HILLARY-MARIE

"Hillary-Marie, a woman way beyond her years, has feet like feathers with steel bones"

 - Carl Schlessinger

HILLARY-MARIE, Founder and Director of Jersey Tap Fest is most known for being a tap soloist, performer, choreographer and teacher, specializing in the American art form of Rhythm Tap Dance. Her other dance training includes Jazz, Ballet, Pointe, Hip-Hop, Salsa, Swing, African and Modern. She was an employee of Gotta Dance, her home studio, from June 2003 until August 2007, where she was the first to receive the highest dance award offered, with a syllabus marking of 100% for tap dance in 2003 and 2004. Having established herself as a reputable teacher, Hillary-Marie teaches weekly tap across the state of New Jersey.

Hillary-Marie has been mentored by Karen Callaway Williams since 2004 and Dr. Harold ‘Stumpy’ Cromer since 2007. As a belter and actress, she made her theatrical debut as Val in a regional production of A Chorus Line and recently sang and tapped in the opening number of the 20th Annual Tap Extravaganza. A native to New Jersey, she has been an NJTAP2 company member of New Jersey Tap Ensemble since April 2006, where she continues to be overseen by Founder and Artistic Director Deborah Mitchell and Maurice Chestnut. Outside of the ensemble, she has worked with The Russian Moscow Ballet, The American Tap Dance Foundation and members of the Tap City Youth Ensemble, as well as award-winning composers Leonard Oxley and Marvin Hamlisch.

Hillary-Marie has performed in many New Jersey venues, including the Edward Nash Theatre, the NJ State Theatre, Montclair Arts Museum, Patriot’s Stadium, The Priory, Cafe Arabica, the Westminster Arts Center, the Union County Performing Arts Center, Wilkins Theatre, Skipper's, South Orange Performing Arts Center and the Morristown Community Theatre as well as New York City's Fashion Institute of Technology Haft Auditorium, Battery Park, Cobi's Place, Showman's, Peter Norton Symphony Space, Duke Theatre on 42nd Street, Washington DC's Duke Ellington Theatre and Los Angeles' Hamilton Performing Arts Center. She is annually present at ATDF's Tap City Tap Festival, Debbie Allen Dance Academy's LA Tap Fest and Chloe & Maud Production's DC Tap Festival. Outside of teaching and performance, she is currently a writer for Terrence Taps' Tap Dance Blog. Additionally, Hillary-Marie is a member of the International Tap Association and New Jersey Jazz Society, where she dedicates herself to keeping the art form of tap dance alive.