TRI SUMMER YOUTH INTENSIVE
JULY 20-24, 2026
The Dance Shoppe, Milton
725 Main Street E
10am-6pm
Intermediate, Advanced & Pre-Professional Dancers Age 12 - 25 (minimum 6 years of training)
*please note there are absolutely no age exceptions; the youngest dancers permitted to participate must be turning 12 in 2026 with birthdates in 2014
40 HOURS OF INTENSIVE TRAINING OVER 5 DAYS JAM PACKED WITH:
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intention focused classes from our esteemed tap faculty accompanied by live music!
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historical tap dance footage
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tap chats - group discussions on the who's, what's, and where's of today's international tap scene
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styles workshops - dancers will get the chance to try new percussive and historically aligned genres of dance throughout the week!
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improvisation - develop solid ideas & confidence
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music theory, jazz form, and creating arrangements
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professional development
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original choreography with offsite performance opportunity
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live music session
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student showcase
Our intensive is an excellent chance to collaborate and share with dancers from studios across Canada - an integral part of tap dance culture we feel passionate to promote! This opportunity has been built to create a multi-generational element of the Toronto Rhythm Initiative, providing youth with the inspiration to move forward with their development and expression within the art form - contributing to the future of the professional Canadian tap dance platform.
Most sessions will be split into groups. This is based on age, experience, skill level and maturity, and is subject to change at the discretion of the TRI Faculty, to best place dancers in a learning and performance environment that suits each student's respective aptitude. Due to varied experience, all participants will be challenged on an individual basis with regards to the material and class subject matter, and groupings may get changed up, so no need to worry about level variety. We'll find the right challenges and balance for every dancer to ensure a well rounded and fulfilling experience. All dancers will come together for tap chats, footage & history, styles classes, professional development, and our live music session.
The original choreography sessions will set by Juliana Kelly, Houys Garabedian, Victoria Miller, and Heather Cornell. These pieces of repertoire will be featured in our TRI show on Sunday, July 26, at The Great Hall in Toronto. All participants are invited to perform alongside TRI professionals, and special guests with live music.
Closing up the week, dancers will experience a professional development session in the morning, and our live music session in the afternoon.
2026 FACULTY LINE UP
FEATURED GUEST ARTIST
DANNY NIELSEN
Danny Nielsen has emerged as one of the leaders of tap dance in Canada. Originally from Calgary, he began to further his knowledge of tap studying at various festivals throughout Canada and the U.S. around the age of 14. His prolific technical skill and musical sensibility launched him on to the international stage at the age of 23.
Danny has taught and performed at many national and international tap festivals including Zurich Tap Fest, Tap Ahead in Germany, North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Taptastic Festival in Germany, and Portland Tap Fest.Danny was an integral part of Vancouver based dance company Radical System Art's (Shay Kuebler) production Telemetry. The show was a hit and toured for over 3 years at notable venues such as the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Place Des Arts in Montreal, the White Bird Dance Series in Portland, the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, and Schritmacher Festival in Germany.
In 2012, Danny was the recipient of the Santa Aloi Award from the Scotiabank Dance Centre. He used the grant to create and direct his first full-length production Love Be Best Free, which toured BC for a month in February of 2017 (the first tap show to tour in BC in over 35 years). He also co created Night Cap with Joel Hanna which featured American tap icons Martin ‘Tre’ Dumas III and Jason Samuels Smith. He later created his second full length production entitled ‘On Foot’ which premiered in both Vancouver and Calgary in the fall of 2019.
Danny just completed a sold out run of his newest creation 'In Conversation' at the Dance Centre in Vancouver in collaboration with Bulgarian pianist/percussionist Kristian Alexandrov, directed by Houston's Matt Shields. The show was recently presented at the 2024 Toronto International Tap Dance Festival, and in Calgary in January 2025 by DJD/One Yellow Rabbit Theatre.
After years away and most recently in Vancouver, he has re-located to Calgary to build more touring shows and further collaborate with musicians.
Click below to take a look at our schedule
Our intensive week closes with a show featuring TRI participants, faculty, live music and special guests! This year's TRI show will take place on Sunday, July 26th at The Great Hall in Toronto.
All intensive participants are invited to perform alongside TRI professionals, and special guests with live music.
Tickets are on sale now! Click below to purchase:
