New Victory Dance Chapter 5 Shows & Events » New Victory Dance 2020 » Dormeshia Dormeshia And Still You Must Swing (Excerpts) For everyone 8 and up Hailed “the most moving dance show of the year” by The New York Times, And Still You Must Swing brings together three of the best tap dancers in the world—Dormeshia, who leads the project alongside Derick K. Grant and Jason Samuels Smith—to capture the heart and legacy of tap dance and honor the jazz roots of this American art form. Choreographed by Dormeshia Featuring dancers Dormeshia, Camille A. Brown, Derick K. Grant and Jason Samuels Smith Additional Credits Hosted by Penelope McCourty Sign Language Interpretation provided by Hands On, Inc. Interpreter Director John McGinty Sign Language Interpreter José Gomez Audio Description provided by Laura H. Congleton Archival video of And Still You Must Swing Filmed at The Joyce Theater Learn & Engage About the Company Dormeshia collaborated with fellow dancers Jason Samuels Smith, Derick K. Grant and Camille A. Brown, as well as musicians Carmen Staaf, Winard Harper, Noah Garabedian and Gabriel Roxbury, in order to bring this work back to life at The Joyce in 2019. From the Choreographer And Still You Must Swing is a celebration of tap dance and jazz music, the relationship between the two, and the influence of their African roots. Inspiration for this work was actually a direct result of several informal conversations that took place between my fellow tap community leaders, Jason Samuels Smith and Derick K. Grant, about the evident lack of swing in tap dance and jazz music of today. And Still You Must Swing is my natural artistic response to the missing acknowledgment of the foundation of tap dance as we know it, by paying homage to the greatness of the groove, and that is to swing. Dormeshia July 2020 Choreographer Bio Dormeshia is a two-time Bessie Award winner (as performer and choreographer), Princess Grace Award and Astaire Award for Best Female Performer in Broadway’s After Midnight. Additional Broadway credits include Black and Blue and Bring In Da’Noise, Bring In Da’Funk. Dormeshia was integral to Noise/Funk’s international tour (dance captain/principal) and performed as special guest for Grammy Award-winning artist Fantasia and International Jazz Day featuring the legendary Al Jarreau and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Film credits include TAP with Gregory Hines, Spike Lee’s Bamboozled (assistant choreographer/actress) and The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang (Best Lead Actress nomination). Choreography credits include Michael Jackson’s Rock My World, The Cotton Club’s Sophisticated Ladies, The Blues Project (co-choreographer/creator) and Jacob’s Pillow debut And Still You Must Swing (The New York Times’ Best Dance of 2016). She is currently the Director of the Jacob’s Pillow Tap Program and Artistic Director of Tap Family Reunion. With over 30 years touring the world, she also spent 11 years as Michael Jackson’s tap instructor. Watch a Talk-Back Video Join Dormeshia as she answers questions about her work submitted by summer camp kids and families watching New Victory Dance. Audio-Described Talk-Back About New Victory Dance A celebration of dance in all its forms, our annual summer dance series features exciting NYC dance companies alongside unique opportunities to see and engage in a wide variety of dance styles. See lineup Did you know? Free arts programming like New Victory Arts Break and this year’s virtual New Victory Dance is just one way we make arts more accessible during this critical time. New Victory, powered by New 42, remains committed to creating quality arts education and engagement to broaden kids’ worldview through the performing arts. Support New Victory Dance Supporters New Victory Dance is supported, in part, by a generous grant from the Blavatnik Family Foundation in honor of Dawdie Appelson, a teacher, arts enthusiast and life-long supporter of the performing arts. Jody and John Arnhold | Arnhold Foundation | Howard Gilman Foundation | Harkness Foundation for Dance | Mertz Gilmore Foundation | public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council | the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature | The Jerome Robbins Foundation
