Interview with Danielle, Becca, and Shelley
Of Footprints Tap Ensemble
1. What is the name of your company?
Footprints Tap Ensemble
2. How many years has your company existed?
25 years
3. Where is your company based?
Libertyville, IL (about 40 miles north of Chicago)
4. What are the age range of the dancers in your company?
10-18 years old
5. How often do your dancers meet to rehearse? Perform?
Our dancers have regular company rehearsal once a week and have a weekly tap class. They are also required to maintain ballet and some form of jazz as well. From July - November we have rehearsals 2-4 days a week to prepare for our annual show. On average we perform once a month from December - June.
These questions I asked Becca Snow Footprints current Artistic Director, dancer 1996 - , Danielle Brooks Footprints current Co-Director dancer , and Shelley Hoselton owner of Talent Forum and Executive Producer of Footprints Tap Ensemble who has been around for all of the last 25 years.
6. When you began, what was your primary motivation/goal/mission for starting a Tap dance company?
Footprints was founded by Sarah Cook-Flynn in 1994. She was with Footprints from 1994-1999.
Shelley Hoselton: “The motivation was someone who was very hungry to be able to work with tap dancers, put them together and make them have a common goal. Someone who really felt that she had something to give. And to share the history of tap and make them understand that tap dance itself creates a bond. The rhythm itself pulls people together. To be able to take them to where she felt she had gotten to. Sarah started with just three dancers and it built until Footprints became a strong force and once she left it became a force that carried on with guidance, but not just a director that propagated it. It was something that was a sisterhood, later brothers entered the field, but it was a sisterhood that they had a common goal and that underlying rhythm was a driving force and they really fed off of each other just to be able to make music together.”
7. As time has moved on, how has that mission evolved?
When Sarah left Footprints became directed by the dancers and guided by a Business Manager, Gerrie Reese-Jones. Footprints alumni came back to set choreography on the company later on and eventually Footprints alumni came back to guide as Directors. First company members (we have three levels Footprint Workshop (beginner), Footprints II (Intermediate), Footprints (Advanced) ) lead most of their own rehearsals, we are talking about high schoolers here. They also have the opportunity to choreograph their own pieces, pick costumes, and set tech for their pieces. They really own their annual show called Tap Jam.
Danielle Brooks: “I would say through the first couple years of the company it wasn’t enough to call them traditions, but it’s nice to see even now we still talk about things that took place in the beginning of the company. Even me and Becca being in the same room, we were never actually in the company at the same time, but there’s a lot of over lap of knowledge we learned and were able to carry on and even when we come back and we teach, there are some many similarities while also you can clearly define a difference between the two of us. That has to do with the tap teachers we have here (Talent Forum, Footprints home studio) as well as opportunities that this company is given us such as YTEC (Youth Tap Ensemble Conference, a program offered every July by the Chicago Human Rhythm Project).”
Becca Snow: “I think too it’s grown with social media. We are evolving in the sense of who we are and who we are sharing our story with. Every year we get better because we are sharing more and we are pushing each other to do more technique wise and our storytelling tap dance wise and choreography and everything.”
Shelley Hoselton: “I think a rarity is also the fact that as we say Once a Footprint, always a Footprint and ironically here’s two Footprints alumni right here in the room. One almost an FP original (Becca), Danielle is an FP in-between, but it’s true Footprints support Footprints. We have a tap technician here, Mark Yonally, who has maintained footwork, but through the history of Footprints, there’s always been a Footprint there making sure those traditions, certain warm-up skills, certain things that you have done over the years maintains. The drive of carrying forward has been propagated by Footprints itself which is very unique, you don’t normally see people paying it forward. It takes a fire to make people want to prove themselves. The FP originals felt that fire when Sarak Cook-Flynn left Footprints and they have been passing the torch ever since. They can say loudly yay we are worthy.”
8. What has been the biggest challenge of starting a dance company?
Money. We are a 501(C)(3) non-profit company so we do a lot of fundraising to be able to give these dancers the opportunity to put on their own show, and go to tap conferences such as YTEC and whatever other opportunities come our way. In the past Footprints have traveled to New York, St. Louis, and as far away as China to perform. We want to be able to continue to grow and provide these opportunities to our dancers and that takes money.
Shelley Hoseleton: “Money. I say money, but it takes a village. It takes people willing to give their time. Everybody sitting at this table right now. None of us makes a fortune at what we are doing. We have peanuts, but we are wealthy beyond compare with what we help produce. It takes people willing to put that (money) behind and believing in the kids. A lot of times people just don’t believe in what they are doing. Having a company takes more than just holding a dance class because you are making people commit to something that they have to honor or they’ve let their company members down.”
