Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival August 26 - September 1

Vancouver Tap Dance Society presents

2019 Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival

A 20th Anniversary Celebration!

Andrew Nemr. TED Fellows Retreat 2015, August 26-30, 2015, Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, California. Photo: Bret Hartman/TED

Think about it: one of life’s greatest joys is tapping our feet and clapping hands to the rhythm of music. The Vancouver Tap Dance Society is celebrating its 20^th anniversary by presenting the 2019 Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival (VanTap Fest) being held from August 26 – Sept. 1, 2019.

The 2019 VanTap Fest includes three premiere performances: Max Pollak’s All in One on Aug. 29^th, Andrew Nemr’s Rising to the Tap on Aug. 30^th and the 20th Anniversary Gala Celebration on Aug. 31^st– all are at 8pm at the Orpheum Annex, 823 Seymour St.

Additional events include a Social Tap Jazz Jam on Wednesday Aug. 25^th at Frankie’s Jazz Club, 765 Beatty St. and FREE events including a Film Screening on Monday August 26th, a Community Conversation about Tap Dance in Media on Tuesday August 27th, and an Open House on Sunday Sept 1, all at the VanTap Cultural Arts Centre, 2775 East Hastings Street. This year, festival participants may choose from eight 5-day courses and over 30 weekend workshops!

The newly inducted Artistic Director of the Vancouver Tap Dance Society and Artistic Director of the 2019 VanTap Fest is Andrew Nemr, who according to the legendary Gregory Hines, “is one of the dancers to bring tap dance into the new millennium”. Andrew was born in Canada and has recently returned after a successful career as an independent artist in New York City. “This year we’re excited to offer a diverse program featuring a unique gathering of local and global artists”, stated Nemr. “Audiences will experience tap dance as music, as story and as performance. We’ll all be celebrating the joy we’ve experienced through this dance and hope that audience will get carried away by it.”

Headlining the festival and featured on-stage, in-class, and at improvised jams, will be some of the most respected and in-demand tap dancers in the world today: Max Pollak, an international star known for his unique combination of Afro-Cuban rhythms and tap dance; Demi Remick who tours internationally with the incredibly popular Postmodern JukeBox; Andrew Nemr, dubbed “A Masterly Tapper” by the New York Times; and Danny Nielsen one of Canada’s most sought-after tap dancers.

Additional artists include solo jazz dancer Nathan Bugh (New York City), Bboy Gomo (Calgary), Estefanía Porqueras Ocaña (Barcelona), and Terry Brock (Seattle).

Below are ticketed events – info and tickets available at – vantapfest.com