Rhapsody In Taps - About The Artists

Rhapsody In Taps, a Los Angeles based touring company, features dancers and musicians who perform an exciting original program of rhythm tap dancing and jazz music. The modern dance background of Artistic Director, Linda Sohl-Donnell, is reflected in Rhapsody In Taps’ diverse repertoire, which acknowledges and pays tribute to the rich heritage of tap and also propels the art form into contemporary concert arenas.

Founded in 1981, the company has created more than thirty-five works, many with original music. Music commissions have included works by renowned jazz artists Al "Tootie" Heath, Cedar Walton, Louie Bellson, Phil Wright and collaborations with noted percussionists. In 1986, Rhapsody In Taps created its first big band work for a performance at UCLA’s Royce Hall with an all star jazz big band and has since had the distinction of performing concerts with the Louie Bellson Big Band.

The company has also enjoyed affiliations with Americas’ Tap Masters, performing with Los Angeles tap legend and featured RIT soloist Eddie Brown from 1985 until 1992, and presenting numerous solo tap veterans in concert including Sandman Sims, Charles "Honi" Coles, Steve Condos, Bunny Briggs, Arthur Duncan, Leonard Reed and Frances Nealy. An artistic highlight for the company was the choreographic project with Gregory Hines during the creation of his 1990 work for Rhapsody In Taps, "Toeing the 3^rd and Fifth."

The Company’s performance history includes four television appearances (KNBC and KCET), performing at L.A.’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, a New York debut at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival and at San Francisco’s prestigious Stern Grove Festival before an audience of 17,000, plus annual seasons in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The Company’s annual Los Angeles Season at the Japan America Theater each October includes a public concert and two Children’s Programs for 1600 students from the L.A. Unified School District. Tonight’s concert marks the Company’s 16^th year at the JACCC.

This summer Rhapsody In Taps spent two weeks in Bali rehearsing and performing with I Nyoman Wenten and his gamelan musicians.. Besides the artistry and inspiration gained from the Balinese people, culture and landscape, the Company created its tap version of the Kecak (Monkey Chant) in Payangan, Bali. RIT has toured throughout the U.S.A. performing in California, New Mexico, Michigan, Utah, Florida, Oregon, Colorado, Canada and New York.

During its nineteen-year history Rhapsody In Taps has produced numerous tap events of national and international significance in a effort to preserve and promote the unique American art form of tap dance. In 1983,’84,’86,’93,’95 and ’97, RIT co-produced the "Essence of Rhythm," concerts featuring America’s tap legends and solo artists. In 1993, 1995 and 1997, Rhapsody In Taps and Orange Coast College Community Education Department co-produced the Southern California Tap Festival featuring an intensive program of tap/jazz classes, events and performances by renowned artists. Each year the company celebrates National Tap Dance Day by sponsoring master classes and/or its free community tap picnic.

It is a pleasure for us to share our program of rhythm tap, jazz music and Balinese music with you.

Linda Sohl-Donnell, Artistic Director and Choreographer for Rhapsody In Taps, performed with several modern dance companies before co-founding Rhapsody In Taps with Toni Relin in 1981. Her training includes an extensive background in modern dance, ballet and jazz and studies under the great tap masters Foster Johnson, Eddie Brown, Honi Coles and Buster Brown. Ms Sohl-Donnell has been awarded five Choreographers’ Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, is a recipient of a 1999 Irvine Fellowship in Dance from the James Irvine Foundation and was nominated for the prestigious Alpert Award in 1999. She has also been awarded Artists Fellowships from the California Arts Council and from the Public Corporation for the Arts, a Monticello Fellowship from the National Association for Regional Ballet and a Brody Fellowship from the California Community Foundation for her choreography. Since 1978, she has been on the dance faculty at Orange Coast College and has toured throughout the United States, Asia, France, Germany and Japan teaching and performing. Linda is the founder and director of the Southern California Tap Festival, co-sponsored by RIT and Orange Coast College, which brings together hundreds of tap professionals and international students in classes and performances. Her television/film credits include "Tap," the upcoming documentary, "Tap, the Tempo of America," and "Juba," a televised documentary of Chicago’s 1998 Tap Festival, produced by the Human Rhythm Project.

