GHENT TAP FESTIVAL
Third Edition | Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 March 2025
Dive into the world of rhythm at the Ghent Tap Festival, where every step brings the vibrant beat of tap to life! Join us for a dynamic weekend filled with tap dance classes for all levels, unique Body Drumming & Tap Standards workshops, and a free initiation session to introduce you to the basics. The festival also features an open stage where you can share your talent, as well as a stage show to showcase the artistry of tap dance.
Come be part of the rhythm in the heart of Ghent and celebrate the magic of tap with us!
Organised by Shoonya Dance Centre & Tapdance Promotion
More detailed information regarding the third edition in 2025 will be available to you soon. Please be sure to save the date for this exciting upcoming event.
ARTIST LINE-UP
JOSH HILBERMAN
JEP MELENDEZ
JOËLLE RIBANT
PROGRAM
Join us for this vibrant celebration of dance, knowledge, and community!
VIDEO OF “BEGIN THE BEGUINE” FOR THE CHOREOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
PRICING
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Full Package
Early bird registration now open.
Includes: All 10 workshops
Early Bird: €165
Available for the first 30 participants or until January 30, 2024.
After January 30: €200 -
Drop-in Class
Only 1 Workshop of your choice
€35/ €32 for Shoonya Members -
Multiple Workshops
2 workshops: €67/ €62 for Shoonya Members
3 workshops: €96/ €88 for Shoonya Members
4 workshops: €122 / €112 for Shoonya Members
5 workshops: €145 / €133 for Shoonya Members
6 workshops: €165 / €152 for Shoonya Members
7 workshops: €182 / €168 for Shoonya Members
8 workshops: €196 / €180 for Shoonya Members
OPEN TAP NIGHT
SATURDAY 9 MARCH 2024
19:30 onwards
Entry: Free
Get ready to witness the rhythmic magic at the Open Tap Night during the Ghent Tap Festival Second Edition! Join us for a spectacular evening filled with mesmerizing performances by our talented workshop teachers and dance school artists.
But that's not all - brace yourself for the exhilarating Cutting Contest! 🌟 Ever heard of it? It's an improv-based competition where dancers showcase their skills on the spot, trying to impress our panel of judges – and avoid getting cut! It's all about fun, creativity, and spontaneous tap artistry. The best part? You don't need to be a tap master to join the excitement!
Our esteemed workshop teachers will be the judges, bringing their expertise to the panel. The competition crescendos with a winner taking home a fabulous prize! 🏆✨
Ready to tap into the thrill? Indicate your participation on the registration form and take on the challenge of the Cutting Contest!
Registration and Entry Guidelines
Register in advance to secure your spot as registrations will close upon reaching maximum capacity.
Your spot is confirmed only after completing registration and payment.
For the comfort and safety of everyone, we kindly request you to refrain from wearing outside shoes on the dance floors at Shoonya Dance Centre.
Outside food & drinks are not permitted at Shoonya Dance Centre. You can carry a bottle of water.
We have a delightful offering of soup and sandwiches available for purchase during lunch hours on both Saturday and Sunday.
All registrations are non-transferable and non-refundable.
ACCOMMODATION & TRAVEL
If you're looking for accommodation, we recommend considering shared room options in Ghent. You can explore local hotels, hostels on the VISIT GENT WEBSITE or look for room-sharing and travel together opportunities.
JOSH HILBERMAN
Groomed by tap and vaudeville stars of the 1930's, tap dance artist Joshua Hilberman has shared the stage with Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Jimmy Slyde, Brenda Bufalino, and most every tap dancer of note.
Long-time artistic collaborations include mentors Bufalino and tap's great pianist Paul Arslanian. Together with dancer/producer Drika Overton, and the German duo Tap and Tray, Josh has been creating and performing original ensemble and solo theatrical productions for nearly 30 years.
Josh has taught hundreds of workshops and tap festivals, including New York, Chicago, Stockholm, Vancouver, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Dusseldorf, etc. His deep understanding of tap dance in performance combined with a healthy sense of humor make him a fun, patient, enlightening instructor.
Hilberman's contributions to the evolution of tap dance receive mention in the 2010 book Tap Dance America, and he has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the US Presidential Scholars Teachers Recognition Award, and the Premi Claqueta from the dancers of Barcelona, Spain for significant contributions to the tap community.
