Looking back at Tap Fest 2025

We welcomed four lecturers:

• James Doubtfire (Wilkes Academy and Tap Attack Faculty)
• Jordan Crouch (The Great Gatsby - London Cast, Choir of Man, Sydney Opera House and USA Tour)
• Liam Swattridge (Tap Attack Alumni and IDO Medallist)
• Ryan Campbell-Birch (Assistant Director of Old Kent Road; Bird College Faculty).
  
  Together, they delivered eight workshops for dancers and teachers. Their knowledge and experience brought real depth and challenge to each session, with a strong focus on both rhythm and technique. Thank you to James, Jordan, Liam and Ryan for delivering such engaging workshops and inspiring everyone who attended ISTD Tap Fest 2025.

 

Performers’ summer school scholarships

After the workshops, attendees gathered in the theatre for a presentation where each lecturer selected three students who stood out in their respective classes. Each winner received a scholarship to Performers’ Summer School 2026. Performers College runs Summer Schools in Birmingham, Brighton, Essex and Manchester, offering a one-week programme for students aged 12–18 delivered by resident tutors and industry professionals. Please join us in congratulating the following students on being awarded these scholarships and their teachers for their fabulous training. 

Group	Student	Teacher	Dance School
A	Antony Adamik-Braguim	Pollyann Tanner	The Tanwood School of Performing Arts
B	Rosie Harrison	Donna Langley	Langley Dance Academy
C	Isabelle Pegg	Heidi Speakman	Dance Projection

 

London Tap Dance Festival scholarship by Old Kent Road

We also had one more scholarship to award. This was awarded by lecturer Ryan Campbell-Birch and was a scholarship to attend London Tap Dance Festival 2026. London Tap Dance Festival is ran by company Old Kent Road founded by Artistic Director, Avalon Rathgeb and Assistant Director, Ryan Campbell-Birch, and runs annually from Brixton House, London. Tap Dance lecturers from around the globe come together to share their passion and expertise for this art form. Please join us in congratulating the winner of the London Tap Dance Festival 2026 scholarship and their teacher for their training.

Result	Student	Teacher	Dance School
Winner	Jaimee Obeng	Declan Morgan	Graham School of Dance

 

Marjorie Davies Star Tap Awards

After lunch, the theatre was prepared for the Marjorie Davies Star Tap Awards.

The Marjorie Davies Star Tap Awards were first launched in February 1977 and following its great success, became an important event in the ISTD's calendar. Marjorie Davies was one of the early pioneers whose artistic and creative ideas about Tap Dance hugely contributed to the development of the Tap branch within the ISTD. In addition, she was joint Chair of the Stage Branch of the ISTD during 1957-1970 which later evolved into the two separate entities that we know today as the Tap Dance and the Modern Theatre faculties.

Forty-nine competitors were competing in the Junior and Senior categories of the awards, performing to our three adjudicators and an audience full of supportive parents and teachers. We welcomed back Ryan Campbell-Birch and Liam Swattridge together with Alison Forrester (Laine Theatre Arts Faculty, ISTD Tap Committee, Examiner, Syllabus Creator and Lead Lecturer).  We had forty-six in-person entries and three online entries from Japan. Each dancer performed their choreographed solos for the adjudicators, there was an excellent level of talent across the sections. The Tap Faculty were proud to see such a high standard of the students, a great achievement for their teachers who have helped to produce such a high level of talent. Well done to all. All winners, runner ups and their teachers were awarded vouchers from ISTD recommended uniform suppliers, Dansez.

 

Junior results

Result	Student	Teacher	Dance School
Winner	Lowri Dawe	Michelle Appleby	SK Academy of Dance
Runner Up	Maisie Tilakaratne	Kerry Buckby	Kilburn School of Dance
Commendation	George Brewer-Trzeciak	Pollyann Tanner	The Tanwood School of Performing Arts
Commendation	Freya Quance	Jane Prentice-Jenkins	JPJ Dance
Commendation	Ellie Stewart	Andrea Ashton	Corraine Collins Dance Studios

 

Senior results

Result	Student	Teacher	Dance School
Winner	Isabelle Pegg	Heidi Speakman	Dance Projection
Runner Up	Brooke Prentice-Jenkins	Jane Prentice-Jenkins	JPJ Dance
Commendation	Georgia Ashton	Andrea Ashton	Corraine Collins Dance Studios
Commendation	Scarlett Dunleavy	Andrea Ashton	Corraine Collins Dance Studios
Commendation	Abigail Oxley	Heidi Speakman	Dance Projection

 

Thank you

On behalf of the ISTD Tap Dance Faculty, a big thank you goes to London Tap Dance Festival by Old Kent Road and Performers College for sponsoring places at their annual Summer School to winning participants of the morning workshops and to Dansez for sponsoring the student and teacher prizes for the Marjorie Davies Star Tap Awards.

A special thank you goes to the Tap Faculty Committee, Aaron Lissimore, Alison Forrester, Andrea Ashton, Andrew Hindley, Antonio Barone, Carla Moore and Carole Mosely for their dedication in all aspects of Tap Fest.

We would like to send a thank you our Tap Fest chaperones and helpers Elizabeth Reeves, Heather Reynolds, Katherine Werrell and Katy Colegrove for all their support before and during the event.

Lastly, a thank you to goes all our workshop attendees, Marjorie Davies Star Tap Award competitors, teachers and of course, parents, for their continued support and dedication.

Find out more about ISTD Tap on our genre page.