Guest Artist I Nyoman Wenten, one of Bali’s most versatile dancers/musicians, is well known for his work in traditional Indonesian music, dance and his creative East-West fusion of composition and performance. He is a graduate from the Conservatory of Music and Dance in Bali and has an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts plus a PhD in Ethnomusicology from UCLA. Since 1989 he has recorded CDs of gamelan music with the CMP Recording Company of Germany. Wenten has performed throughout the United States, Canada and Europe in addition to many Asian and South American countries. He has taught in Bali and Java and in many gamelan music and dance programs in the United States and Canada. Wenten is Chair of the World Music Department at CalArts.

Fred Strickler, a featured soloist with RIT, has performed throughout the United States, in Europe and in Southeast Asia. He directs his own company, New Ideas on Tap, and performs often as a soloist with orchestras in his choreographic version of Morton Gould’s "Tap Dance Concerto." An active choreographer, he as received numerous fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council. As a modern dancer he was a founder of Eyes Wide Open Dance Theatre and was a featured soloist in the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company. He was also a founding member of the Jazz Tap Ensemble. He is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Dance at the University of California Riverside, where he has taught since 1967. He also teaches master classes and workshops throughout the United States.

Gildo Mahones, (musical director), has performed worldwide for more than 35 years with many artists in the jazz and entertainment industry including Lester Young, Jazz Modes, Lambert, Handricks & Ross, Benny Carter, Milt Jackson, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, O.C. Smith, Lou Rawls and Joe Williams, to name a few. He has worked as a musical director for the stage productions "Evolution of the Blues" at the Westwood Playhouse and "The Charlatan" and "Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope" at the Mark Taper Forum. Gildo’s numerous recording credits include five albums with vocalist Lorez Alexandria ("Harlem Butterfly" was nominated for a Grammy) and three of his own albums, "I’m Shooting High," "Gildo Mahones Soulful Piano" and "For All We Know."

Pauline Hagino is a founding member of Rhapsody In Taps. Her interest lies in developing musicality and broadening the format of rhythm tap to include other expressive qualities and elements of dance that are not associated with tap. Pauline has also studied modern dance with Louise Burns, Viola Farber, Larry Clarke and Jeff Slayton and Dancers. She as taught at San Antonio College and the Jones-Ludin Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, CSU Long Beach and is currently on the faculty at Orange Coast College, Irvine Valley College and DeFore Dance Center.

Bob Carroll has tapped in film, television and stage productions. His main teacher was the late Louie DaPron. Bob is a former member and soloist with Manhattan Tap and was part of the original cast and tour ing company of "Caution: Men at Work Tap." He has worked as a tap coach/advisor for 20^th Century Fox Studios and has worked with many noted choreographers including Heather Cornell, Alfred Desio, Danny Daniels, Twyla Tharp, and Debbie Allan. Recently, Bob taught workshops in Japan and is currently teaching in Winnetka,CA.He also has a tap web page at www.geocities.com/aguywhotaps.

Lee Secard is a saxophonist, composer, and educator. He has performed and recorded with the bands of Brian Setzer, Bobby Caldwell, Jack Sheldon, Maynard Ferguson, Bill Watrous, Les Hooper and many others.

Rashida Khan a student at California State University Long Beach, joined RIT in 1998. She studied tap, jazz and ballet with Nancy and Shawn Kindorf at the Kindorf School of Dance. She has performed with the Jazz Tap Ensemble’s Caravan Project, where she studied with tap masters Sam Weber, Mark Mendonca, Dormeisha Sumbry, Derick Grant and others. Rashida has toured across the country performing as a vocalist and dancer. Currently she teaches both tap and hip hop, choreographs for a high school choir and performs in a tap production at Universal Studios.

Fritz Wise has toured and worked extensively with noted jazz and pop artists including Hampton Hawes, Kenny Burrell, Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Horace Tapscott, Johnny Hammond Smith, Harold Land, Larry Gales Quartet, the Temptations, the Platters, Randy Crawford, vocalist Letta Mbulu from South Africa, and many others. He performed for George Kirby’s comeback tour and in several television and theatrical productions. Fritz’s recording credits include, "East 101," "Journey Into Nigrita," and demo recording sessions for Motown Records.

