NorthRidge Dance Conservatory

Megan McDaniel - Tap

After joining a dance studio at the "ripe" age of three, Megan McDaniel has been dancing through life.  She credits her love of dance to her first teacher, Kathy Goldstein, who was a great inspiration to a young girl who didn't really know what she wanted to do.  In high school, Megan was encouraged by Danielle Heller to continue reaching forward, exposing her to many new forms of expression.   At Colorado State University, while majoring in Zoology, Megan was never far from dance, tap especially, and began teaching at local schools.  She was the driving force behind bringing tap back into the light at the university, teaching an immensely popular beginning tap class while still a student.  Under the direction of Ellie Sciarra, Megan was an original member of "Women in Tap: Taps are Talking" in Boulder in 1999.  After completing her bachelor's degree, Megan moved to Orlando, Florida, performing for Walt Disney World and teaching at the Orlando School of Cultural Dance.  After many adventures in Orlando, Megan moved back "home" to Colorado where she taught tap at Peak Academy of Dance in Conifer.  Having moved south Colorado Springs, Megan has been teaching science at Sierra High School since 2006 and also choreographs for the school musicals. Over the years, Megan has learned from tap greats such as Buster Brown, Brenda Bufalino, Chester Whitmore, Chris Baker, Cassandra Baker, Ira Bernstein, Bril Barrett and M.A.D.D. Rhythms, Arthur Duncan, Avi Miller and Ofer Ben, Jimmy Slyde, and, her mentor, Robert L. Reed.  No matter where life leads her, tap seems to remain as a driving force.  "My first memory of dance was wearing my patent-leather tap shoes, listening to the sound they made as I pounded my way up the stairs at the dance studio."