London Tap Dance Festival returns to Brixton House

Tap dancers and teachers from across the world came together for the annual three day festival to participate and enjoy a variety of classes, performances and live music.

Founded in 2024 by the OKR Dance, the festival has established London as a hub for the international tap community. Dancers took part in classes led by OKR Dance members and guest artists, alongside a programme of evening events including a tap jam, workshops and drag bingo.

Avalon Rathgeb, Artistic Director and founder of OKR Dance expresses what the festival means to her and why it was created; “The festival is so important to me because I feel like we don’t have anything else like this in the UK,” She adds, “We get to bring so many people together in one space at Brixton House.” Creating a sense of community, forming new friendships and providing opportunities to dance with new people are at the heart of the festival, bringing together dancers of all backgrounds and abilities to share their passion for tap.

Photo credit – Hannah Corden

This year was the first to include OKR Youth Company, a training initiative for young tap dancers aged between 11 and 25, founded by OKR Dance. The event provided the perfect opportunity for the young dancers to take to the stage alongside experienced professionals, complete with a jazz band, in a live performance setting.

From preparing Brixton House, to coordinating studio spaces and technical requirements, Phoebe Sirett-Harrison, co-producer of the London Tap Dance Festival, explained what went into organising the event.

“The big one for us is the gala,” she explains. “We bring our Harlequin floor in, get it all ready and tech with the musicians. We make sure the sound is good, test the mics so that the taps sound nice and everything is balanced, and get all of the lighting ready.”

Harlequin Liberty™ sprung flooring was used throughout the festival, including for the main gala performance, teaching workshops and the tap jam.

The ‘latch and lock’ system creates a secure and stable surface, giving dancers the confidence to perform while producing the crisp, clear sounds that make tap dance so distinctive.

Harlequin and OKR Dance’s relationship stretches back eight years, long before the launch of the London Tap Dance Festival. “Harlequin flooring, for me, is the only floor that I really want to dance on” says Avalon. 

That relationship continued in the lead-up to this year’s festival, with the OKR Dance and Harlequin teams working together for around six months ahead of the event.

“Working with Harlequin has been amazing,” Avalon says. “We have Zoom calls and emails whenever we need anything, and they’re really quick to respond to us. If I need any advice, they’re there.”

For Avalon, the importance of the floor extends beyond sound. A secure and consistent surface is also an important part of creating an environment in which tap dancers can perform confidently.

“Because tap dance is a percussive art form, we really need to be able to hear the sound. We need the nuance and the tone, and that’s what we get from a Harlequin floor. We also have to have a safe floor to dance on. We know that we have a great-sounding, great-feeling and safe floor, and that’s really important.”

As the London Tap Dance Festival continues to grow, its focus remains firmly on bringing people together through tap.