2012 Bay Area Tap Festival & the Versa-Style Dance Company

Voted one of the top 10 dance performances of the year: Don’t miss the Bay Area Tap Festival’s Rhythm Exchange!

Now in its 10th year, the 2012 Bay Area Tap Festival (from August 14-19, 2012), will again feature a week of dynamic workshops hosted by KUNST-STOFF Arts and will  culminate with a performance on Saturday, August 18th at 8:00 PM at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.  This performance, known as the Bay Area Rhythm Exchange, features festival artists and live musical accompaniment, and has been repeatedly voted as one of the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Top Ten Dance Performances of the Year”. The 2012 lineup will include a debut by the internationally recognized tap artist Terry Brock, who has appeared with such entertainment personalities as Shirley MacLaine, Ben Vereen, Bob Hope, and Ray Charles.  Other favorites and return artists will include Music Director Channing Cook Holmes (Riverdance, Gangs of New York, Bojangles), Festival Director John Kloss (Tap Heat), Mark Mendonca (The Polar Express; Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk), Jason Rodgers (Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk), Sam Weber (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood), and more.

• For additional information about the 2012 Bay Area Tap Festival, see: http://www.stepology.com/batf.html

• For tickets to the Bay Area Rhythm Exchange Showcase on Saturday, August 18th at 8:00 PM at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco see:  http://www.stepology.com/ticket.html

• We also recommend the previous DanseTrack feature: Sam Weber: A Master of American Tap

And congratulations to the…VersaStyle Dance Company

Versa Style Dance Company of Los Angeles (Featuring Diane Danga Palaganas, Ray Basa, Lilian Ortega, Harry Weston, Jackie “Miss Funk” Lopez, Breeze Lee, Alli Gray, Angelo SoulShifter Paulos)

for having successfully funded their latest film project: “Furious Beauty”.  This feature-length documentary, produced and directed by Calvin Leung, follows the inspirational journey of this Los Angeles-based professional hip-hop dance company (led by company directors, Jackie “Miss Funk” Lopez and Leigh “Breeze-Lee” Foaad) as they prepare for one of their incredible dance productions.

• Information about “Furious Beauty” can be found here: http://www.furiousbeautymovie.com.
• For the official website of the Versa-Style Dance Company see: http://versastyledance.com

Since we’ve mentioned the Bay Area Tap Festival, we also managed to find this video of the Versa-Style Dance Company’s “Breeze Lee“.  Here, he gives his own interpretation of a dance solo commonly associated with the great Fred Astaire.

Here’s Breeze Lee with his own amazing street dance interpretation of: “Puttin’ on the Ritz”

And don’t miss our related story:  Leigh Foaad (aka Breeze Lee) and R16

Tags: Bay Area Rhythm Exchange, Breeze Lee, Fred Astaire, Furious Beauty the Movie, HipHop, Sam Weber, San Francisco, Stepology, Tap dance, tap dancer, Tap Festival, Versastyle Dance Co