Masterclass Tap DanceLeitung: Katherine Kramer (USA)
Katherine Kramer liebt Heidenreichstein. Schon im Jahr 2009 war sie hier in unserer Burgstadt auf Besuch und verlautbarte „I ´ll be back!“. Und so geschah es auch. Im Jahr 2016 besuchte sie uns wieder und nun ist es soweit: Heuer kommt sie, um ihre Expertise im Bereich Tap Dance an uns weiterzugeben. Im Juli 2018 wurde ihr die höchste Auszeichnung für Tap Dancer, der Hoofer Award der American Tap Dance Foundation, verliehen. Sie ist mitverantwortlich dafür, dass der Stepptanz nun wieder zu einem weltweiten Phänomen heranwächst. Katherine Kramer ist eine lebende Legende. Von ihr zu lernen ist eine großartige Gelegenheit. Jeder kann dabei sein, ob Anfänger*in oder Profitänzer*in. Katherine brilliert in der einzigartigen Methode jedermann und jederfrau den Stepptanz näher zu bringen.
Katherine KramerMasterclass in Tap Dance and Whole Body Music with award-winning tap artist Katherine Kramer (USA)
Katherine Kramer has been a vital presence in the resurgence and evolution of classic jazz and tap dance since the 1970s. Grateful for having had the opportunity to work and study with many of the finest of tap’s masters and contemporary innovators, she has maintained a commitment to sharing this legacy.
At the heart of Katherine’s work is a desire to bring people together, to encourage intimacy, and to promote the value of play as a tool in creating a more humane world. To this end, collaboration has been central to her creative process, and over the years she has worked with outstanding musicians including Ray Anderson, Virginia Mayhew, Francesca Tanksley, Kristin Korb, Michael Spiro, Jovino Santos-Neto and Kenneth Metzker; with marionette artist Pablo Cano; with choreographers including Joanne Barrett, Ara Fitzgerald, Lois Welk and Bill T. Jones. She served as movement coach and choreographer for Robert Redford in his film, “The Horse Whisperer.” Among her most important mentors are Daniel Nagrin, Richard Bull and Brenda Bufalino.
She has been honored to receive a 2018 Hoofer Award from the American Tap Dance Foundation, an Artist’s Innovation Award from the Montana Arts Council as well as a Fulbright Award, which took her to Prague, CR. She received a Creation Fund Grant from the National Performance Network, a Kentucky Arts Council Choreographic Fellowship and numerous Artist Advancement and Artist Access Grants from the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs and Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs.
Her one-woman show, “Rhythms of the Heart,” toured from 1992 to 2000, including performances at Jacob’s Pillow and international festivals. She was one of 12 dancers chosen to work with ‘Honi’ Coles in the first creative residency for tap at The Colorado Dance Festival in 1989 and has been a featured soloist at Tap Extravaganza in NY and many Jazz Festivals. She has been commissioned to create works for universities and companies throughout the country and internationally, most recently for Madison Ballet in Madison WI.
She has developed a dance/music training method, Whole Body Music, which has been shared with both dancers and musicians, including New World Symphony in Miami, FL. As a mentor with the prestigious national organization YoungArts, she supports a new generation of young, up-and-coming artists. She has conducted tap workshops throughout the US, in Havana, Cuba for Danza Contemporánea and Conjunto Folklórica de Cuba, and in Fortaleza, Brazil with Valeria Pinheiro and Co. Vata.
Katherine was founder, producer, and artistic director of a 10 year annual summer music and dance festival, Rhythm Explosion, in Bozeman, MT, which included many outstanding artists, including the late legends Jimmy Slyde and Daniel Nagrin.
Katherine is now based near Madison, Wisconsin. In her home studio, she incubates projects, cavorts with local movers and shakers, conducts workshops, hosts retreats, collaborates with colleagues, and mentors individuals.