WHO WE ARE: Detroit Tap Repertory (DTR) is a tap company comprised of tap dancers from Michigan and Ohio dedicated to sharing their passion for tap through participation in educational events and public performances. The goal of DTR is to provide a fun and inspiring environment for tap dancers to learn, perform, and grow with no competition pressure. Founded in 2008 by Denise Caston, this talented group has grown from a small ensemble to a team of more than 60 dancers. This diverse group includes elementary, middle, high school, and college students as well as dance educators, professional dancers, and business professionals. Most members attend weekly classes at a dance studio and are part of a competitive dance team while others have had previous training but are no longer taking formal classes.
WHAT WE DO: Members meet for a few hours on Sundays at dance studios around the Metro Detroit area. At the beginning of the season, professional choreographers are brought in to set signature pieces. In addition, the team choreographs various pieces, giving members the opportunity to see their work on stage. Throughout the year, the team performs their repertoire at various local and regional shows, festivals, and charity events. The season culminates with the Motor City Tap Fest in August and the performance in the festival’s annual show in Detroit. Additional opportunities include workshops, master classes, and performances at tap festivals, shows, and parades locally and across the country. Travel is optional.
FOUNDER - DENISE CASTON: Denise Caston was a Radio City Rockette for 10 years and toured nationally with the Tony Award-winning musical, Crazy For You. Denise has also had the honor of performing the choreography of Savion Glover at in New York City. She performed on tour in Australia in 2002, dancing all over the continent in Elvis to the Max. Her credits also include film, television, commercials, and industrials. Teaching credits include Tradition In Tap (NYC), Gregg Russell's Tap Into the Network, the St. Louis Tap Festival, the Oklahoma City Tap Festival, classes at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, as well as The Rockette Experience© at Radio City Music Hall. Her choreography has been seen in many productions in which she also performed, including shows at Caesars Windsor in Ontario, Canada. In 2011, Denise was invited to speak at the TEDx Detroit Conference about her contributions to the cultural landscape in Detroit, including founding and producing Motor City Tap Fest and founding the Detroit Tap Repertory in 2008.
DIRECTOR - KELSEY ROSE YOUNG: Kelsey Rose Young is a performer, teacher, and choreographer based in Detroit, Michigan. Kelsey has been on faculty with Showstopper Dance Convention, Fuzion Dance Camp, and Motor City Tap Fest. She has recently taught at the Big Apple Tap Festival, Phoenix Tap Festival, and Las Vegas Tap Festival. In 2017 she started the Wing It Tap Intensive which travels throughout the country with numerous top instructors. She is the current director and lead choreographer for the pre-professional tap company – Detroit Tap Repertory, as well as a member of Shelby Kaufman’s tap company, G.L.Y.D.E. and Suzy Guarino- Hall’s company, TAP 24.7. Kelsey has performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as part of the DSO Educational Series and was a guest speaker at the Moving With Detroit seminar for dance educators. In 2015, she was a contestant on the FOX Network's So You Think You Can Dance - Season 12, and season 14. 2018 Kelsey traveled to Germany to compete in the IDO World Tap Championships. It’s there that her 3 pieces placed 4th and 5th places in the World. She also came in 2nd for the World’s Battle of the Feet. She has had the privilege of studying under and performing alongside many of today’s most respected tap dancers and legends including Arthur Duncan, Ardie Bryant, Denise Caston, Gregg Russell, Chloe Arnold, Sarah Reich, Chris Broughton, Jenefer Miller, Suzy Guarino-Hall, and Dianne Walker. As a choreographer, Kelsey draws from her training and range of experiences as a singer and dancer to create a style that is intricate, gritty, passionate, and entertaining. Her pieces have received many awards and accolades across the country and she is quickly becoming one of the Midwest’s premier tap choreographers. Kelsey is a member of Cecchetti Council of America and has also studied and competed in ballroom dancing. She works independently as a choreographer for students throughout the Nation. Over the years, Kelsey has worked with Jay Sean, the Jonas Brothers, Debbie Gibson, and Radio Disney. She has performed in the Detroit, Macy’s and Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parades, at the Detroit Jazz Festival, and at TedX Detroit. She most recently has performed and choreographed a half time show for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.
