Cathy Scavelli

Tap Instructor

 

Cathy Scavelli was born in Connecticut and holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She began her dance training at an incredibly young age, and trained in ballet, tap and jazz. She trained for 15 years with Lorraine Judd-White, who was mentored by Henry LeTang and Leon Collins. She knew that tap was the dance style she was most passionate about, and where she wanted to focus her training as an adult. From that point on, Cathy trained vigorously, taking every class she could, with as many teachers as she could, to learn as much about this art form as possible. She attended the Big Apple Tap Festival, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Southeastern Tap Explosion, Soul to Sole, and a variety of master classes and week-long intensives. She has trained with Master Tap Teachers to include Dianne (Lady Di) Walker, the late Prof. Robert Reed, Lane Alexander, Avi Miller and Ofer Ben, Acia Gray, Gene Medler, Germaine Salsberg, Sam Weber, the late Bob Audy, Jay Fagan, Nicole Hockenberry and Jason Samuels-Smith. Her most memorable tap experience was when she had an opportunity to dance on stage with the late, great Gregory Hines. For the past 30+ years, Cathy has taught all tap levels from beginner to pre-professional in the Tampa Bay area. She has also instructed and mentored many students who went on to become tap instructors. Cathy teaches tap technique and tap rudiments regularly in class, and her students experience all styles of tap from rhythm tap and jazz-tap, to Broadway style and funk. She also loves to teach historical choreography from the great tap masters, which is a relevant part of tap history. In 2017, her choreography was one of three solo pieces to be chosen from the United States to compete at the IDO World Tap Dance Championships in Riesa, Germany. In 2018, her tap piece was one of the few chosen for the showcase at the Big Apple Tap Festival. Her choreography has also won top awards at local and national dance competitions. Cathy is also one of the founders of the America’s Sunshine Dancers, dba Sunshine City Dancers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for the arts. Her choreography is featured in that group at parades and events. However, her biggest passion will always be to help tap students of all ages to achieve their goals whether they are recreational tap dancers or pre-professional tap dancers. She loves to share her passion for this art form with all her students!