Former Maplewood resident Nancy Marshall has been dancing most of her life. It’s an avocation that has now come full circle.
“I took tap lessons when I was a young kid, but not since. I thought it would be fun to take a class again, and found one.”
After rediscovering tap as an adult, Marshall is now on the board of one of New Jersey’s most dynamic dance troupes, The NJTAP Ensemble.
It all started when Marshall signed up for a senior tap class in Maplewood. “Our fabulous teacher, Lorraine, was a former Rockette in her 80s. The class met on Monday mornings at 10 and it was so much fun, and something I looked forward to every week,” said Marshall. Unfortunately, Lorraine ultimately disbanded the class to move to the shore, but not before Marshall had made a fortuitous connection.
One week Marshall came into class excited about a dance performance she had seen over the weekend at SOPAC — a tap company called The NJTAP Ensemble.
“It was a history of tap dance, and a company so incredible, that I thought I had just discovered it. Barbara, one of my friends in class told me that she was the Chairman of the Board of the company and I was totally in awe and excited. The Artistic Director, Deborah Mitchell, had been a Broadway and a movie dancer in Black and Blue in Paris and Cotton Comes to Harlem, and had a rich Broadway history with all veteran hoofers.”
Nancy and Barbara kept in touch despite the discontinuation of their class.
“I got a call from Barbara a few weeks later asking me to lunch. I went to her house and we sat talking about everything we could think of, and she then asked me if I would be interested in being on the board. I was so touched and honored and of course, accepted. She had done her research on me, and apparently thought I would be a good addition to the board.”
Soon Marshall was meeting with NJTAP Ensemble’s Artistic Director, Deborah Mitchell. “I have a million ideas about helping them move forward, and am so excited and proud to start this venture.”
Marshall’s first task?
To promote the company’s FREE performance of Tapping Through History at the Bradley Hall Theater, 110 Warren Street, Rutgers Newark Campus on November 9 at 7 p.m. Find out more here: www.njtap.org.
“NJTAP 2 also performs at schools to educate kids about keeping this art form alive and it’s such a wonderful program. Tap is such a happening thing right now, and I want to be able to help them make their mark on dance.”
