Upcoming Performances

December 21, 2010

Chalmers Lodge - 7:30 pm

February 4, 2011

Tinseltown - 6:00 pm

Suzy Birstein - Heart and Sole member profile

The Heart and Sole tap dance ensemble includes members from all walks of life who have come together through their love of tap. Every one of us has a unique story. Today's blog highlights dancer/artist Suzy Birstein who will be dancing with us and also presenting her artwork at the BC Cancer Foundation fundraiser, Maria's Opus, on November 14, 2010.

Suzy dances with Heart and Sole and is also an accomplished artist. Not only does she have fun with and find inspiration in tap dance, she creates unique and amazing ceramic pieces, from every day tableware items to life size figures.

Her creations have even found their way into gift bags for Oscar nominees.

Tap Talk - Oct 14, 2010 Vancouver Public Library

Keri Minty gave a presentation about the group of hoofers known as the Copasetics.

Shelley Stewart Hunt and students from Capilano University Musical Theatre program demonstrated tap steps from the book, Tap Dance Dictionary by Mark Knowles.

Heart and Sole performed the BS Chorus and everyone joined in for the Shim Sham Shimmy to finish off the evening.

Heart and Sole upcoming performances

After our big performance at the PNE in August, we've had a bit a of break from public appearances. We've been back in the studio, polishing up our routine to Choo Choo Ch'Boogie and adding to the repertoire with a more classical soft shoe number.

But the performances are ramping up again and here is an update with our performing schedule so far.

October 14 (Thursday) - 7 pm

Alice McKay room, Vancouver Public Library main branch, as part of the official launch and recognition of the library's new Tap Dance collection of books and DVDs donated earlier this year by the West Coast Tap Dance Collective. Heart and Sole will be performing the traditional BS Chorus, as described and recorded in the book The Tap Dance Dictionary by Mark Knowles.

The Westcoast Tap Dance Collective is pleased to announce that our donation of an extensive collection of DVDs and books on Tap Dancing will be officially recognized on October 14 at 7 p.m. in the Alice McKay Room. Keri Minty will give a talk on The Copasetics, the original Tap Dance Collective. We will also feature Shelley Stewart Hunt teaching steps from The Tap Dance Dictionary, and Jennifer Bishop and friends performing classics of tap.

October 29 (Friday) - 7 pm

Hallowe'en Tap Jam at the Kerrisdale Legion ( 2177 West 42nd Avenue) performing our rendition of Time Warp. Bring a shoe, wear a costume, learn some steps, win a prize - sure to be another rip roaring good time.

October 31 (Sunday) 2 pm

Concordia Choir Fall Concert at The Alpen Club

November 14 (Sunday) 8 pm

Maria's Opus - a fundraiser for the BC Cancer Foundation at St James Community Square (10th &Trutch, Vancouver)

Through Community, Anything is Possible

Vancouver - An event that glitters and sparkles -Maria’s Opus takes place Sunday November 14^th at St. James Community Square. This, the third annual B.C. Cancer Research fundraiser will be a delightful evening of Jazz favorites mixed with the Arts. With so much ugliness in the world, there is much beauty through community. Visit www.mariasopus.com tickets are only $20. Full proceeds to BC Cancer Foundation.

11th Annual Vancouver International Tap Festival 2010

What another great Vancouver Tap Festival this weekend. Thank you to all of the artists who taught, shared and performed and to Vancouver Tap Dance Society for hosting.

Website

Facebook Page
Articles
Courier - Sept 2

The Province.com - Sept 2

Straight.com - Sept 1

photo: Jason Samuels Smith

Heart and Sole Taps at PNE

Here is Heart and Sole in a tap dance performance at the PNE in Vancouver, BC on August 22, 2010. It was a fabulous summer day as we danced on the Festival Square stage on day two of the 100th anniversary edition of the annual PNE fair.

Heart and Sole took to the stage for a 45 minute show along with special guests the award winning Hot Flash Hoofers for two numbers and the Vancouver Tap Ensemble for one. The show finished with everyone on stage with the international tap dance anthem, the Shim Sham Shimmy.

Some of our tapper friends

From the kids at Vancouver Tap Academy busking at Granville Island to performances at the Vancouver International Tap Festival with the Masters to classic film footage of the stars of Hollywood.

Have at look at the videos at this link:

Tapping videos - Vancouver and International tappers

Who is Heart and Sole?

We are an adult tap dance performance group. We are a diverse group but most of us may be considered "middle aged" although there are a couple of younger ones in the group.

Many of us didn't start dancing until well into adulthood. Others have come back to dance after many years. One thing we have in common is that we really love tapping (and the fact that tap dancers come in all ages, sizes and shapes!)

We came together through our Theatrical Tap class lead by Shelley Stewart Hunt and we would work on a couple of routines to perform at the school's mid year event and the year end show. We had such fun that we wanted share that joy with others and to find a way to do more performing in the community. Heart and Sole the performance group has been together for a year now and we are building our repertoire and have started to make more public appearances together.

You may not see lightning speed or really flashy moves with us but we do okay. We try not to take ourselves too seriously and just want to have fun performing.

We are performing next at the PNE along with another group, the Hot Flash Hoofers, and some surprise guests on Sunday August 22 at 5:00 pm at the Neighbourhood Showcase at Festival Square. Come on by and say hello.

Keeping in the Loop

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Tap Dance Legend and Talented Canine Dancer

Who says dogs can't dance? Here's one lucky pup who shared the limelight with tap legend Eleanor Powell in the film Lady Be Good. She is amazing and he's got some pretty smooth moves too. Hmmm...getting some ideas for a Musical Freestyle routine!

Fun on BC Day

Heart and Sole made an appearance at the annual Dia Alegre Festival held by Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in East Vancouver. The festival was great - lots of food, fun and entertainment. Many countries and cultures were represented at the booths and the variety of food was fantastic. There were games, face painting and pinatas for the kids. The fire department came by with their truck for photo opportunities with the kids, young and old. On the stage were singers and dancers, including Heart and Sole. Even Elvis made an appearance!

Dia Alegre Aug 2, 2010