Minnesota Tap Dance Experience
May 22, 2026
Presented by: Keane Sense of Rhythm
Come experience a unique competition geared just for tap dancers, featuring 3 talented tap judges.
- Tap on a sprung wood tap floor with exceptional acoustics
- Get valuable, immmediate feedback on your performance
- Fine-tune your routine before you head off to Nationals
Competition Highlights
- 3 ability levels and 6 ages groups
- Special awards and tap scholarships
- One dancer will win a pair of custom shoes from Dancing Fair
- Improv contest - Intermediate and Advanced levels
Event Sponsors:
Meet the 2026 Judges
Acia Gray
judge
As a musician, soloist, choreographer and master teacher of the indigenous American art form of jazz tap dance, Ms. Gray has toured extensively across the U.S. and abroad as a tap dancer and in 1989 co-founded Tapestry Dance Company in Austin, TX with Deirdre Strand and currently serves as Producing Artistic Director of Tapestry Dance & Artistic Director of The Soul 2 Sole Tap Festival.
Mark Yonally
judge
Mark Yonally is the founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Tap Theatre, a critically acclaimed dance company in Chicago, performing an annual three-show season and touring in America and Europe. He is a noted educator and has taught at festivals throughout the U.S. and has served on the faculty at Oklahoma City University and Hope College. He is sought after for his multidisciplinary approach to tap teaching, which includes history, basic music theory and an emphasis on jazz music, and has taught in France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the United States. Mark is also a published author, with pieces appearing in Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher and Dance Magazine.
Ricci Milan
judge
Ricci Milan is the founder of Rhythm Street Movement, a performing arts organization based in Minneapolis. Rhythm Street has a hit holiday show entitled “Who Brought the Humbug?” that tours the Midwest each holiday season. They create and run The Storyboard Experience for youth tap dancers each July. Ricci is also the convention director for the Adrenaline Dance Convention national tour and he and his wife own Elevé Performing Arts Center. Ricci grew up attending Larkin Dance Studio and has performed in New York, LA, Tokyo and more. He created Rhythmic Circus and their show “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now!,” completed 8 national tours, 4 international tours, performed on American Idol and at the Kennedy Center, and had a successful Broadway run at the New Victory Theater in Times Square.