Danielle Brooks: “Everlasting support helps keep it going.”
9. What has been your proudest moment in directing this dance company?
Danielle Brooks: “ Being that it wasn’t that long ago since I was in Company, I think it’s nice to feel familiar in this space. You get to see from nothing to this full blown show. I think this year it’s been a lot more student involved with how the show is going and I think since it wasn’t until my year out of Company that I actually got to fully plan a show, but to be able to help them do it while they are in Company, it’s like is has come full circle from what I was always told was the value of this company which was being self-directed and I think we have done a good job this year of trying to help them fell that this was way more self directed then it has been in the last couple of years. If I could give my pride a facial expression it would be all of the dancers right after that curtain closes as they are coming off the stage. If you were standing there, it’s that face, the expression that all of them have on their face. They are so proud of what they did. They are so happy. That’s all you could ever want to give them.”
Becca Snow: Becca closed her eyes for most of this as she was visualizing these moments while she was telling it to me. It was great. “The moments when the dancers are on stage and it just, all that hard work pays off and it just clicks. They’re listening to each other, the piece just feels right, they are in that moment and they’re performing beyond the steps. It gives you chills. They get it. The other thing too is when they are laughing and having fun and you know that outside of the studio you’ve help to create those lifelong bonds. That’s something that goes beyond the company itself. The friends that I made 25 years ago in this company I’m still friends with.
Shelley Hoselton: “Because we have taken the liberty of, I say Footprints lead Footprints, but we also reached into the professional community. We’ve reached into having the best master tappers in the world touch Footprints by our participation in YTEC at the Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Footprints learned the Shim Sham Shimmy from Leonard Reed himself. The networking and their relationships with other pre-professional tap companies and they see all of them, how they are making their successes and what gives me the pride is when I see all of them know and respect Footprints. It really is a sense of pride to be part of Footprints whether you go on to tap on not. You are going to be a strong powerful person just because of your involvement. You are going to understand working with people, but others who they have admired coming back and saying, “Man they are just burnin’ it up” That’s huge, you know. I love seeing relationships, there’s nothing better. What you (Becca) talked about, that bond and people you’ve known for 25 years, you can’t beat it. Having people that you talk to around the world that know who you are and respect you for your art as kids. These kids are respected around the world and that’s amazing.”
10. What words of advice would you offer to someone who is starting their own tap dance company?
Danielle: “Do it. Nike said it best, Just do it. I would also say that no matter what the outcome is, it’s never a failure. It’s always going to be a learning experience and if it doesn’t work out the first time, that doesn’t mean that it’s a no go. Take whatever you learned and bring it into the next opportunity. This community (tap community) is so big, it needs more growth, it will always need more growth. Anyone trying to start a company makes a difference whether it’s big or small it makes a difference.”
Becca: “Go big or go home. You won’t regret it. Anytime I tell someone I’m a tap dancer they’re like “Oh my God! I love tap! I tap danced when I was 7” and they love it . So I think that anybody who starts a tap company and has something to offer, anybody who joins that tap company will have a good experience whether or not they’re in it for 10 years or 6 months. They will always look back on it and think I was in a tap company and it was great.”
Shelley: “You’ve got to take risks. You’ve got to take chances. You’ve got to invest. You’ve got to know that’s it’s worth the time, the money, and the trouble to go for what you have a vision to do in the field to make it great. Don’t make it mediocre. I hear people saying that tap is a dying art all the time and I’m like man you don’t know my house, you don’t know Talent Forum and Footprints, you don’t know Chicago, you don’t know North Carolina, you don’t know Minnesota, you don’t know Canada, you don’t know Tokoyo, Tap is not a dying art. You’re just not looking in the right place. I think what’s kind of cool about tapis you can start at any age and you can dance until your 80 and there is a bond that you do share. Tap dancers around the world know the shim sham. It’s an international language and when you have it it’s in the pocket. There’s many dances shared and that’s not common in most dance forms. It’s a unique art.”
11. Do you have any current projects the company is working on that you want to promote?
Yes our 25th anniversary show, Tap Jam 2019, is coming up Sunday November 10, 4:30 pm. Vernon Hills High School. Tickets can be purchased online at:
https://27151.danceticketing.com/r/?tid=2036&sid=0&message&fbclid=IwAR3z_S Kov-UDDOP4Txb2O0-tXUDaA8ZeLR8CqMtWn22xyAUt71phtY2wZ0A
Our special guest artist is Star Dixon. We also will have guest performances from Chicago Tap Theatre.
12. Describe your company in one word!
Danielle: Family
Becca: Inclusive
Shelley: Evolutionary