CALENDAR
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December 19, 2008
KOW Tap Luau
Special Guest: Ann Kilkelly
December 29 & 30, 2008
Winter Break TapLab for Kidz
January 4, 2009
Master Classes with Ann Kilkelly
January 4, 2009
Professional Tap Teacher Seminar
Special Guest Ann Kilkelly
January 4, 2009
girlPOWERtap
With Leanne Regan
January 4, 2009
Boyz Bustin' Loose!
With Jeffrey Williams
January 5, 2009
KOW Winter Session Begins
January 14, 2009
TWA Auditions
January 30, 2009
Master Class for Adults
January 30, 2009
Friday Night Tap Party for Adults
May 29, 2009
National Tap Dance Day Show
Round House Theatre, Silver Spring
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DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
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DONATE NOW
Thank You!
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES:
Please pledge your support for
TWA, Inc. via the
Combined Federal Campaign.
Our number is 68430.
Thank You!
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KNOCK ON WOOD Studio News
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 ALOHA! Ever want to go to Hawaii in December? Here's your chance ... sort of. Join us for the first-ever KOW Tap Luau!!
All three studios will be open for a fun-filled evening of tap jams,
games, crafts, live music, tropical snacks, and more. Come dressed in
your best Hawaiian shirt or other tropical attire. Let's warm up the
winter with this exciting new event - you will NOT want to miss it!
With special guest Ann Kilkelly. Friday, December 19, from 7:30-9:30pm.
BIG FUN is on the menu at our Winter Break 2-Day TapLab for Kidz 8-14!
Join us, we're cookin' up all kinds of tap fun. TWA members will join
KOW staff, offering 2 days of mini-camp with tap classes and
choreography, other dance activities, games, and lots more. We'll be
stirring up plenty of good times in TapLab - beat the winter doldrums,
make new friends and share in the fun as you tap into the new year!
TapLab will take place Monday and Tuesday, December 29-30. Hurry, sign
up deadline is December 13! Tap here for info.
NEW CLASSES for WINTER 2009
Make your New Year's resolution to "get more exercise and have more fun at Taptastic KOW." Take a look at what's on tap for 2009!
* Tap Guyz - Dance history is filled with extraordinary male tappers - Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Fred Astaire, Gregory Hines, to name but a few. You know you've always wanted to try it, and now we have a class for your inner dancer: Tap Guyz is starting up in January. Don't be shy - join this new beginning level class just for men, taught by our very own Mr. James "Jazzy Jim" Hughes! It's fun, it's terrific exercise, you'll make some new pals, enjoy great music. Everyone knows Real Men DO Dance - so why not check it out?
* Beginning Jazz - We're really excited to be introducing our first Jazz class for adults, and know you'll have a boatload of fun with Ms. Hermione! Class will include an intro to basic postures, stretches, and fundamental movements of American jazz dance including warm-up, stretch, jazz technique, and combinations.
* Tap Tech - For those of you who've been wishing for a weekly Adult Tech class to add to your regular tap class, Ms. Hermione's happy to help you step it up! This "Adults Only" class is open to all levels.
* Saturday Adult 2 - You've been asking for it, and now TWA-alum Jeffrey Williams is finally going to make it happen. Don't miss it!
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CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SUPER BOWL?
JANUARY 4, 2009 is SUPER SUNDAY at KOW!
Special "Take Two" discounts for every student who takes more than one "Ann Kilkelly class" on January 4, from the great choices below. Save $5 per class!
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MASTER CLASSES WITH ANN KILKELLY
Sunday, January 4
* 11:00 am -12:30 pm
Advanced Beginner/Intermediate (ages 12+)
* 1:00-2:30 pm
Intermediate/Advanced (ages 14+)
Join us for another great master class. We're delighted to welcome our good friend, Ms. Ann Kilkelly. Ms. Kilkelly is a jazz-tap dancer, writer, director, choreographer, and award-winning professor of theatre arts and women's studies at Virginia Tech University. She directs Footnotes, a jazz-tap company of Viginia Tech students, faculty and community members.
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PROFESSIONAL TAP TEACHER SEMINAR
Special Guest: Ann Kilkelly
Sunday, January 4
3:30-5:00 pm
Join us, with special guest Ann Kilkelly, for another informative seminar as we gather local professional tap teachers to explore classic and new material, and discuss and demonstrate current classroom strategies. Double your pleasure, double your fun - take a master class, too, and enjoy our "Take Two" discount!
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Plan Ahead for Tap Camps 2009!
* 2 Spring Break Camps, April 6-10:
- Jump Rhythm Jazz Project's Teen Tap Week
(ages 11 & up, intermediate to advanced)
- Dance Passport Spring Break Camp (ages 7-12)
* 3 Summer Camps:
- July 13-17
- July 27-31
- August 10-14
JOB OPENING at KOW: Part-time Administrative Assistant
We're looking for an administrative assistant to our Studio Director. The successful candidate must be able to handle a wide variety of tasks, 15 hours weekly. Schedule is flexible, including at least one evening a week and some weekend hours. If you are interested in dance and/or nonprofit arts management, and want a congenial work situation, this is a great place to be. So if you have excellent communication and computer skills, contact Ms. Yvonne Edwards, 301-495-0395, vox #2.
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| TAPPERS WITH ATTITUDE News |
AUDITIONS!
Auditions for aspiring members of Tappers With Attitude Youth Ensemble will be held on January 14, 2009. Tap dancers ages 10-and-up, currently working at an advanced beginner/ intermediate level are encouraged to audition; some needs-based scholarship support is available. To learn more about TWA, click here. For more information about auditions, tap here. To get your info packet and scholarship application, contact Ms. Lisa at 301-495-0395.
