With the mandate to produce artistic ventures reflecting collaboration, curation, professional development, audience building initiatives, youth education, and outreach - all with respect to the cultural origins of tap dance, Toffan Rhythm Projects includes lead producer Juliana Kelly, producers Houys Garabedian and Tatiana Alfaro, music director Nathan Hiltz, outreach coordinator Serena Henriquez, production manager Sharon DiGenova, artistic advisor Michael Caldwell, and artistic director Allison Toffan, as well as an incredible team of interns!

The collective’s roots were planted in 2011, when Allison invited local tap dancers and musicians to collaborate on a consistent basis, forming Toronto Rhythm Initiative [TRI]. In it’s early years, TRI was a gathering centre for artists to practice, train, collaborate and share through weekly jams, classes, and an annual season of 3-4 shows. The goal was to build audience, create momentum, and develop a strong platform to voice the artistry of Toronto’s professional community. Thematically, each show explores the music of a globally recognized band where TRI artists collaborate to build original arrangements and choreography for each instalment. At 18 shows and counting, their range of musical explorations include The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Oscar Peterson, Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Hall & Oates, Joni Mitchell, The Women of Hip Hop, Duke Ellington, Prince, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Sammy Davis Jr, and Motown.

Establishing themselves over the years, the collective’s infectious energy and buzz built an audience tripling in size from their humble beginnings, attracting international guest artists such as DeWitt Fleming Jr, Sarah Savelli, Joseph Wiggan, Thanos Daskalopoulos, two time guest artist – Canada’s own NYC based Heather Cornell, and the legendary late Arthur Duncan - one of tap’s most treasured artists, best known for his 18 year run on the Lawrence Welk Show.

In 2016, TRI’s focus shifted into annual summer youth programming, sharing their values with Canada’s up and coming youth and young professional tap dancers with events operating in Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Toronto.In 2017, as the next step in their vision, Toffan Rhythm Projects was launched with the inaugural Toronto International Tap Dance Festival [TITDF] , produced in partnership with Harbourfront Centre. The goal: to further elevate the platform by producing Toronto’s leaders alongside both Canadian and International headliners in a more substantial and diverse format. In a post-pandemic world, TITDF will be presented biennially. Programming choices are based the bridging of generations, a multitude of perspectives and cultural backgrounds, local commissions, and making space for new Canadian content -  elevating the platform of our scene alongside global leaders.

TITDF past presentations include: Ted Louis Levy, Heather Cornell’s Making Music Dance, Paula Skimin, Johnathan Morin, Dianne Montgomery, Travis Knights, Dianne Walker, Jumaane Taylor’s Supreme Love, Max Pollak, an excerpt of Lisa La Touche’s film Trax, (in)sight (Ella Steele and David Lafleur), and Tatiana Alfaro. Coming up for 2024, we look forward to presenting work from Tap Love Tour, Brenda Bufalino, Victoria Miller, Ryan Foley, Danny Nelsen, Michela Marino Lerman, Veronica Simpson, and we’ll honour the legacy of Ethel Bruneau.

Toffan Rhythm Projects operates as a producing umbrella for TRI, TITDF, Ripple Effect - an outreach company launched in spring 2023, and other developing projects.

www.toffanrhythmprojects.com