MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR: LISA LA TOUCHE

BIO

As a proud New Yorker and proud Canadian, Lisa’s credits include being an original cast member in Broadway’s Shuffle Along, choreographed by Savion Glover and Directed by George C. Wolfe, where she received both the Fred Astaire Award and the Actor’s Equity Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus. She is also currently a Dora Award (Canada) nominee for her performance, choreography and co-direction of the Tap Dance Legacy Concert c/o dance Immersion and Canadian Stage in Toronto with Travis Knights. Her TV credits include the 70th Annual Tony Awards and Amazon’s Original “Z, The beginning of everything”. Previous highlights have also included touring with the Savion Glover production, Stepz, performing with Dormeshia at Harlem’s legendary Cotton Club as well as performing with both New York's Off-Broadway and the North American touring casts of STOMP. Since 2010 she has run her own performance company Tap Phonics and has been commissioned to present choreographic works for institutions such as The Brooklyn Museum, 92Y, Gibney Dance, Decidedly Jazz and Fall For Dance North. As an educator and Professor she is on faculty at PACE University, Marymount Manhattan College and the University of Calgary.She has also taught at NYU, The School of Jacob’s Pillow, Rosie’s Theater Kids and member of the creative council for the American Tap Dance Foundation. Her recent endeavor includes co-curating the Tap Dance Legacy Series along with Travis Knights in partnership with dance Immersion providing the local black community free access to their cultural history. She also has written and directed her debut documentary film TRAX encompassing her journey back to Alberta while discovering important local black history. Above all, her proudest achievement greatest inspiration, is the gift of being a mom. For further info please visit www.lisalatouche.com

Artist and Educator Statement from Lisa La Touche

I am a Tap Dancer. To me, Freedom is the fearlessness of expression, existence and knowledge of which we all deserve. To practice and study this art form is to also know its people as well as the vastness of its servitude in dance, music, and both cultural and social histories. While I have been blessed with a successful career, it is a privilege and high honor to be considered a leader and representative of such a rich and resilient legacy, especially as a Black woman. Passion drives me towards greater purposes all stemming from the simplicity of curiosity and awareness of the African roots as the origin story of a uniquely "North-American made" art form. Cultural context and meaning making are held up at the highest integral value while passing on the knowledge and practices of Tap Dance. I do so always simultaneously with continued research and exploration while enjoying the journey of learning as it is a process. Therefore, as a performing artist, educator, and cultural historian, I delight in connecting and engaging with humanity continuously through listening and sharing, all with community development initiatives leading us towards ourselves as people.