Don't miss Tappers With Attitude in concert!
- Cathy & Marcy's 23rd Annual
Winter Family Concert (Dec. 6)
- Tappy Holidays (Dec. 12)
Symphony Space, New York
- Dance Place (March 7 & 8)
- Juvenile Diabetes Benefit (April 25)
- Atlas Performing Arts Center
(June 14 & 15)
Photo by Enoch Chan
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SAVE THE DATE: National Tap Dance Day 2009
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 It's too soon to let the (tap) cat out of the (shoe) bag, but we wanted to give you this important heads up right away. Knock On Wood & Tappers With Attitude are planning a terrific event to celebrate National Tap Dance Day 2009! Mark your calendar now, and stay tuned for updates.
You'll most definitely want to Tap Into Silver Spring on May 29.
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EVER-IMPORTANT KOW FUNDRAISING: Opportunities Through CFC & Sally Foster
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"Be a Star in Someone's Life" With CFC
 TWA, Inc. is proud to be affiliated with CFC (Combined Federal Campaign), the world's largest and most effective workplace charity campaign. As we enter the final month of the campaign, we dearly hope to see increased contributions again this year, to help offset the difficulties we face in this tough financial climate. You can help by donating to TWA, Inc. thru CFC! Federal employees can just click here and enter "tappers" in the search field. Or download our CFC flyer and give it to friends, family and neighbors who are federal employees. Be sure to tell them to use our CFC number, 68430, when donating. Thank you!
Sally Foster Benefits KOW
  As gift-giving season approaches, please remember that you can purchase high quality gift wrap and accessories, gourmet chocolates, and much more through Sally Foster's website, and KOW will receive a generous portion of the proceeds. Just click on "Give Credit," select "Group/Acct #," select "Group/Acct #" again on the next page, and enter our account # 0746195 (it's easier than it sounds!). Thank you!
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GETTING TO KNOW OUR FACULTY: Meet Hermione Rhones-Glass
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Hermione Rhones-Glass is a native Washingtonian. She is currently the Director of Youth Programs at Dance Place, where she has been working for 12 years. Hermione has studied and/or performed with Carla Perlo, Deborah Riley, Sherrill Berryman Johnson, Tony Powell, Adrain Bolton and Reggie Glass. She is currently dancing with Coyaba Dance Theater. Hermione has studied various forms of dance since age 5, including ballet, tap, modern, jazz, African and step.
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CLICK 'N CLACK, the TAP-IT SISTERS say... TAP INTO KNOWLEDGE!
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  Most of you will probably recognize this month's tap legend, the tremendous entertainer Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. (December 8, 1925 - May 16, 1990).
This Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor led a fascinating life as a dancer, singer, and musician; he was both a comedian and impressionist and at the same time a serious member of the civil rights movement; he was an African-American convert to Judaism, and also a member of a small cadre of Hollywood "bad boys," the 1960's Rat Pack.
Sammy learned to dance from his father, Sammy Sr., and his honorary uncle, Will Mastin. Sammy performed with these two in the Will Mastin trio for many years, soon becoming the most accomplished dancer of the three, developing his array of other impressive talents along the way.
After serving in the army, his solo career took off. He made recordings, appeared on Broadway, and became a member of the Rat Pack, a group of friends composed of some of the brightest headliners in entertainment at that time.
Though one of the best-known entertainers in the country, he was still subjected to racial discrimination. He was not allowed to stay in some of the hotels in which he performed; when there were no dressing rooms for black performers, they had to stand outside between acts; he and other African-American artists were often prohibited from going into hotel restaurants, bars, or casinos even when they were the venue's featured acts.
This all deeply affected Sammy, and eventually he began to turn down offers from segregated venues. His insistence on these points, and the fact that other Rat Pack members also refrained from working in segregated venues, eventually contributed to the integration of nightclubs and casinos in Miami and Las Vegas, and he was rightfully proud of his civil rights record.
Davis, a long-time smoker, died of complications from throat cancer.
 QUESTION: Who were the other members of the 1960's Rat Pack? If you can name three others, email your answer to us right away! The first 20 correct responses we receive will be entered in a prize drawing, sponsored by our friends at TD Bank. The lucky winner will receive a $25 TD Bank Visa giftcard to help make your day a little brighter. (Sorry, KOW faculty & TWA members need not apply - you already know the answer, right?)
LAST MONTH'S Q&A: Who was Frank Sinatra speaking of when he said, "You know, you can wait around and hope, but I tell you, you'll never see the likes of this again." Eleanor Powell's athletic, agressive style of tap dancing was seldom seen among female dancers of her time. In his autobiography "Steps in Time", Fred Astaire wrote: "She 'put 'em down like a man', no ricky-ticky-sissy stuff with Ellie. She really knocked out a tap dance in a class by herself."
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 Knock On Wood and Tappers With Attitude appreciate the work of
Dance/MetroDC in its efforts to unite and support the DC area's dance
community. Dance/MetroDC is the only comprehensive source for dance
performances, events, master classes, workshops, jobs, auditions and
more in the DC metro area. Check their website for more information or to subscribe to their newsletter.
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Knock On Wood Tap Studio8700 Georgia Ave., Suite B
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-495-0395
Our programs are sponsored in part by funding from
the Montgomery County government and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County,
The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation,
Dallas Morse Coors Foundation, and the Washington Post.
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