"Rhapsody In Taps marks 25 years of wide-ranging exploration of the style...performing jazz tap, flash tap, musical comedy tap and experiments juxtaposing tap and world music.

Essays in world music...Bob Carroll executing intricate virtuoso steps to rhythmic Balinese chant ("Kecak")... Sohl-Ellison matching step patterns to the throb of Monti Ellison's exotic bow shaped instrument ("Espiritu").

Musical values stayed admirable, whether the accompaniment came from Ellison, the company's versatile jazz quintet, I Nyoman Wenten's Balinese chanters or the guest klezmer instrumentalists. Indeed, you could speculate that Sohl-Ellison decided long ago that the emotion in a Rhapsody In Taps performance would come from what you hear, with the dancing lightly, smoothly, adroitly complementing the musicianship...it's earned her a 25-year run, no small achievement in Los Angeles."

Rhapsody In Taps, a Los Angeles based touring company, features seven tap dancers, six jazz musicians and guest artists. The modern dance background of Artistic Director/Choreographer, Linda Sohl-Ellison, is reflected in Rhapsody In Taps' diverse repertoire, which pays tribute to the rich heritage of tap as well as exploring innovative choreographic directions for the concert stage. Rhapsody In Taps has been a leader in the tap resurgence that began in the 1980's.

"The seven members of Rhapsody in Taps and the five-piece jazz ensemble that accompanied them were really smoking during Saturday's one-night stand. In fact, the dancers had the audience eating out of their hands from the moment they started tapping out their fascinating rhythms– sometimes in solos or duets, other times in groups that spread across the stage in ever-changing patterns of rhythmic syncopation."

Founded in 1981, Rhapsody In Taps has a full history of creating original works, touring and presenting, assisted by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Dept., N/S/C Partnership, Brody Arts, Panasonic, Times Mirror and others. The company has created more than 40 works, all performed with live music. Music commissions have included works by renowned jazz artists Al "Tootie" Heath, Cedar Walton, Louie Bellson, Phil Wright, and numerous collaborations with noted percussionists. In 1986, Rhapsody In Taps created its first big band work for a performance at UCLA's Royce Hall with an all star jazz big band and has since had the distinction of performing concerts with the Louie Bellson Big Band.

The company has also enjoyed affiliations with Americas' Tap Masters, performing with Los Angeles tap legend and featured RIT soloist Eddie Brown from 1985 until 1992, and presenting numerous solo tap veterans in concert including Sandman Sims, Charles "Honi" Coles, Steve Condos, Bunny Briggs, Arthur Duncan, Leonard Reed and Frances Nealy. An artistic highlight for the company was the choreographic project with Gregory Hines during the creation of his 1990 work for Rhapsody In Taps, "Toeing the 3rd and Fifth," supported by the NEA. Other NEA supported choreographic commissions include works by Fred Strickler (1993), Keith Terry (1994), Brenda Bufalino (1998), and Sam Weber (2002).

The Company's performance history includes four television appearances (KNBC and KCET), performing at L.A.'s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, a New York debut at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, San Francisco's prestigious Stern Grove Festival for an audience of 17,000, plus 20 annual Los Angeles seasons at the Japan America Theater and 18 annual seasons in Orange County. Each year, Rhapsody In Taps' L.A. season includes two Children's Programs for 1600 students bussed to the JACCC from the Los Angeles Unified School District. Rhapsody In Taps' children's program has been one of LAUSD's most successful and popular events since its inception in 1991.

RIT has enjoyed touring engagements in California, New Mexico, Michigan, Utah, Florida, Oregon, Colorado, Canada and New York. In 2000 Rhapsody In Taps spent two weeks in Bali rehearsing and performing with I Nyoman Wenten and his gamelan musicians. Besides the artistry and inspiration gained from the Balinese people, culture and landscape, the company created its tap version of the Kecak (Monkey Chant) in Payangan, Bali during the summer of 2000. Check out Nusantara page.

All throughout its history Rhapsody In Taps has produced numerous tap events of national and international significance in an effort to preserve and promote the unique American art form of tap dance. In 1983,'84,'86,'93,'95 and '97, RIT co-produced the "Essence of Rhythm," concerts featuring America's tap legends and solo artists. In 1993, 1995 and 1997, Rhapsody In Taps and Orange Coast College co-produced the Southern California Tap Festival featuring an intensive program of tap/jazz classes, events and performances by renowned artists. Each year Rhapsody In Taps celebrates National Tap Dance Day by offering a day of tap master classes.
National Tap Dance Day page.