The Company
Tapestry Dance Company is a professional, non-profit dance organization founded in 1989 by rhythm tap dancer Acia Gray and ballet/jazz artist Deirdre Strand for the purpose of developing a foundation in multi-form dance performance and education. Initially a performing company of three, the organization has expanded to a professional company of seven resident artists, a diversified administrative and production support staff and a pre-professional and adult training facility in Austin, TX sharing the unique Strand/ Gray training syllabus. Tapestry Dance Company shares the power of dance through numerous events and programs sponsored by individual contributors, corporations, the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Austin and the Texas Commission on the Arts as well as its wonderful audiences and touring sponsors. These programs include seasonal multi-form concert premieres, The Annual Soul to Sole Festival, community outreach programs such as Rhythm, Dance, Music & You!, numerous master classes and workshops in modern, jazz, ballet and rhythm tap as well as touring residencies throughout the country. The company is also proud to have hosted numerous Austin based as well as international dance and music artists such as Fayard Nicholas, Arthur Duncan, Brenda Bufalino, Gregory Hines, Sarah Petronio, Bill Evans, Suzanna Sharpe and the Samba Police, Dee McCandless, Dianne Walker, James Clouser, Tina Marsh and the Creative Opportunity Orchestra and many, many others. As member of The Texas Commission on the Arts, The Mid- American Arts Alliance and Heartland touring programs over the past 25 years, the multiform choreographic works and training of Tapestry Dance Company have been lovingly woven throughout the U.S. and abroad to include Cyprus, Britain, Austria, the Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland and Canada as well as the award winning National Endowment for the Arts: Masterpiece Dance production of Acia Gray’s The Souls of Our Feet – A Celebration of American Tap Dance that toured the US and a 5 week tour of The People’s Republic of China. The company has been honored by numerous “Best of” awards by The Austin Chronicle as well as Best Dance Company, Best Dance Production and Best Ensemble by the Austin Critics Table Awards. Tapestry’s Artistic Director Acia Gray is also a premiere member of the Austin Arts Hall of Fame.
2015-2016 Season Dancers
Jeremy Arnold
Merion Park, PA
Andrea Torres
McAllen, TX
B’Jōn Carter
Long Beach, CA
Jeremy began his training at the Betsy Daily School of Performing Arts in suburban Philadelphia. In high school Jeremy started commuting to New York City weekly as a member of the Tap City Youth Ensemble, directed by the American Tap Dance Foundation. He received his B.A. cum laude, from Muhlenberg College in 2012 where he double majored in Dance and Media and Communications. He was the 2012 recipient of the Dorothy and Dexter Baker Foundation Award in Dance. He is a graduate of the Tap certification program at Jacobs pillow under the direction of Michelle Dorrance. Jeremy is a former member of the nationally touring Shelley Oliver Tap Dancers. After graduating, Jeremy moved to New York City where he danced with Chloe Arnold’s Apt. 33. In 2013 Jeremy started working with Charles O Anderson’s Dance Theater X and had the opportunity to perform Restless Natives at New York Live Arts, Live Ideas festival. In September of 2014 Jeremy moved to Austin, Texas to join Tapestry Dance Company, this will be his second season with the company! He is honored and excited to join the faculty of the University of Texas Dance Department, as an adjunct professor of tap dance. Jeremy has served on the faculty of Tap Ties, Dance Olympus/Dance America, the Soul2Sole festival, International Dance Challenge, Dance Masters of America and the Cecchetti Council of America.
Yuka Kameda
Osaka, Japan
B’Jōn is an artist from Long Beach California. He began dance training at Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles learning from world-renowned artists. Jason Samuels Smith and Chloe Arnold introduced him to tap dance and provided him with a solid foundation. Carter continued his dance education at Universal Dance Designs and performed with the Kennedy Tap Company, founded by the late Paul and Arlene Kennedy, and learned from the renowned Ardie Bryant. Under the direction of Artistic Director Lynn Dally, Carter has also performed as a member of the Jazz Tap Ensemble. Using dance and performance as tools for cultural exchange, he has worked with the US Department of State, Bureau of Education and Brooklyn Academy of Music for the third season of the DanceMotionUSA tour. He has taught and performed throughout the US, Canada, Africa, and Australia. Carter has been a featured artist at the Harare International Festival of the Arts, The Brisbane Festival and Jazz Tap Ensembles "Tap Roots Live!"
