tapLab 2026
Come join us for our tapLab summer intensive from August 10th - 14th!
This is a great opportunity to improve tap technique, drills, musicality and more. This is a perfect workshop for students to gain new skills and refine old ones, as well as lay a strong foundation for the year, for students who will be taking tap classes with us in the fall. We will also be introducing skills needed to dance and jam with live musicians!
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tapLab is required for Intensive & Company tap dancers.
We can't wait to see you there!
Date & Location
Monday, August 10th - Friday, August 14th
Faculty
Jessie Sawyers
Jessie Sawyers is an author, speaker, coach, and an internationally acclaimed tap dancer and musician with a deep love for improvised music collaboration. She has endured 25 corrective surgeries as a result of being born with birth defects as well as hair loss for over 20 years. Jessie is a force of positivity whose multi-sector career has taken her across 6 continents to over 15 countries. She has been on faculty at numerous international tap dance festivals including Australia, Brazil, Calgary, and Vancouver; was a featured performer at the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe; and created a global music video called Music of Humankind by taking a solo trip around the world to collaborate with over 100 dancers and musicians she met along the way.
Jessie is a published author with works including her first book, Getting Unlocked, and two volumes of her anthology book, Stories of Humankind. You can also hear Jessie on vocals in collaboration with GRAMMY-Nominated pianist and producer Josh Rawlings in their first publicly released sound healing song titled, “I Will Rise,” available on all major streaming platforms. To learn more, visit www.JessieSawyers.com.
Laura Donaldson
Laura Donaldson is a tap dancer, teacher and choreographer from Calgary, Alberta. Laura continues to develop her artistic voice through practice, research, creating, teaching, and performing in Canada and abroad. Laura is an alumni of the 2021 Tap Performance Ensemble at The School at Jacob’s Pillow under the direction of Dormeshia, Derick Grant and Michelle Dorrance. She has performed in many works including Lisa La Touche’s Tap Phonics Production “Fool’s Gold” co-commissioned by Fall for Dance North and Harbourfront Centre, (in)sight dance’s commissioned piece Mirror/Water/Doorway at the Toronto International Tap Festival and recently she was on tour as a dancer with Danny Nielsen’s “On Foot” performing throughout BC. Laura grew up in Calgary training in multiple styles of dance, completed her RAD Advanced I exam and trained extensively with the Tri-Tone Rhythm Ensemble under the direction Tasha Lawson and also is a graduate of the Tri-Tone teacher training program. Laura also holds a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education from Mount Royal University. Laura recently co-founded tap dance collective Boys’ Club which premiered their first full length work in Belgium at the Claquettes Club, and in Barcelona at Golems theatre in March 2023. With this experience Laura is committed to providing exciting, cutting edge, quality tap dance education that honours the roots and history of the form.
Registration
Interested in joining us for tapLab?​ Please submit a video audition to info@danceco.com along with your dancer's name, age & previous tap experience!​​
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The cost for the week is $485 + GST.
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We can't wait to dance with you!