Jessica Chapuis began tap dancing at age 8 in her hometown of St. Louis, MO and has since performed and studied with master teachers at tap festivals throughout the Midwest. She has had the privilege to study and share the stage with such tap greats as Savion Glover, Jimmy Slyde, Dianne Walker, Derick Grant, Jason Samuels Smith and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards. Jessica attended Boston University on a full merit scholarship and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in biology. While in college, Jessica choreographed for and performed with the student-run organization BU on Tap. She served as President of the group and organized the first annual Mass Rhythm, a show featuring BU on Tap, along with other area college tap ensembles and professional soloists. In 2006, Jessica appeared in the world premier of Imagine Tap!, a dance musical directed and choreographed by Derick K. Grant.
Jessica currently dances with two Chicago-based tap companies. BAM!, the performing ensemble of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, tours regionally, nationally, and internationally, showcasing classic American tap and contemporary rhythmic expression, such as body drumming. Chicago?s newest tap company, Jus?LisTeN, is made up of four independent artists ? Tre? Dumas (Founder and Director), Lisa LaTouche, Jessica Chapuis, and Nico Rubio ? who teach and perform around the world. Jessica also works as a Teaching Assistant at Child?s Voice School, an oral deaf school where children who are hard-of-hearing and profoundly deaf learn to talk without the use of sign language.
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