Stephanie Vadala Adjunct Instructor Performing Arts
- Bio
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Stephanie Vadala is a dancer, educator, photographer, cat mom, and beloved member of the DMV dance community. She is a native of Syracuse, NY, where she trained in many dance styles from the age of three. She then received her B.A. from SUNY Oswego in 2005 and, shortly after, moved to D.C. to begin her exciting dance career.
Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has laid her roots in the D.C. dance community and is currently a Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble member. She has performed across the DMV at events like the Utz National Chip Day Celebration, the National Mall for Earth Day, the 100th Anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival, multiple D.C. Tap Fest All-Star Concerts, and National Tap Dance Day. Her favorite performances include a tap dance tribute to Fred Astaire performed on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and in the documentary, “James Brown: The Man, The Music, The Message,” which aired on NBC. She is also honored to have attended Jacob’s Pillow in August 2019 for the Art of Photographing Dance intensive to further her photography skills.
In addition to being a seasoned performer, Stephanie is a sought-after dance educator known for her inclusive teaching style and emphasis on tap history. She has taught multiple dance styles throughout the D.C. area, but tap dance is where her heart is. She currently teaches tap at Dance Place, Knock on Wood, CityDance, and is an adjunct professor at American University. Stephanie was the director of Soles of Steel housed at Joy of Motion from 2018-2020. Now, she is the director and founder of Take 2, a youth tap company based in the D.C. area (est. in 2020), and she recently created Rooted in Rhythm; a project based tap performance company. Beyond teaching, Stephanie is passionate about using tap to build community. She enjoys producing tap jams to bring dancers together, and this year she launched The Wood Collective, an organization that will provide educational and performance opportunities for the DC tap community. Stephanie is on a never-ending journey to keep growing as a student of dance and as an educator. Driven by her love for her craft, she hopes to spread her love of dance beyond the DMV and the rest of the U.S
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Spring 2024
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DNCE-216 Tap Dance II