Home > Faculty > Tap/AcroTumbling > Chuck Kelley

Chuck Kelley

Chuck Kelley has earned both a National and International reputation in the field of dance as a "Teacher's Teacher" and for over 40 years has consistently taught in New York City, being associated with the June Taylor , Harkness Ballet, Farnworth and Hauer , New York Centre of Dance Studios and presently the Broadway Dance Center.

He has taught thousands of dancers and teachers and has been represented on the Broadway stage with dancers in every major musical comedy for the past 35 years as well as producing dancers who have gone into every phase of theatre (bus/truck tours, dinner theatres, television, movies, casino revues, etc.) He has teachers across America and in foreign countries who use his technical material in Tap, Jazz and acrobatics/Tumbling.

He has taught for every major dance teachers association in the US, Canada and has conducted master classes in Mexico, Hawaii, France, Italy, Germany, and was on the International Summer Academy of Dance in Koln, Germany as well as Professor of dance for the University of Quebec at Chicoutumi in Canada.

He is in constant demand as an adjudicator for dance competitions and has staged and choreographed for Ballet companies, Metropolitan Opera, stock productions, night club acts, television, and for contestants for the Miss America Pageant. He has written books, articles for magazines, recorded CDs and audio and video tapes of Acrobatics/tumbling and written a Tap Dance dictionary.

His former professional career spanned stock productions, National tours, Broadway Musicals, Television, concert work and night club work. 

Class Description

Basic TAP: For those with little or no training.  Work on the first 18 Single Tap Sounds followed by the 3 Double Tap Sounds (shuffle, flap, slap) with simple progressions across the floor and work on Military & Waltz Clog Time Step with a short choreographed combination.

Beg Tap: For those with some training or who have mastered his Basic Tap Class. A continuation of the last 2 Basic Tap Sounds plus work on riffs, scuffles, and single pullbacks. More advanced progressives to include running shuffles, front & back Irish, Buffalo and Buck, Standard, Shim-sham Time steps, turning actions plus a choreographed combination.

Adv Beg TAP: Continuation of more advanced material to include Front/Back Shuffles, Double Shuffles, Stomples, Double and Triple Drawbacks, Traveling and Cramproll Time Steps, more advanced turns, variations on single and double pullbacks and a choreographed combination.

All Levels Tumbling:  Class begins with A 1/2 hour warm-up of battements, developes, simple and complex back arching moves, strength building, exercises and individual stretching techniques, followed by mat and floor work to include:  rolls, handstands, cartwheels, backbends, front and back limbers & walkovers, tinsicas, front & back handsprings and aerial movements such as aerial cartwheels and somersaults.