Michela Marino Lerman, winner of the Hoofer and FloBert Awards, is a world-renowned tap dance artist, performer, choreographer, band leader, educator, and all-around creative spirit. The Huffington Post has called her a “hurricane of rhythm”... and the NY Times has called her both a “prodigy” and has described her dancing as “flashes of brilliance.” Quincy Jones has called her an “absolute tap dancing star who knows her roots.” She very proudly, was mentored by some of the masters of tap dance including Gregory Hines, Buster Brown, Leroy Myers, Peg Leg Bates, Marion Coles, Jeni LeGon and Mable Lee. Michela can be seen featured in the new US Postage Stamp series dedicated to the art form of Tap Dance. She is also the only female lifetime honorary member of the legendary tap dance fraternity, The Copasetics. Michela has performed, choreographed, written, produced, and directed many projects throughout her career including leading her own group Love Movement. She recently was commissioned by the Joyce Theater to create and premiere her full-length work “Once Upon A Time Called Now.” Some additional performance highlights include the Whitney Museum of American Art, Newport Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Marciac Jazz Festival, HarlemStage, Joes Pub, Little Island, opening night of The Shed at the Hudson Yards, The Other Palace on London’s West End, and co-producing the documentary film American Tap. Michela has had the honor of working with many legends throughout her career some of whom include Anna Deavere Smith, Wynton Marsalis, Quincy Jones, Jon Batiste, Roy Hargrove, Steve McQueen and more. Read more

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Danté Lara is a California (Los Angeles) based tap dancer, teacher, and choreographer who continues to impact the new international tap dancing scene with cutting-edge choreography of all tap subgenres. Dante's entertaining improvisational... skills are captivating for all audiences & he aims to bring new faces of all ages into tap dance culture. Dante has tap danced in every setting imaginable, from company work, on stage and Television to living in New York City, street performing and performing with various Jazz bands & as a soloist. As a youngin, Dante was fortunate enough to take class & even share the stage with the late Gregory Hines, Feyard Nicholas & Arthur Duncan on multiple occasions, to name a few. As an original alumnus and later teacher of the legendary LA Tap festival since 2003; Dante has performed repertoire from hoofers like Harold Cromer, and Leonard Reed (the creator of the shim sham) & studied extensively with Chloe Arnold, Jason Samuels Smith, Alfred Desio, Steve Zee as a young tap dancer. Most recently, Dante was singing and dancing in the movie Spirited (2022) featuring Ryan Reynolds & Will Ferrell. Dante has also been performing all around Los Angeles, Las Vegas, & Utah with the Amanda Castro Band as a live Tap dance soloist. Some of his Acting/Dancing credits include (World of Dance Top 16), Nintendo, Ford, and Yamaha to name a few. Read more

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Considered one of the nation’s top-call jazz trumpeters, Gilbert Castellanos is a renowned musician, composer, educator and arranger. Known for his expressive playing and improvisational fluency, Gilbert has built an acclaimed career as a performer, bandleader and champion of jazz... Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and raised in Fresno, California, Gilbert began playing trumpet at age six and was performing professionally by age 11. At 15, he performed with mentor and jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie at the Monterey Jazz Festival. After studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston and Cal Arts in Los Angeles, Gilbert gained international acclaim as a member of Black/Note, recording three albums with the celebrated group. His solo recording career has included The Gilbert Castellanos Hammond B3 Quartet, Underground, and The Federal Jazz Project. Gilbert has toured extensively and performed or recorded with an extraordinary roster of artists, including Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Horace Silver, Christian McBride, Diana Krall, Willie Nelson, Michael Bublé, Natalie Cole and Jeff Goldblum. He remains a recording member of the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. A passionate advocate for jazz education, Gilbert served as Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music from 2001 to 2013 and later as Artistic Director of the International Academy of Jazz San Diego. In 2016, he founded the Young Lions Jazz Conservatory in San Diego, creating greater access to jazz education, mentorship and performance opportunities for young musicians. Gilbert has also served as Artistic Jazz Curator for the San Diego Symphony, Artistic Curator for Jazz @ The Jacobs, and Resident Composer for the San Diego Ballet. His many honors include recognition on DownBeat Magazine’s “25 For The Future” list and multiple San Diego Music Awards. Read more

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