This is episode 61 of The Drum Brigade Podcast. This week our guest is Professional tap dancer (or "foot percussionist") Sarah Reich. Sarah Reich (Performer, Choreographer, Instructor, Composer) has emerged as one of the new leaders in the Art Form of Tap Dance. This Los Angeles native has been sought after to perform, choreograph, and teach in over 40 countries. "I want to continue to bring tap into mass media with great respect and quality," she says, focusing on "reprogramming the minds of the general public on their perception of tap dance." (Dance Magazine 2017)

Sarah has become one of the art form's pop culture ambassadors, thanks to her appearances in videos with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Her videos with them (A Star Wars–themed tribute, "The Tap Awakens," & “Thriller”, a Michael Jackson cover featuring Wayne Brady) have garnered millions of views on YouTube, all receiving rave reviews. She has toured the world with Postmodern Jukebox playing prestigious venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Sydney Opera House as well as a televised PBS special filmed in Las Vegas.

Previously she was seen on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance under companies by Chloe Arnold and Jason Samuels Smith. With her own company, Tap Music Project, she has choreographed and performed at the Ford Amphitheatre, UCLA’s Jazz Reggae Music Festival, Blue Whale jazz club, and the televised LA County Holiday Celebration. Sarah was also a performer at Madison Square Garden for the opening of the NY Knicks 2013-2014 season. She was sought out to perform at Jazz at the Lincoln Center for a tribute to Duke Ellington in New York City in 2017.

In addition to her vast international travels and countless television appearances, Sarah has had the honor to perform at some of the most prestigious venues back home in Los Angeles such as The Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theater with Mexican Pop-Star, Cristian Castro and the Dolby Theater with the great Herbie Hancock.

With her Tap Music Project intensives in various cities, Reich teaches tap dancers how to dance with more musicality, communicate with musicians and write music. Using a live band in class, she instructs students on how to "scat" rhythms or transcribe choreography with rhythm notation, among other skills.

Sarah is developing new, and exciting works with her company Tap Music Productions, including her debut Tap Jazz Album titled New Change. This album is originally produced, composed from percussive tap rhythms, and performed by a great selection of musicians to create a unique sound. She hopes this is just the beginning: "I want to be the first tap dancer to win a Grammy Award!"

For more info on Sarah please visit: www.sarahreich.com or follow @sourtaps

For exclusive content and bonus episodes please support our Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/drumbrigade

For more on Korey please visit: www.koreykingston.com

For more info on Funky Phil please visit: www.philpardell.com

www.drumbrigade.com

Support our Patreon

Radio Public

Itunes

Spotify

Google Play

Stitcher

Tunein