Tapaholics: An Addictive Rhythmic Experience

Michael Minery
	Michael Minery, a New Jersey native, has established himself as one of the finest tap dancers working today. He combines youthful power with the finesse of the old time hoofers. His credits include The Supper Club on Broadway, The Jazz Tap Summit with Jimmy Slyde and Diane Walker, Lexington's Tap Dance Day Celebration with Josh Hilberman, the International Dance Festival-NYC, and Feet Beat in Helsinki, Finland, as well as numerous industrials, and the soap opera "Guiding Light." Michael toured the world as a soloist with the internationally acclaimed Manhattan Tap and was a recipient of a 1997 Princess Grace Dance Fellowship Award. He has choreographed pieces for Manhattan Tap, The North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble and The New Jersey Tap Ensemble, as well as for numerous companies and studios around the world. He is currently a Faculty member of the prestigious Broadway Dance Center in NYC and travels extensively as a performer, choreographer, and Master Teacher.

THE TAPAHOLICS Photos: © Lois Greenfield 2006.
	Matt Boyce is an award-winning dancer and an accomplished musician. He has performed with New Jersey Tap Ensemble in numerous venues including NJPAC. Matt performs in TAPAHOLICS as both a dancer and a musician. He has studied piano for twelve years and is a Freshman at Montclair State University's School of Music.
	Nick Dinicolangelo was chosen as one of the first principle dancers of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble at the age of 14. Under artistic director Deborah Mitchell, he has served as the company's dance captain and continues to perform as the premier solo artist. A graduate of Montclair State University, he is currently on staff at many of New Jersey's top dance schools. His choreography has won top honors at many regional, national, and international competitions. Nick teaches master classes and workshops throughout the US.
	Jason Luks attends the Tisch department at NYU. In 2003, Jason was named Adult Tap World Champion at the World Tap Dance Championships in Riesa, Germany. Jason also performed for the presidential inauguration at the America's Future Rocks Today concert.
	Monette McKay is am accomplished singer and actress, as well as an award winning tap dancer. She has performed with the New Jersey Tap Ensemble and at the Supper Club on Broadway. She was the recipient of Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2002 Rising Star Award for best Supporting Actress.
	Trisha Minery was a member of the winning duet team, with her brother Michael, at the World Tap Dancer Championships in Germany. Trisha is not only an accomplished performer and teacher of tap, she is currently a teacher at Washington Park Elementary School in New Jersey.
	Anthony Morigerato has been involved in dance for the past sixteen years teaching, choreographing, and performing. He received extensive training in tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, and theatre dance from Eleanor’s School of Dance, the Capital Ballet Company, The New School of Ballet, Broadway Dance Center and the Gus Giordano School. Anthony has been on faculty for many different dance and theatre schools, including the New York State Theatre Institute. Currently, Anthony is on scholarship at Marymount Manhattan College.
	Lisa Zerebecki was born in Montreal and moved to California at a young age where she developed her love for dance. When her family moved to New Jersey, she continued to dance, discovering the excitement of Broadway, and appearing in many showcases. She currently teaches advanced tap and tap team at a New Jersey dance studio. Lisa can also be seen in Bob Rizzo's instructional tap videos as one of Michael Minery's dancers.
	Martino Caputo as Dr. Brasciole
	Itay Polishuk is an actor and tap dancer from Israel. He is currently touring internationally in Tararam.
*THE MUSICIANS*
	Damien Bassman (Musical Director, Percussionist), from Fairfax, Virginia, received his BM from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a MM and Performer’s Residency Certificate from Carnegie Mellon University. He also earned an Advanced Performer’s Certificate from The Juilliard School. Mr. Bassman has performed both as soloist and section percussionist/principal timpanist with the Cleveland Orchestra, the National Symphony, and the Columbus Symphony, and tours with the acclaimed Absolute Ensemble, performing everything from Mahler to Frank Zappa, collaborating with artists such as Paquito DiRivera and John Zorn. He has performed under the batons of some of the world’s leading conductors in concert halls in Europe, Asia, and America. Damien’s Broadway/Off-B’wy experience includes The Color Purple, Aida, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Nine, Never Gonna Dance, Fiddler On The Roof, Caroline Or Change, The Wedding Singer, Hi Fidelity, Baby, BatBoy, Radiant Baby, and serving as principal drumset/percussionist for Making Tracks on both its Sony Records International #1 recording and its 2001 Taiwan tour. Damien composes for and performs live with modern dance companies (The Parson’s Dance Company, Alvin Ailey, Battleworks) and can be heard all over New York City playing for live dance classes. Damien has played with rock legends Kansas and regularly records and plays drumset/percussion with many New York-based bands and singer-songwriters.
	Mat Fieldes, Bass, a native New Zealander now living in New York, has played regularly with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the New Zealand Sym. Orch. Versatile in both instrument (double bass and electric bass guitar), and musical genre, his numerous recording and tour dates have included performances with a variety of artists from Placido Domingo, Kin Te Kanawa, and the New Zealand String Quartet, to Shirley Bassey, Joe Williams, and Arturo Sandoval. In 1994, Mr. Fieldes was granted the New Zealand Young Achiever award and was the subject of a 1995 television documentary. He earned his graduate degree at the Juilliard School in 1997. He is currently Principal Bass with Absolute Ensemble, conducted by Kristjan Järvi, and freelances with a number of groups, including the Westchester Symphony Orchestra, the Jose Limon Dance Company, Continuum, and the New England Symphonic Ensemble. His interests include jazz and rock bass styles, and he performs in all idioms.
	Adam Ben-David, Keyboards, is a Broadway Musician whose credits include Bombay Dreams, Dance of the Vampires, and Once Upon A Mattress.
	Charlie Porter, Trumpet, is a NY based trumpeter and composer who has performed throughout the world as a classical chamber and orchestral musician, jazz musician and soloist. He has been in Jarvi's Absolute Ensemble since 1996 (a grammy-nominated ensemble which plays Stravinksy to Ellington to Hendrix) and has performed with such diverse groups as TI and The Mingus Big Band. Mr. Porter has won first place in the National Trumpet Competition in both Jazz and Classical.
	Stephen Bensen, Guitar
	Michael Wahrlick, Clarinet (Special Guest Musician)
*THE PRODUCTION TEAM*
Company Manager	Suzy Zimmermann
Production Managers	Kelsea-Janenne Fleisher and Daylyn Walz
Musical Arrangements	Damien Bassmen Michael Minery Charlie Porter
Light & Sound Design	Dan Kuhn
Acting Scenes	Written by Michael Minery and Martino Caputo Direction and Consultation by Flo Salant Greenberg
Video Projection	Jeff Stroming
Stage Carpenter	Mat Kaplan
Sets	Cindy Knippa

	*More TAPAHOLICS bios coming soon!*