Yuka began tapping at the age of 10 in her native city Osaka, Japan. In 2003, she saw the movie " TAP" and the musical " Bring in Da Noise Bring in Da Funk " which introduced her to her passion, Rhythm Tap. She joined a funk tap dance company "Beis Crew," in 2004 and performed throughout Japan. In 2005, Yuka moved to New York City, performing at venues such as the Lincoln Center, Joe's Pub, Symphony Space, Aaron Davis Hall, Knitting Factory among others. Yuka was a member of Mable Lee's Dancing Ladies and has performed in the New York Tap Extravaganza and the New York City Tap Festival. Yuka was also a member of Dormeshia Sumbry-Edward's Sophisticated Ladies and has performed weekly at the world famous Cotton Club. Yuka's latest highlights include the New York Tap Extravaganza and the Blue Note as a solo tap dancer and the Colbert Report on Comedy Central. Most recently, Yuka performed with Wynton Marsalis for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Spring Gala choreo-graphed by Jared Grimes. Yuka is very excited to be a part of Tapestry this season.
Siobhan Cook
Austin, TX
Andrea hails from the Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, Texas. With a Bachelor of Science degree in American Dance Pedagogy and Minor in Business Entrepreneurship from Oklahoma City University, she has choreographed and has been seen on many stages in New York City including the Highline Ballroom, Symphony Space, the Paul Taylor Studios, the Grand Hyatt and Sheraton Hotel for the Pulse on Tour faculty, the Actor’s Fund Arts Center, the IZOD Center, the Connelly Theater, and the Kaye Playhouse. Andrea's latest performances include tap dancing on The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, Dancing in The Shine On awards show at Radio City Music Hall hosted by Meryl Streep, The A.C.E. Awards, and as a featured tap dancer for the Step Up 3D promotional music video. Andrea has performed with Bessie Award Winner and tap dance mentor, Michelle Dorrance and has also performed works with the Co-Creator and assistant producer of Imagine Tap - Aaron Tolson. Andrea was a part of Brice Moussett’s Contemporary Company works and was a proud member of Germaine Salsberg's Tap Dance Company Les Femmes Plus for four years. Andrea has also been on faculty for the International Teachers of Dance Inc. Convention, Peridance, Capezio Center and Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Andrea is the artistic director of The Andrea Torres Dance Company and produced/debuted the production of “Outed” in New York City. Her goal is to bring awareness to teen suicide prevention, anti-bullying and love and equality overall. She hopes to shed light upon this negativity and drown out such darkness. “Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” – Henry David Thoreau
Siobhan joined Tapestry Dance Company, under the direction of Acia Gray, as an apprentice at 19 years old. Through this opportunity, she was priviledged to perform 16 original evening length shows in the Rollins Theater at The Long Center. She also was fortuitous to earn a role in the cast of the NEA American Masterpieces production of "The Souls Of Our Feet- A Celebration of American Tap Dance". She toured with this production for 4 years to Canada, throughout the United States, then finally to the east coast of China in 2011. During a few of these tours she worked closely with Dr. Arthur Duncan. In 2013, she was promoted to Dance Captain of Tapestry Dance Company. Ms. Gray utilized Siobhan's talent by having her assist in teaching and refining repetoire performances for the professional company. During the summer months, Siobhan Alexis traveled to Canada to perform and teach. In 2013 she joined the cast of "A Chronological Life Story of a Few Tap Dancers" at Vancouver International Tap Festival, directed by Sas Selford. She was cast as the principal female role, Mary, under the direction of Matt Shields. Ms. Cook enjoyed singing, dancing and acting alongside tap dance sensations Danny Nielsen, Travis Knights, Matt Shields and Derick Grant. She was elated to join the faculty of Montreal Tap Festival, under Tanya Rivard in 2013, as a demonstrator for Dr. Arthur Duncan. Additionally, she acted as Dance Captain for "Rhythm Lives," again under the direction of Matt Shields. The following year she returned to Montreal as a faculty member and soloist. She proceeded to teach and perform at: Toronto Rhythm Initiative under the direction of Allison Toffan (2014), Soul to Sole Tap Festival under the direction of Acia Gray(2014/2015) and DansEncore International Dance Festival in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec under the direction of Claire Mayer (2013/2014). In the Spring of 2015, after her eigth season with Tapestry Dance Company, she received Austin Critic's Table Award as "Best Dancer In Austin." Siobhan's most recent stage appearances include "Thelonious", a tribute show to Thelonious Monk, under the direction of Parisian tap legend, Sarah Petronio and New Jersey Tap Fest's own, Hillary-Marie, during her wonderful production of "Soul Walk" alongside the phenomenal vocal stylings of Emily Bradenas well to host the faculty showcase "Tap N' Time," introducing artists such as Heather Cornell and Jason Samuels-Smith.
