Michelle Dorrance

Michelle began tap dancing under the tutelage of leading youth tap director, Gene Medler at the Ballet School of Chapel Hill in North Carolina. She spent ten years with his North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble performing both as a company member and as a soloist at the St. Louis Tap Festival, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, and international festivals in Europe and South America.

As a founding member of Savion Glover's Tidii, Michelle performed with him at the The Joyce Theater, The Nijinsky Awards,2002 Winter Olympics Arts Festival, Jerry Lewis Telethon, and the Cannes Film Festival. She has taught and performed as a solo artist at the North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival, the International FeetBeat Festival in Finland, Tap Encontro in Brazil, the Groovin High Workshops in Japan, as well as both the Diisseldorf and Hiedelberg Stepptanz Festivals in Germany.

Michelle was dance captain and soloist in the premier national tour of Dancing on Common Ground, was a spotlight dancer with the vintage jazz band The Squirrel Nut Zippers as well as with the dynamic duo Bitch and Animal, and was featured in Cintia Chameki's Ritmico. Michelle was a cultural ambassador to Russia for the town of Chapel Hill representing tap dancing as an indigenous American art form. Michelle has also performed at New York's Birdland, Mercury Lounge, and Shine as well as Tokyo's Sweet Basil and Tokyo Tuc.

Michelle is currently a member of Barbara Duffy and Company, deez and deez, Manhattan Tap, and is on faculty at Broadway Dance Center. Michelle holds a Bachelor of the Arts from New York University's Gallatin School. She is also honored to have spent time with an has been heavily influenced by Gene Medler, Savion Glover, Dianne Walker, Josh Hilberman, Ted Levy, Sam Weber, Brenda Buffalino, Barbara Duffy, Dr. Buster Brown, Dr. Cholly Atkins, Dr. Jimmy Slyde, Fay Rae, and Mable Lee.