The Performers: 
Foto Miquel Carol - Festival de Jazz de TerrassaGuillem Alonso, Roser Font, Josep Meléndez Laia Molins.
Guillem Alonso was born in Barcelona in 1973.
At the tender age of nine he owned his first pair of tap shoes.Receiving various grants from the Catalan government (Spain) he studied tap dance in New York, where famous dancers such as Brenda Bufalino, Barbara Duffy, Savion Glover and others taught him.
In 1993 he won 1st prize at the World Tap Championship in Switzerland organized by the International Dance Organisation.
During Christmas 1995 Guillem appeared as tap soloist for the show Yuletide Celebration, accompanied by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Later on he toured across the USA and Europe with several of the best American tap companies, the American Tap Dance Orchestra, Manhattan Tap, Tap Collective from New York and Steps Ahead from Los Angeles.Guillem lives in Barcelona where he has worked in various shows such as Keatoniana, New Orleans Jazz & Tap, and Sax Tap. In 1999 he was invited to perform at the Goya Spanish film awards. He also performed and created numerous works for El Nas Vermell show and the Scandal tap dance company. Further credits include choreography for the show That’s Jazz, created for the opening of the new theatre Scenic Barcelona. Whilst at home, Guillem organizes and leads weekly tap improvisation sessions, Tap Jam at different Jazz clubs. He is also the founder and director of Barcelona Rhythm Tap company.
During the seasons 2000-02 he was tap soloist in the successful production of Fire Of Dance, touring Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia and Belgium. He choreographed tap solos and duets, one of those being the captivating Sand Dance. This is a style of dance that he has performed with many companies and is becoming one of his trademarks.
Guillem is a member of Camut Band tap and percussion company, where he was one of the creators of their most recent show La Vida Es Ritme – Life Is Rhythm, in which he continues to perform. It has enjoyed success in dance festivals in Edinburgh (Scotland), Toronto (Canada), New Haven (USA), Greenwich (Great Britain) and Tàrrega (Spain). For the month of September 2001 the show was on Broadway (NY) and performed at the New Victory Theatre, and in October 2003 on the West End (London) at the Lyric Theatre.
He is one of the creators and performers of the show Tap Olé. The premiere of this show was at the Chicago Vittum Theatre on May 2003, with great reviews, and also an apparition at the NBC channel.
Roser Font was born in Barcelona in 1976.
As a leading member of the tap community Guillem has introduced and motivated a new generation of tap dancers in Barcelona.
She began dancing at the early age of seven. She trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, ballroom and theatre dance. Furthermore, she took singing and acting lessons.
In 1996 along with other dancers Roser founded the company Contrac Dansa, appearing as a soloist dancer and singer. She later toured Spain as a member of the Crac al Gag dance company with the musical Fiddler on the Roof.
During July 1998, whilst in Barcelona Roser joined up with the Broadway Stomp ensemble to create a TV commercial.
To develop her jazz and tap, in September 1998, Roser went to study in several of New York’s prestigious dance schools: Dance Space, Steps and the Broadway Dance Center. In the same year she returned to Barcelona to specialized in the Simonson jazz technique.
In 1999 Roser was one of the creators and performers in Trashtos, a percussion and tap dance show.Since 1999 she has been a member of the Barcelona Rhythm Tap company, led by Guillem Alonso (her dance partner). With the company and as a soloist tap dancer she has performed with numerous jazz musicians, Dixieland bands, Jazz Festivals, in regular theatres and for television. She also works as guest artist for the Comediants.
During July 2001 Roser was invited to perform tap, musical dance and sing at the Frankental Austrian Festival. The following winter she danced in the well-known improvisational Tap Jams of New York, performing along side renowned dancers such as Roxane Butterfly, Max Pollack, Buster Brown, Rod Ferrone and Omar Edwards.
Throughout 2000-02 she was tap soloist in the successful production of Fire Of Dance, touring Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia and Belgium. Here she also performed as a jazz and irish dancer.
She was invited to perform at the Heidelberg Tap Festival on September 2002.She is one of the creators and performers of the new show Tap Olé. The premiere of this show was at the Chicago Vittum Theatre on May 2003, with great reviews, and also an apparition at the NBC channel.
