After serving New York City’s tap dance community for nearly 40 years, the American Tap Dance Foundation made the difficult decision to close operations earlier this year. The shuttering of this organization would have left tap dancers shuffling for a space dedicated wholly to their segment of the dance field. But Susan Hebach performed a swift pull-back and gave her community new wings by salvaging ATDF’s former space in the West Village to open Tap Dance Central.
Hebach, director of Tap Dance Central, got her start at Georgia State University, earning a degree in dance education. Her college didn’t offer much tap, so she began traveling outside of Georgia to delve deeper into this niche style of dance. “There was a tap renaissance in the late [19]80s and early ’90s, where the great teachers of tap would share their knowledge at festivals around the country,” she says.
Attending as many festivals as she could, Hebach met ATDF’s co-founder Brenda Bufalino. “I found my way to one of Brenda’s events in Colorado, where I realized tap was more than what I was experiencing in a studio setting. The teachers were so inspiring it encouraged me to share what I had learned. For me, teaching was more impactful than performing.”
Once she received her degree, Hebach moved to New York City to study at Woodpeckers Tap Dance Center, an educational space curated by the predecessor organization that would eventually become ATDF. There she would study with Brenda Bufalino, Margaret Morrison, Barbara Duffy, and others while taking small teaching jobs as they came.
As Hebach gained more experience as an educator, she was inspired to develop a youth program appropriately titled “Tap Dance for Young People.” In 2006, as the ATDF began to expand its reach to younger dancers, she was hired to integrate and grow her program into the organization. “I was already doing the work, and it had become quite successful,” she says, “so, they hired me and I ended up sticking around until the very end.”
While she was sad to see ATDF close, she is pleased Tap Dance Central lives on in its place and continues a legacy of quality tap instruction in New York City. Speaking of the recent transition, Hebach says that “it would have been devastating to lose this dedicated space for tap in our city. We had some really compelling support. I had colleagues and teachers write our landlord to help us save our space. I was able to put together a new nonprofit, and we worked all summer to open our doors at the beginning of September. It’s been a whirlwind.”
New York City’s tap dance community appears to be in good hands with Hebach leading the way. “I think that tap dancers suffer,” she admits. “We have to really fight for people to see what it is that we are doing and that it requires respect.” Her reverence for the art form pours out of her as both a leader in her community and a teacher in the studio.
Go-to warm-up: Flaps and claps
Pre-plan or go with the flow?: “A little bit of both. You want to be prepared, but you also don’t want to miss an opportunity to follow the direction a class may need to go.”
Most valuable exercise: Swing ball heel
Marker for success: “If a student is invested in classes and making progress, regardless of how fast it is happening, I feel happy and accomplished.”
Secret tips: “Sometimes, people think too hard. I will have dancers sing steps if I need them to get out of their heads.”
Favorite music genre for class: “Jazz. I love this genre of music, especially for beginners. It has great rhythms.”
Advice for other educators: “Like me, many teachers perform admin and other work outside the studio. Leave that stuff at the door. Always remain present for your students and focus on what your class needs.”
Fun fact: “One of [my] first youth-program students, Michela Marino Lerman [who’s now a professional tap dancer], was featured on [2021’s U.S.] postage stamps alongside four others to honor tap dance as an art form.”