WHAT WE DO: Members meet for a few hours on Sundays at dance studios around the Metro Detroit area. At the beginning of the season, professional choreographers are brought in to set signature pieces. In addition, the team choreographs various pieces, giving members the opportunity to see their work on stage. Throughout the year, the team performs their repertoire at various local and regional shows, festivals, and charity events. The season culminates with the Motor City Tap Fest in August and the performance in the festival’s annual show in Detroit. Additional opportunities include workshops, master classes, and performances at tap festivals, shows, and parades locally and across the country. Travel is optional.
FOUNDER - DENISE CASTON: Denise Caston was a Radio City Rockette for 10 years and toured nationally with the Tony Award-winning musical, Crazy For You. Denise has also had the honor of performing the choreography of Savion Glover at in New York City. She performed on tour in Australia in 2002, dancing all over the continent in Elvis to the Max. Her credits also include film, television, commercials, and industrials. Teaching credits include Tradition In Tap (NYC), Gregg Russell's Tap Into the Network, the St. Louis Tap Festival, the Oklahoma City Tap Festival, classes at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, as well as The Rockette Experience© at Radio City Music Hall. Her choreography has been seen in many productions in which she also performed, including shows at Caesars Windsor in Ontario, Canada. In 2011, Denise was invited to speak at the TEDx Detroit Conference about her contributions to the cultural landscape in Detroit, including founding and producing Motor City Tap Fest and founding the Detroit Tap Repertory in 2008.
DIRECTOR - KELSEY ROSE YOUNG: Kelsey Rose Young is a performer, teacher, and choreographer based in Detroit, Michigan. Kelsey has been on faculty with Showstopper Dance Convention, Fuzion Dance Camp, and Motor City Tap Fest. She has recently taught at the Big Apple Tap Festival, Phoenix Tap Festival, and Las Vegas Tap Festival. In 2017 she started the Wing It Tap Intensive which travels throughout the country with numerous top instructors. She is the current director and lead choreographer for the pre-professional tap company – Detroit Tap Repertory, as well as a member of Shelby Kaufman’s tap company, G.L.Y.D.E. and Suzy Guarino- Hall’s company, TAP 24.7. Kelsey has performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as part of the DSO Educational Series and was a guest speaker at the Moving With Detroit seminar for dance educators. In 2015, she was a contestant on the FOX Network's So You Think You Can Dance - Season 12, and season 14. 2018 Kelsey traveled to Germany to compete in the IDO World Tap Championships. It’s there that her 3 pieces placed 4th and 5th places in the World. She also came in 2nd for the World’s Battle of the Feet. She has had the privilege of studying under and performing alongside many of today’s most respected tap dancers and legends including Arthur Duncan, Ardie Bryant, Denise Caston, Gregg Russell, Chloe Arnold, Sarah Reich, Chris Broughton, Jenefer Miller, Suzy Guarino-Hall, and Dianne Walker. As a choreographer, Kelsey draws from her training and range of experiences as a singer and dancer to create a style that is intricate, gritty, passionate, and entertaining. Her pieces have received many awards and accolades across the country and she is quickly becoming one of the Midwest’s premier tap choreographers. Kelsey is a member of Cecchetti Council of America and has also studied and competed in ballroom dancing. She works independently as a choreographer for students throughout the Nation. Over the years, Kelsey has worked with Jay Sean, the Jonas Brothers, Debbie Gibson, and Radio Disney. She has performed in the Detroit, Macy’s and Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parades, at the Detroit Jazz Festival, and at TedX Detroit. She most recently has performed and choreographed a half time show for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.
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SOME PAST PERFORMANCES INCLUDE:
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CHOREOGRAPHERS WE HAVE WORKED WITH:
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