2023-579-E-Arts Commission-North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble -2023-24 Arts Grants

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Families, donors, and communities towards building a cohesive society The tap community by being a wellspring of repertoire and education Founded in 1983 by JUBA award-winning director emeritus Gene Medler, NCYTE entertains audiences with its wide repertoire, including cutting-edge contemporary choreography and traditional rhythm tap. Current leadership includes Artistic Director Nicholas Van Young, Operations Director Caroline Vance, Assistant Director Zoe Foote and a board of directors with 7 members. The company rehearses weekly in Chapel Hill and includes 30 dancers, ages 8 to 18, from across North Carolina. Since the company’s founding, dancers pay nothing to participate. NCYTE’s programs fall into four categories: Annual Spring Performance North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival School Shows / Educational Outreach Performances at tap and music festivals nationwide Every Spring, the company performs a concert-length show at the legendary Carolina Theatre in Durham, attracting a wide audience from the Triangle and beyond. NCYTE seniors produce the show, including lighting and show order. They work with guest artists, technical theater staff, and a live band. The concert showcases dances from NCYTE’s wide repertoire, including historic and modern pieces choreographed by leading artists and the members themselves. The performance is a culmination of the dancer’s career in NCYTE, and for some, has been a springboard to a professional career in dance. In June, NCYTE produces the North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival, which attracts dancers and instructors from across the country and around the world. In 2023, more than 200 dancers came to Chapel Hill to share their art, build community, and learn from one other. The festival includes an intense residency, master classes, live jams, and a faculty show. The company is still building back its school-show schedule post-COVID. In the 2022-23 school year, it gave 11 performances in schools around the state and the southeast, 6 of which were for schools with populations of over 50% minority students. Performances showcase a wide variety of percussive dance and music, including Irish dance, Japanese Taiko drumming, South African gumboot dance, Quebec waltz-clog, and buck dancing from NC, to name a few. The dancers share educational talks to enhance the show and engage the students. A Q&A session follows the show and students ask the dancers about tap dancing, NCYTE, and performing. W e also provide schools with a teacher guide to integrate arts curriculum into pre- and post- performance lessons. Last year, NCYTE performed at tap festivals in Orange County, California, and in Dallas, Texas. DocuSign Envelope ID: 890B69B0-0798-4E09-BBF3-79FC93E8C82D