Chicago Human Rhythm Project Announces 2014 Tap Scholars

The Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) has announced its 2014 Tap Scholars-deserving, talented youth who receive scholarship assistance to attend CHRP's annual Rhythm World summer festival of American tap and contemporary percussive arts.

2014 Tap Scholars

• Giuliano Antônio, 20, Araguari/Minas Gerais/Brasil • Anthony Clampit, 14, Villa Park/IL • Lilly Clampit, 17, Villa Park/IL • Abby Crawford, 14, Oshawa/Ontario/Canada • Haley Grier, 15, St. Joseph/MI • Moa Imai, 13, Tokyo/Japan • Donyella Kittrell-Jackson, 16, Chicago/IL • Madison Martin, 17, Ann Arbor/MI • Emiko Nakagawa, 16, Tokyo/Japan • Lauren O'Neil. 18, Oak Forest/IL • Alexandra Stephens, 17, St. Louis/MO • Emerson Stephens, 15, St. Louis/MO • Molly Sute, 16, Brownstown/MI • Sydney-Symone Tate, 16, Birmingham/AL

CHRP conducts Tap Scholar auditions every February as a part of its Winter Tap JAMboree and holds auditions in Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Zurich, Toronto and various American cities. Award decisions are based on a combination of criteria including skill, talent and financial need with the intention of creating a diverse mix of young dancers dedicated to furthering their tap and percussive dance education. Founded in 1995 to honor the life of CHRP Co-Founder Kelly Michaels, the Tap Scholar Award program has provided more than $275,000 in financial aid to more than 200 talented, deserving young dancers.

Rhythm World is the oldest, largest and most comprehensive festival of American tap and contemporary percussive arts in the world, annually attracting hundreds of students from around the globe to study with an internationally acclaimed faculty of 25-30 master teachers and performers. During the last 19 years, many Tap Scholar Award winners have gone on to successful careers in teaching, choreographing and performing, including Jumaane Taylor, Ian Berg, Starinah Dixon, Nico Rubio, Sean Kaminski and Donetta Jackson. The 2014 Rhythm World takes place July 7-August 3.

Chicago Human Rhythm Project: Founded in 1990, Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) builds community by presenting American tap dance and contemporary percussive arts in world-class and innovative performance, education and community outreach programs. During the last 24 years, CHRP has produced multiple community-based collaborations involving shared revenue programs, concerts and touring opportunities, including:

• annual National Tap Dance Day concerts, featuring an array of tap and percussive dance artists
• a shared revenue program designed to assist Chicago's budding tap community to build capacity through audience development, created in 2001
• Thanks 4 Giving, another innovative shared revenue program launched in 2005 as part of its annual Global Rhythms concerts, through which CHRP has partnered with more than 100 Chicago-based nonprofits to raise funds for a wide variety of service agencies
• participation in the 5th Anniversary Beijing International Dance Festival, assembling 70 artists to represent the United States
• establishment of the American Rhythm Center (ARC), providing a shared, affordable and sustainable education, rehearsal and administrative facility for several leading Chicago arts organizations in the historic Fine Arts Building
• curating the first ever, full-length performance of concert tap dance on a main stage of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 7, 2012

CHRP's vision is to establish the first global center for American tap and percussive arts, which will create a complete ecosystem of education, performance, creation and community in a state-of-the-art facility uniting generations of diverse artists and the general public. For information visit chicagotap.org.

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