Tap Dancer, choreographer and teacher, Heather Cornell is the artistic director of Manhattan Tap, one of the leading tap ensembles from 1985 to 2004. She credits the development of her style as an apprentice to Charlie “Cookie” Cook, as well as such other first-generation American tap masters as James Buster Brown, Eddie Brown, Steve Condos, Chuck Green, and the Copasetics, whom she performed with. In the 1980s Cornell was also a member of the Jazz Tap Ensemble, with whom she was cited for dancing with insouciant musicality. She was one of the first tap dancers to collaborate with world music, performing in music ensembles as a percussionist, and nowadays is the director of CanTap, a group of Canadian tap artists, that aims to create a new format for improvisational tap evenings. Heather is one of the main influences for many of the dancers leading the international scene today, and is undoubtedly an expert teacher, very gifted at encouraging uniquely fearless artistic voices. Her concept of teaching bilingual music/dance artists can be seen in action at Motif Rhythm Summit in Lefkada, Greece and at her NY Intensive In the Woods each summer.