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Teacher Bio
Jill Kenney is a New York-based tap dancer, teacher, and choreographer. In NYC, she can be found teaching various levels of tap classes at Broadway Dance Center and the 92NY. She is a tap teacher for the nationally-touring Are You Ready Dance Convention as well as Rhonda Malkin’s Fusion Heels Classes at Ripley-Grier. Jill is also on faculty at various Long Island dance studios and has taught at NYU Steinhardt and other studios in NYC....Read more
Jill Kenney is a New York-based tap dancer, teacher, and choreographer. In NYC, she can be found teaching various levels of tap classes at Broadway Dance Center and the 92NY. She is a tap teacher for the nationally-touring Are You Ready Dance Convention as well as Rhonda Malkin’s Fusion Heels Classes at Ripley-Grier. Jill is also on faculty at various Long Island dance studios and has taught at NYU Steinhardt and other studios in NYC. In addition, she holds her own weekly virtual classes straight from her garage. Jill’s student population spans across the globe and her tap training has helped many to pursue careers in regional theatres, tap ensembles, Broadway national tours, The Rockettes, and cruise lines. As a choreographer her work has been seen in New York venues such as Symphony Space, 54 Below, 92Y Buttenweiser Hall, The NYC Choreographer’s Forum, ATDF’s Something’s Afoot, and The Tank. She has also produced “A Taste of Tap Dance” at the Long Beach (NY) Public Library, educating audiences on tap dance history, featuring her students and local musicians.
Jill worked with Germaine Salsberg for many years as her tap assistant at Broadway Dance Center and as a member of her company, Les Femmes. With this company, Jill has performed at venues such as Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, The Friars Club, Brooklyn College, and Boston’s Regent Theatre. She has appeared as a dancer in numerous festivals including the Dumbo Dance Festival, Tap City, Stam-Pede, and the Tap Extravaganza. Other performance highlights include American Tap Dance Foundation’s Rhythm in Motion, Tap it Out choreographed by Lynn Schwab, the Highline Ballroom, LG Electronics, Citi Center, and Disney Cruise Lines.
Originally from Rhode Island, Jill grew up training in various forms of dance with a focus on Ballet and Tap. She attended Dean College School of Dance earning an AA as well as the Gregory Hines Tap Scholarship and Trustee’s Prize in Dance. She later continued her studies through SUNY Empire State College and the 92NY Dance Education Laboratory earning a BA in Dance Performance & Education.
Feel free to reach Jill on Instagram @jillkenneydance
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Class Descriptions
All of Jill’s classes are designed to help students build solid technique in an upbeat and positive atmosphere. Each class starts with a thorough warm-up engaging the brain and body while focusing on coordination, rhythm, weight shift, and articulation. Technical exercise in the center and across the floor challenge students both physically and mentally, and cover a wide range of tap vocabulary from shuffles and flaps to pullbacks and time steps. Jill breaks down the footwork and encourages her students to fine-tune and build on the skills that they already possess. An ending combination focuses on technique that was worked on throughout the class. Her combos range in style but always focus on clear sounds, smooth transitions, and musicality. She encourages her students to move with their whole bodies and develop their own personal style that is unique to them. Individual attention is given as much as possible and Jill hopes that her students walk out with more confidence than they entered with!
Jill’s Absolute Beginner Workshop provides students with an exciting, yet safe and comfortable environment to learn the basics of Tap Dance. The workshop is geared towards individuals with zero or minimal prior training, who are not quiet feeling ready to dive into an open-class setting. The class is well-structured and follows a natural progression that allows students to build on their new knowledge and skills from week to week. In this course, tap technique is carefully broken down and explained, so that each dancer can build solid technique and a true understanding of the movement and sounds they create. Jill is thrilled to share her love of tap dance with you, so come join the fun… You will gain coordination, musicality, body awareness, and confidence as you work up a sweat!