Josep Meléndez was born in Barcelona in 1972.
As a leading member of the tap community in Barcelona Roser teaches at numerous dance schools and has been one of the main dancers at the weekly Tap Jams.
He has studied tap with various well known teachers such as, Mireia Font, Guillem Alonso, Isabel Mors, Saron Lavi, Max Polack, Joshua Hillberman, etc.In 1998 he went to New York to increase his knowledge of tap dance and takes classes in the best schools and with the best dancers such as, Barbara Duffy, Germaine Salzberg, etc. He has also studied Afro-Cuban percussion and dance.
In 1998 he performed in the mythic Tap Jam Sessions organized by Buster Brown in the Swing 46 Jazz Club of New York.
In 1999 he created the tap and percussion company "Trash" with Néstor Buquets debuting with their show "Trashtos" in February of the year 2000.
From the year 2000 he is a member of the tap and percussion company Camut Band in their shows "keatoniana" and "life is Rhythm" with which he has performed in Italy, London, Taiwan etc.
He recently performed in the New York City Tap Festival with the Tapeplas tap company directed by Sharon Lavi.
From 1998 he participates in the Tap Jams in different jazz clubs in Barcelona.
He has worked as a dancer and choreographer in festivals, events and TV shows.
He also teaches tap in different schools in Catalonia like Ritme in Sabadell, Artis in Reus, Memory in Barcelona etc.
Tap artist. Born and grown in Barcelona, Spain. She studied tap dance in different schools of Barcelona with Mireia Font, Enric Torné, Lluís Méndez, Isabel Moros, Guillem Alonso, Josh Hilbermann i Max Pollak. While Studying tap dance, she studied jazz dance, flamenco, classic and modern singing, music and percusion.
Throughout the years, she visited New York City, where she studied tap dance with the famous companies of tap dance American Tap Dance Orchestra and Manhattan Tap with great tap dancers and teachers like Brenda Buffalino, Buster Brown, Barbara Duffy and Heather Cornell.
In New Yoek, she studied also with Ted Levi, Germain Salsberg, Roxane Butterfly, Lynn Schwab, Dormeisha Edwards, and with the young tap dancer Savion Glover.
In 1998 she performed in a flamenco tap fusion group “Flamenco Tap Fusion”. Between 1998 and 2000 she participated in a tap dance show “Barcelona Shopping Line”. In 1999 she danced in the Xª Tap Dance Night in Reus. In 2000 she participatedin an artistic exchange in Havana (Cuba), teaching tap dance at the companies: “la Colmenita” and “Rumba Tap”.
Between 1999 and 2003 she participated in a children show “El Dansó” and “El tren del Swing”. In 1999 she participated in the tap dance and percusion project “Trash”. In 2001 she created the show of percusion and electronic tap “Experimentap” together with Jep Meléndez. In this year, she conducted the tap dance workshop by the Internacional Dance Day organized for the profesional dance association. She has been member of the vocal quintet of jazz “Anna Caixach Quintet”.
In 2003 she was invited as an artist in the 4th tap dance Festival in the Bretagne (France), Tap Breizh Internacional Tap Dance Festival.
Since 1998 she dances with the Barcelona Rhythm Tap company directed by Guillem Alonso. Since 1998, she participates and recently conducts the improvisation Tap Jam sessions in Barcelona, directed by Guillem Alonso. She’s the president of the association “Tot pel Claqué” (All for Tap) in Barcelona and due to this she organizes twice the National Tap Dance Day in Barcelona during 2002 and 2003.
She’s member of the tap dance and jazz music group “Musitap” , where she dances and sings.
In 2003 she takes part in the process of creation of the “Tapeplas” company, directed by Sharon Laví, where they have acted in “The New York City Tap Festival” (2003).
She’s a tap dance teacher in diferent schools like the dance and theatre school “El Timbal” in Barcelona.
Contact
Guillem Alonso Alcalay C/ Bassols 30, 1er 08026 Barcelona SPAIN
Tel: 0034 93 2324517. Mobile: 0034 649864060
E-mail: guillemalonso@hotmail.com
