Hello. I’m Malana Murphy, a tap dancer, choreographer, teacher, producer, working and living in Dallas, Texas.
Teacher/Creator/Producer, Malana Murphy has been an educator in the Dallas/Ft Worth area for over 30 years and has received The Tap Legend award from Dance Council of North Texas and Mentorship Award from Syncopate. As a Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni, she has now come full circle in creating a tap program at the school, while also serving and teaching as the tap director at Next Step Dance in Frisco, attracting students from around the metroplex. Creator and producer of RIFF Dallas Tap Festival, she brings the best of tap dancing to the feet of Dallas with dozens of teachers each year and is committed to educating the youth of today, preserving the traditions of the past, while challenging the tap community to continue the legacy of this innovative American art form. Malana created the Woodshed Experience which is a mentorship opportunity for select students where the focus is on learning the paths of their mentors and finding their own voice as a tap dancer. She is the director of Next Step Tap Project, NSTP, a youth ensemble that focuses on the history, musicality, and improvisation of tap dance. And most recently, Malana is adjunct faculty at SMU where she teaches tap focusing on technique, musicality, and tap history. Her love for tap dancing has inspired her to share her passion and knowledge with students locally and abroad.
“Infusing the world with rhythm, one tap dancer at a time.” Malana
One of the things I’m most proud of, is the development and production of our TAPN2TAP Concerts that we present each year, supporting tap dancers from all over the planet.
=Malana
Dance has always been my passion, my first love, and in the beginning there was tap.
As the founder and producer of Dallas’ premier tap festival, RIFF Dallas, I have been honored to bring in some of America’s top talent in guest artists which has grown this event into an international success while hosting and celebrating tap dancers from all across the states, Canada, Japan, France, Spain, Ukraine, Brazil, the UK, and Mexico while also producing tap concerts, student showcases, and tap history seminars. My passion for bringing master teachers from around the globe to the Dallas community has provided opportunities for tap lovers to learn, share, and grow, building on the traditions of generations of tap artists.
Much love,
M