Jardine Wilson plays acoustic bass, electric bass and chapman stick. He has studied extensively with highly regarded instructors Bill Rene, Roberto Miranda and Paul Edwards of the group Kittyhawk. Jardine has performed and recorded with Thelma Houston, The Fifth Dimension, Johnnie Otis and Coke Escaveto. Currently he plays with various artists in local jazz clubs in the L.A. area.

Bob Fernandez is a percussionist in both traditional and cross-cultural music, who has studied with many of the world music masters including John Bergamo, Amiya Dasgupta, Kobla Ladzepko, Pedro Orta and Francisco Aguabella. He received an MFA in Percussion from CalArts and has pursued Doctoral studies at USC. Bob has worked directly with composers as varied as John Cage, John Adams and Frank Zappa. He’s performed in concert with Dionne Warwick, Tito Puente, Maureen McGovern, and has recently completed a three-year world tour with Barry Manilow.

Christopher Burks, apprentice, began studying tap at the age of 20. His first instruction was with former Rhapsody In Taps member Karol Lee. Currently his interest lies in improving his tap technique and the study of different dance styles. He teaches tap at the Carlsbad Dance Center and the YMCA Encinitas.

Mindy Millard, apprentice, has studied extensively with tap masters Sam Weber, Fred Strickler, Linda Sohl-Donnell, Mark Mendonca and Christy Hernandez. A graduate of California State University, Fresno, Mindy taught at two studios in Fresno. She performed and choreographed with Santa Barbara’s Taps, Ltd during their 1997-1998 season and for "Tap Jam" a live tap show at the Tower Theater in Fresno featuring Barbara Duffy, Cyd Glover and Mark Mendonca.

Adam Keeney, Matthew Segal, Loren Nerel, Jon Parsons, Jesse Chang, Miriam Delosantos,Ron Michelstein, Patrick Bagacina, Phillip Schmidt, Nanik Wenten, Erik Shapiro, Djoko Walujo

Administrative Staff: Linda Sohl-Donnell, Artistic Director; Kay Davis, Administrative Director; Mason & Gatto Inc., Certified Public Accountants; Friends/Unlimited, bulk mailing and advertising, Joe Letteri, Director of Audience Development Project.

Board of Directors: Carolyn Clarke, Leslie Clifford, Kay Davis, Marilyn Gatto, Ted Gatto, Gay Lynne Meek,

Management and Tour Direction: Arthur Shafman International, Ltd., 163 Amsterdam Ave., NY, NY 10023 (212-799-4814) fax 212-874-3613

We would like to thank the following individuals and groups for their support: Mr. I. Waian Susiala for the gracious use of the gamelan in tonight’s performance; to the CalArts Music School for its support of the "Nusantara" project; and to Center Stage Dance Academy and Jimmy Defore Dance Studio for rehearsal space. Special thanks to Nanik and I Nyoman Wenten, Leonard Reed, Perry Goldstein, Don Doyle, Dane Messick, Signe Johnson, Ro George and Jeff Mayor.

We are also deeply grateful for support from our individual contributors: Marshall & Patricia Anderson, Janet Bell, Betty Cooper, Irene Eldridge, Emma Gilmetti, Anita Grossman, Russell & Patricia Hardwick, Edward & Jane Henry, Lawrence & Elaine Kritzer, John & Kathleen Kweder, Raymond Mason, Barbara Packer, Lorraine Perry, John & Judy Postley, Charles & Elizabeth Redmond, Margie Samuelson, Richard & Margaret Scott, Lou Spiro, G. Mitchell Turk, Ivan & Carol Warshawsky.

We are looking forward to celebrating our 20^th Anniversary in 2001 and need your support. Please take a moment to visit the resource table in the lobby if you have an interest in one or more of the following areas: • Board of Directors membership • Monetary donation • Contribution of goods or services

Rhapsody in Taps is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. Your tax-deductible contributions help support the Company’s performance and professional development activities.

ABOUT THE COMPANY