Lydia’s love of the stage began at three years old when she performed her first tap dance routine on stage. From there she went on to add all forms of dance including tap, ballet, jazz, acro, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary and musical theater to her training. She then joined a competitive dance team for six seasons. She also became a member of a pre-professional tap dance company where focused her training on tap dance and had many opportunities to perform throughout the state. She continues to train in a variety of dance styles by taking advanced and adult classes in the community.
Tap was always her favorite style of dance and she began working closely with her mentor Kelsey Rose (as seen on So You Think You Can Dance, Director of the Detroit Tap Repertory, and founder of Wing It Tap Intensive) when she was eleven years old. Since 2016, she has been an integral member of the Detroit Tap Repertory (DTR), where she has served as a Dance Captain and Company Assistant. With DTR she has had the opportunity to perform in major shows throughout the Detroit and Cleveland areas including the Detroit Pistons Halftime Show, American’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Motor City Soles, and House of Blues Cleveland. She has also performed with TAP 24.7 in the Detroit tap dance shows: “TapSpeak” and “Murder at the Tap’Ocho.” In 2019 and again in 2021, Lydia had the opportunity to perform with the professional Caston and Company tap dance company as the only minor in the “Beatles on Tap” show. Working with former Radio City Rockette and founder of the Motor City Tap Fest, Denise Caston, she was invited to tap dance live on TV and perform a halftime show with the professional Detroit Pistons Drumline.
She now enjoys sharing her love of tap dance and upbeat energy with her students. She teaches beginner through advanced tap dance classes and available to book for private tap dance lessons.
Dance Leadership & Teaching
ICDS | Tap & Hip Hop Teacher 2022-present
Private Tap Lessons | 2022-present
MAD PAC | Adv Tap Teacher 2022-2023
GDW | Lead Teacher for Summer Camps 2021
Motor City Tap Fest | Intern 2020
Fuzion Dance Camp | Assistant Tap Teacher 2019
TAP 24.7 | TapSpeak Detroit Captain 2018
DTR | Co-Captain & Company Assistant 2017-2021
Teaching Assistant | Kelsey Rose Master Class 2018-occasionally
DTR | Company Tap Class Teacher 2017-occastionally
GDW | Assistant Teacher (Minis, Combo Classes, Tap, Acro, Summer Camps) 2017-2020
Dance Performances
Motor City Soles | DTR |2016-2022
Shape || Matter Ann Arbor | DTR | 2018, 2022
Beatles on Tap | Tap Dance Detroit | 2019, 2021
Detroit Piston’s Half Time Show “Lights” | DTR | 2020
“Murder at the Tap’Ocho” Detroit | TAP 24.7 | 2019
House of Blues Cleveland |Raw Artists Show | 2019
Detroit Pistons Half Time Show “Dance Monkey” | Detroit Pistons Drumline | 2019
Fox 2 News Live | Women in Tap Promotion | Tap Dance Detroit | 2019
Detroit Piston’s Half Time Show “Here Comes the Boom” | DTR | 2019
“TapSpeak” Detroit | Tap 24.7 | 2018
America’s Thanksgiving Parade Detroit | DTR | 2018, 2019
ArtLab J Detroit Dance Race | DTR | 2018
Motor City Tap Fest Showcase | 2017-2019
Nutcracker | Fountain Dance Ballet | 2012-2014
Dance Training
ICDS (4 years) | Adv Adult Ballet, Adv Adult Lyrical, Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballroom
GDW (15 years) | Ballet, Tap, Acrobatics, Jazz, Leaps & Turns, Hip Hop, Cecchetti, Musical Theater, Lyrical, Contemporary, Liturgical
DTR (7 years) | Advanced Tap Dance
TDD (2 years) | Broadway Tap, Latin/Ballroom
Additional Dance Training
Motor City Tap Festival | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Wing It Tap Intensive & Challenge | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
MCTF Summer Series | 2020
Hoofin Ground | 2019
Master Series: Women in Tap | 2019
Tap Into the Network | 2019
Motor City Tap Fest Conservatory | 2019, 2020
Tapapalooza | 2018, 2019
Tap-ol-o-gy | 2018, 2019
Rhythm World | 2018
Snow TAPped Workshop | 2017
Cecchetti Ballet Exams
- Level IV Exam 2019
- Level III Exam 2018
- Level II Exam 2017
- Level I Exam 2016
Gems Company Dance Team | 2014-2020
Dance Masters of MI Conventions | 2014-2019
Studio Summer Camps | 2008-2019
Master Tap Classes
Aaron Tolson, Alan Onickel, Angela Carter, Anthony Morigerato, Aubrey Cheek, Avi Miller, Brenda Bufalino, Brendan Kallam, Bril Barrett, Brinae Ali, Charles Renato, Caleb Teicher, Christopher Braughton, Dante Lara, Debbi Dee, Denise Caston, Dewitt Fleming, Diane Walker, Dormeshia, Dre Torres, Germaine Goodson, Germaine Salsberg, Gregg Russell, Jason Bernard, Jason Samuel Smith, Jenefer Miller, Lynn Schwab,Karen Callaway Williams, Kat Ponza, Kelsey Rose, Maud Arnold, Meghan McBride, Mike Glenney, Nicholas Young, Nico Rubio, Ofer Ben, Randy Skinner, Ray Hesselink, Ryan Lohoff, Ryan Vettel, Sam Weber, Sarah Reich, Savion Glover, Shelby Kaufman, Star Dixon, Suzy Gaurino-Hall, Thommie Retter, Tommy Wasiuta, Tristan Bruns, Vikas Arun