to join in mass dances with other tappers wherever you go!

Open to all ages and experience levels
$10 per class

Register online or by email.

At Knock On Wood Tap Studio
6925 Willow Street NW, Suite 101, Washington, DC
in downtown Takoma Park, across from CVS, near the Takoma Metro station

Knock On Wood Tap Studio
202-722-1625

Knock On Wood Tap Studio Annual SHOWCASE - June 9, 2013

Knock On Wood Tap Studio ~ Annual Showcase

Sunday, June 9, 2013 at 2:00pmat Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Presenting Knock On Wood Students — Kids, Teens, and Adults!

With Special Guest Artists:
~ Joseph Webb
~ Hillary-Marie Michael
~ Capitol Tap - KOW’s resident company
~ Young at Heart - Adult ensemble

Tickets:

$15 at the door (kids 5 and under free)
$12 online through June 8

Learn more on our website.

Knock On Wood Tap Studio - 2013 Winter Session 1/5 - 3/21

KNOCK ON WOOD TAP STUDIO

Winter Classes start SATURDAY, JANUARY 5th! 
2013 Winter Session runs January 5 - March 21

Knock On Wood Tap Studio specializes in rhythm tap, a form of percussive dance that gives you the skills to make music with your feet.

Experience the joy, fun and fitness of tapping! All ages and skill levels welcome.

Classes for ages 4 to Adult  ~  Beginners to Advanced

For Adults Only: on-going Drop-In classes plus “Class Cards” good for 5 or 10 classes

Located in downtown Takoma Park, 6925 Willow St. (across from CVS), near the Takoma Metro.

Check out the full class schedule and REGISTER at www.knockonwood.org

Questions? Email: knockonwoodtap@aol.com or call 202-722-1625 (message line)

Find us on FACEBOOK!

(MD/DC) Tap Dance in Takoma Park - Sign up now!

Does your kid stomp around the house? Maybe they need some direction for their feet! 

Maybe you need a break for yourself. Or you took tap as a kid and would like to get back to it.

Knock On Wood Tap Studio, in downtown Takoma Park, has a full session of Fall Classes. 

Beginning through Advanced level classes for kids (age 4 and up), teens, and adults. It's never too late to start! 

Register anytime by 10/2 and we will pro-rate your session fee.
Also available: Class Cards for Adults that can be used for all drop-in classes ($170 for 10 classes, good through August 2013).

At Knock On Wood, we specialize in rhythm tap, a form of percussive dance that gives you the skills to make music with your feet. 

Check out the full schedule at http://www.knockonwood.org/fall-session-2012/

Knock On Wood Tap Studio
6925 Willow Street, NW, Suite 101, Washington, DC 20012

Across from CVS in downtown Takoma Park. Two blocks from the Takoma Metro, on several bus lines, easy street parking.

Knock On Wood Celebrates National Tap Dance Day as Studio Rises and Thrives

As the nation marks National Tap Dance Day, Knock On Wood Tap Studio, one of the few dance studios in the nation focused solely on tap, has much to celebrate. After overcoming financial challenges and opening a new studio in Takoma Park last year, KOW has grown and is thriving, offering a full roster of classes for dancers of all ages and serving as home to Capitol Tap, an ensemble troupe that performs throughout the region.

“I am elated that we have continued the tradition, introducing adults and a new generation to the joy of rhythm tap,” said Yvonne Edwards, who co-founded KOW in 1994. Affectionately known as "Ms. Yvonne," at 77 years young, she is still active in the studio and teaches classes.

Another tradition KOW continues is its Annual Showcase, which is set for June 10 at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda. Along with current students, performers will include Capitol Tap, Broadway star and current KOW instructor Baakari Wilder; Tokyo Disney’s Jason Holley and the adult ensemble Young at Heart. The program begins at 2 p.m. and is open to the public for $10, kids under 5 are free.

National Tap Dance Day, celebrated every May 25th, recognizes tap as an American art form and marks the birthday of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. The holiday was established by Congress and signed into law in 1989.

Learn more at www.knockonwood.org

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/