Andrew Nemr is considered one of the most diverse tap dance artists today. An international performer, choreographer, educator and speaker, Andrew has played with Grammy Award winning musicians across multiple genres, founded the tap dance company Cats Paying Dues, directs the Tap Dance Freedom education platform, and co-founded the Tap Legacy™ Foundation, Inc., along with his mentor Gregory Hines.
“A masterly tapper” (New York Times), Nemr’s work has been recognized with a TED Fellowship, grants from the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces: Dance Initiative and the CUNY Dance Initiative, a FloBert Award for Tap Dance Excellence, and residencies with Quarterly Arts Soiree at Webster Hall, BRICLab, More Art’s Engaging Artists program, Surel’s Place, and TED Conferences. Nemr is recorded on the Grammy nominated recording Itsbynne Reel by Dave Eggar, the DVD Documentary and companion album Tuesdays at Mona’s by Mona’s Hot Four, and narrates the DanceTime Publications DVD, Tap Dance History: From Vaudeville to Film.
As a founding member and dance captain of Savion Glover’s TiDii, Andrew was featured in the critically acclaimed Improvography at The Joyce Theatre, NY, the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival 2001, the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, the 2002 Winter Olympics Arts Festival, and the 2002 Nijinsky Awards in Monaco. Andrew was also toured with and choreographed for the dance collective World Soul with house dance artist Brian Green.
Nemr’s own tap dance company, Cats Paying Dues, has been presenting critically and popularly acclaimed work since it’s debut in All For Love (2005, Mainstage Theatre at Playwrights Horizons). More recent seasons include Where the Music Lives (2008, Julia Miles Theatre, NY), Echoes In Time (2009, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, NY; The Egg, NY; Landmark on Mainstreet, NY), and Three Suites (2017, Tribeca Performing Arts Center). Other appearances include The QAS at Webster Hall (NYC), Jamaica Performing Arts Center (NY), The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (NYC), the Wesleyan University Center for the Arts (CT), Williams College (MA), and Celebrate Brooklyn (NYC). Return performances include Norte Maar’s Fete De Danse (NY) the Tap Extravaganza (NY), DUMBO Dance Festival (NYC), and the Jerry Lewis Telethon (National Broadcast). The company has also been in residence at BRIClab (NYC) and the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (NYC).
Traveling internationally to teach the art of tap dance, as director of Tap Dance Freedom, Andrew also hosts annual intensives, seasonal and monthly tap dance gatherings, and guides the tap dance program at the McBurney YMCA (NYC). Having been blessed by a myriad of mentors including Harold Cromer, Dr. Bunny Briggs, Dr. Jimmy Slyde, Dr. James “Buster” Brown, LeRoy Myers, Ernest “Brownie” Brown, Henry “Phace” Roberts, Dr. Henry LeTang, Mable Lee, Tina Pratt, Dianne Walker, Savion Glover, Ted Levy, and Gregory Hines, Andrew’s teaching method and content is unique: rooted in the fundamentals, encouraging individual discovery, and supporting the common vocabulary of tap dance.
An avid speaker, Nemr combines the story of his journey and the craft of tap dance to speak on ideas of identity, community, faith, and love. He has presented his unique combination on Fellow’s Stage at TED Global, at numerous TEDx’s (TEDxCERN, TEDxPuraVida, TEDxChemungRiver, TEDxSetonHall), Wheaton College, International Arts Movement’s INHABIT Conference, the Gospel and Work Conference, Laity Lodge, and the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
In his efforts to continue to champion the art form of tap dance, Andrew co-founded the Tap Legacy™ Foundation, Inc., along with Gregory Hines. The Foundation has produced numerous events, including tap dance festivals, and the New York City Celebration of the National Tap Dance Day, while developing tools that will support the oral tradition of tap dance through times of cultural change. These tools include a digital social archive, a traveling exhibit, and a series of online resources.
Andrew holds a BFA in Computer Art from the School of Visuals Arts, is certified in the Active-Isolated Flexibility System by the Wharton Performance Group, and is a card-carrying honorary member of the original Copasetics, Inc.
Sessions
Tap Technique Int/Adv
Tap - The World of Paddle & Rolls
Virtual Teaching Tips for Tap Teachers
The Not-For Profit Experience
Tap Rhythm Turns
Tap Pickups & Pullbacks