About Thomas Marek

The masters he learned from and who inspired him were, and are, innovators of their art: Charles Honi Coles, Cholly Atkins, Chuck Green, Buster Brown, Lon Chaney, Jimmy Slyde and, above all, Brenda Bufalino, with whose American Tap Dance Orchestra he toured Florida in the mid-1990s.

Deeply rooted in jazz, Marek plays with the possibilities of sound design, phrasing, touch and sound. He explores the space in which tap dance moves, pushes boundaries and discovers new forms of expression that connect to the origins of tap and draw on its cultural context – and that tell new stories.

Solo, in a duo with bass or piano, or as a jazz quartet: storytelling within the abstract dance and musical form of tap is the driving force of Marek’s art, especially in his large dance productions. Sold-out theatres show that, with his productions and musical reflections on cultural tradition and individual expression in the interplay of jazz, choreography and improvisation, Marek succeeds in making the art of tap dance accessible to a wider audience.

Fostering musicality and personal expression is also the goal Thomas Marek has dedicated himself to as a teacher: awakening a sense for creative composition based on a strong technical foundation. He is a regular guest as a workshop leader and soloist at festivals and on stages in Germany, Europe and the USA, and has danced with tap greats such as Brenda Bufalino, Barbara Duffy, Sarah Petronio, Jimmy Slyde and Gregory Hines.

More about Thomas Marek’s artistic work: www.thomasmarek.com