2026 FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES
Full Intensive Schedule, Fees & REGISTRATION LINK
Nearby Hotels & Restaurants
Video Clips from 2024 Summer Intensive!
Video Clips from 2025 Summer Intensive!
Join Our Mailing List

Tri-Tone Tap & Percussive Arts Summer Intensive
July 17, 18 & 19, 2026

Held at the beautiful DJD Dance Centre in Calgary, Alberta, the Tri-Tone Tap & Percussive Arts Summer Intensive is designed for intermediate and advanced level tap dancers interested in deepening their rhythmic, musical, and creative practice alongside seasoned educators and musicians.

2026 Faculty

Tasha Lawson
Lisa La Touche
Laura Donaldson
Jon McCaslin
Live Jazz Trio

Through the Eras

The 2026 Intensive will explore jazz music and tap dance through three distinct eras:

Lisa La Touche – Early Jazz / New Orleans Era
Learn about the early roots of tap dance in New Orleans and its impact on the development of popular music and music legends, such as Louis Armstrong and more.

Laura Donaldson – Bebop and Hard Bop Era (1940s to mid-1960s)
Dive into the evolution of jazz through the bebop and hard bop eras, exploring complex rhythms, phrasing, and musical structure. This section will also highlight the contributions of women in jazz during this time, and how these influences shaped the music and its relationship to rhythm tap.

Tasha Lawson – Post-Bop / Contemporary Jazz Era (1960s to present)
Explore the evolution of jazz beyond bebop, including cool, modal, and post-bop influences, and how these musical shifts inform contemporary rhythm tap, phrasing, and improvisation.

Intensive Includes

  • 18 hours of immersive training
  • Two lectures: Tap History and Jazz Music Clinic
  • Rhythm tap technique classes
  • Body percussion workshop
  • Composition and repertoire development
  • Archival footage and historical study
  • Tap jam with a live jazz trio, culminating in a Sunday showing

Over three immersive days, dancers will build their skills in a focused studio environment, culminating on Sunday with a live tap jam and informal showing alongside a professional jazz trio. This final session gives dancers the opportunity to apply what they have learned in real time, enhancing their ability to listen, respond, and collaborate through improvisation and musical exchange.

Spectators welcome
Sunday, 4:15 to 5:00 PM

Location

DJD Dance Centre, 5th Floor
111 – 12 Ave SE
Calgary, AB T2G 0Z9

Level

Designed for intermediate to advanced level dancers.

Please inquire if you have questions about level placement.
Contact: tasha@tashalawson.com

Early Bird Deadline

May 31, 2026