Listen to the sound of your heartbeat. Feel the rhythm radiate through your soul. Now express it through your feet!

This is how I felt when I took Acia Gray‘s Tap Improv class at Tap City. I have never worked with a more organic musician in my life. Music is truly in her bones. She has a style of dancing and teaching that comes from her musical training as a drummer and knows how to create rhythms that get you into a groove. Once you are in that groove, your possibilities to explore are endless.

Acia‘s style isn’t as hard hitting as a lot of what you see today because she is a Jazz Tap Dancer. Her style is light and full of accents and dynamics with a beautiful melody that takes you on a journey that is close to your heart. She has a story to tell that is easy to follow with a beginning, middle, and end that leaves you walking away feeling absolutely wonderful. Because of her training as a drummer, I think she is able to create some very interesting counter-rhythms and melodies, and finds new, innovative ways to use her tap shoes to make certain sounds.

I was first introduced to Acia through her book “The Souls of Your Feet” which includes wonderful information on counting, basics, and steps every Tap dancer should know. I think this book is very useful as a guide for students, plus it outlines how each step is executed.

Acia is also the Executive Artistic Director and co-founder of Tapestry Dance Company based in Austin, Texas.

One of the most important, yet forgotten lessons I learned from this incredible woman is that “It is always music, never steps”.  Always listen to the music of your soul and use the talented voice you were given to express it.