Settled happily in Liege, Belgium, most days Josh can be found at his lovely space for tap dance, the Claquettes Club, or at home making pancakes for his son Felix and wife Stephanie. For more information: www.claquettesclub.com
JEP MELENDEZ
Motivated by dance and percussion, he developed his own style of body percussion for more than 20 years, with different influences and styles creating his particular vision of it.
He has been a principal dancer for the CAMUT BAND company, in the shows, "Keatoniana", "Drums", "Life is rhythm" and "Kiting-Kita", with which he has performed in festivals and theaters around the world.
Since 2010, he has participated as performer and teacher in the International Body Music Festival in its editions Sao Paulo (Brazil) 2010, San Francisco (USA) 2011 and 2013, in 2013 with a subsequent tour of the East Coast of the United States highlighting Wellesley University and Berklee College of Music in Boston; Istanbul, (Turkey) 2012, Terni (Italy) 2014, Bali (Indonesia) 2015, Paris (France) 2016 and Athens (Greece) 2017.
Artistic director and performer in the show “Cambuyon”. This new creation mixes percussion, dance and voice in their different styles and was premiered in 2012 in Tenerife and Barcelona, subsequently it has been presented in different theaters and festivals, among which the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and The New Victory Theater on off-Broadway in New York, all of them with great reviews and audience success, being also nominated in 2015 for the New York Dance Awards (The Bessies).
In 2019 he produced and co-directs with Leela Petronio the show "à l'unisson" that fuses urban and percussive dances, also participating in how he performs with dancers Daniel Luka, Ludovic Tronché and Leela Petronio.
Recently he premiered his new production Doble Andante, Contemporary Percusive dance show, in which he’s Artistic Director and Producer, and Performs with three amazing and talented dancers more, Melissa Sousa, Catarina Campos and Ruben Sanchez, this new show is being created and co produced in 4 countries (Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Germany)
Besides that, he is teaching his own body percussion method all over the world, working in different fields such as dance, music, early childhood education, therapy, actors ... he combines all these activities as a tap teacher, sand dance and rhythm.
JOËLLE RIBANT
Artist-dancer and choreographer Joëlle Ribant is a prominent figure in the art of American tap dance in Belgium. She has been practicing this discipline for over 30 years with technical precision and originality.
Influenced by the formidable career of her parents, the famous clowns "Les Ribanos," she began performing with them and her brother on stage from the age of 4. The theatrical and clownesque aspect of performance was ingrained in her from an early age!
She received her training in the United States and Europe in the 1970s, studying under all the major names in the world of Tap dance and Irish dance, too numerous to mention.
In 1979, Joëlle won the title of European Tap Champion in Paris, alongside her brother Guy, forming the duo "Sam & Sandy." They traveled the world extensively (France, Benelux, Morocco, Spain, Germany, China, Vietnam, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, ...) and are still in demand.
Joëlle is a sought-after artist in Belgian and international workshops (Royal Conservatory of Brussels, AKDT in Neufchâteau and Libramont, the Spa Theatre Festival, Arabesque in Antwerp, Karys Dance Center, Alix Riga, Joies de la danse, Hamid Targui, Tap Club de Liège, children's workshop with CEMôme, and more).
She has choreographed numerous shows, films, clips, and events, including the musical epic "Thyl Ulenspiegel" performed in Villers-la-Ville (2000), creations for about ten theaters such as Théâtre Loyal du Trac and Happy 2000 (Palais Royal-Brussels), for the film "Le mur" by Alain Berliner and "Théo et Marie" by Henry Helman, as a dancer in "La bande à Jaco" with Annie Girardot. Occasional events include Belgium’s Got Talent RTL (2012), The Feet & Finger Sisters (2013), Tap Tonight (Bozar 2013), Manneke Tap (2017)...
As a musician (trumpet/xylophone/vocals), she was part of various bands such as "The Keyhole Conspiration Big Band," "The Flybusters" (trumpet/vocals), and the rock bands "Riff Hunters" and "Modemy Acoustique."
Twenty-six years ago, Joëlle Ribant founded her own dance and music theater school, "Tap Show Company." A professional group emerged from the core of her students. She created the dance theater show "Café Frappe" (2010), where she portrayed the role of Lydia, directed by Serge Bodart. She has produced numerous creations with her school, including Tarata-Tap, Big Foot, Clap'nTap, "Let it beat," a tribute to the Beatles, Tappy birthday, and many more.
Musicals remain her great passion and the primary focus of her work.
Organised with the support of:
