Jeannie Hill

BIO

Arriving in New York in the late 80s Jeannie discovered Bob Audy at Broadway Dance Center and in those precious classes met Billy Siegenfeld. Attendance at her first tap festival in 1990 provided inspiration for her to audition for Manhattan Tap. During the seven years of rehearsals and touring that followed, guided by artistic director Heather Cornell, she was introduced to the ever-expanding international community of rhythm tap dancers and jazz musicians. As a tap soloist, Jeannie danced the Morton Gould Tap Dance Concerto with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra in April 2018. Her performances at the Hoofer’s Weekend in New Orleans with Brenda Bufalino and late tap masters James Buster Brown, Jimmy Slyde and Jeni LeGon bring fond memories. Incredible opportunities to share the stage with numerous tap and jazz greats at venues like Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, New York’s Joyce and Duke Theatres, Sculler’s Jazz Club, and Theatre Comédie in Montpellier, France highlight her career. For over twenty years she has enjoyed studying with, touring and teaching with Billy Siegenfeld, artistic director of Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. Her varied performance career includes Noh dancing in Robert Wilson and David Byrne’s the knee plays (Suzushi Hanyagi, choreographer); originating the role of Clara in the world premiere of Drika Overton’s jazz-tap Nutcracker Clara’s Dream; touring with Mike Gordon (Phish) as a tap dancing rock jam-band member; performing at The Supper Club in New York in a five-month run of A 40s’ Review with the Tony Corbiscello Big Band, and ten years with comic country band, The Chalks. While in NYC Jeannie taught tap and Jump Rhythm ® Technique at Steps on Broadway and Manhattanville College. In 2004 she joined the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point Theatre & Dance faculty where she teaches full-time and choreographs for musicals and dance concerts. On campus, Jeannie is inspired by collaborative endeavors with faculty of many disciplines (mathematics, art, sign language, music, theatrical rigging) and introducing her students to the life lessons jazz has to offer.  For six summers she produced Point Tap Festival (www.pointtap.wordpress.com) a three-day summer workshop that brought master teachers from across the country to teach and perform at UWSP. Jeannie holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Vermont and an MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Peck School of the Arts.

Research interests

• Jazz and Tap Dance
• Concert and Musical Theatre Choreography. Jeannie performed the Morton Gould’s Tap Dance Concerto with Maestro Patrick Miles and the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra at Sentry Theater in Stevens Point, WI.

Campus

• Faculty Advisor, National Dance Education Organization UWSP – Student Chapter
• Organized and coordinated an inaugural Day of Dance recruitment event
• Emcee for Artsbash Fundraising event (2019-20)
• Provide choreography yearly for Danstage and Musical Theatre productions (2004-Present)
• Guest juror for Musical Theatre Juries

Community

• Board Member, Point Dance Ensemble
• Supervised 3-week program for UWSP Dance students to Teach Dance & Science at Jefferson School
• Invite UCLCC and YMCA kids to campus for a performance and dance workshop

Professional Membership

• Member, Wisconsin Dance Council
• Member, National Dance Education Organization

Dig in and dare to redefine your comfort zone!

Jeannie HIll