Draft:Acia Gray

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  • Comment: Pretty heavy case of citation overkill where the citations are loaded onto pretty simple statements and their content doesn't obviously reflect what the citation is for. Many of the sources briefly mention Gray but lack the depth to really substantiate a biography. I'd go back to basics on this one: which sources deal with Gray in-depth? Are they from reliable sources that demonstrate her significance? Structure the biography around these. ＶＲＸＣＥＳ (talk) 09:53, 28 August 2025 (UTC)


Acia Gray (Born October 18, 1960 in Meridian, MS) is an American tap dancer, choreographer, master teacher, and producer. She is the co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of Tapestry Dance Company in Austin, Texas, and Artistic Director of the Soul 2 Sole International Tap Festival. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Gray has performed and taught internationally and is the author of The Souls of Your Feet – A Tap Dance Guide for Rhythm Explorers. She received the “Hoofer Award” from the New York City Tap Festival in 2010[1], placing her among notable American tap artists.

Career

In 1989 Gray and Deirdre Strand founded Tapestry Dance Company, which for much of its history was the only full-time salaried dance company specializing in rhythm tap. She serves as Producing Artistic Director and leads the Soul 2 Sole International Tap Festival. Gray became president of the International Tap Association in 2008, helping raise the profile of tap and relocating the association’s headquarters to Austin.[2]

She has shared the stage with tap legends Lon Chaney, Chuck Green, Steve Condos, Brenda Bufalino, Buster Brown, Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, Jimmy Slyde, Sarah Petronio, and Dianne Walker among other pioneers and legends in the professional tap community. She has also has appeared with contemporaries such as Jason Samuels Smith, Sarah Reich, Chloe Arnold, Dormeshia, Michelle Dorrance and others leading the form into the future. Her appearances as a solo artist include It's About Time[3], Chicago on Tap[4], Women in Tap and numerous other international tap concerts.  She was chosen for residencies with Charles “Honi” Coles and Jimmy Slyde at the Colorado Dance Festival and has appeared in documentaries such as A Class Act: The Magic of Honi Coles, Tap or Die, Thinking on Their Feet – Women of the Tap Renaissance and Passing It Forward produced by PBS.[5]

As Producer

Gray’s most notable work The Souls of Our Feet – A Celebration of American Tap Dance[6] was selected as a National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpiece production and toured throughout the U.S., Canada, and China from 2009 to 2012. Her choreographic work often weaves historical forms (vaudeville, jazz tap, rhythm tap) into contemporary productions such as .com (2001) predicting an evolutionary fate of technology and Passing it Forward – The American Dream? (2016) which toured the US. Her show April Fools[7] was praised by the Austin Chronicle for reviving “lost treasures” of vaudeville as well the holiday work Of Mice & Music: A Jazz Tap Nutcracker[8] was noted by the Austin American-Statesman for its clever fusion of jazz tap and holiday themes.

Teaching and publications

Gray has taught master classes worldwide, including at Columbia College, The University of Texas, Texas State University, Austin Community College and festivals and events across the US, Mexico, Canada, Europe, South America and Asia. As noted above, she is the author of The Souls of Your Feet – A Tap Dance Guide for Rhythm Explorers, translated into Czech and Chinese.

Honors

Gray has received numerous honors and recognitions from the field of tap dance; most notably the “Hoofer Award” from the New York City Tap Festival in 2010[9], placing her among such artists as Gregory Hines and Jimmy Slyde. She has also been inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame.[10]

Legacy

Gray’s style emphasizes rhythm, musicality and storytelling. She continues to teach, choreograph and produce works that engage both local and global communities, sustaining the visibility of rhythm tap as a living, evolving art form.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Faires, Robert. "Acia Gray". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  2. ^ Faires, Robert. "Acia Gray: From Austin, an Ambassador of Tap to the World". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  3. ^ "Hip Tap Project | tanzhaus nrw düsseldorf". tanzhaus-nrw.de. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  4. ^ Brennan, Terry (1994-07-28). "A Little Friendly Competition". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  5. ^ Arts in Context | Passing It Forward | Season 7 | Episode 4. Retrieved 2025-09-26 – via www.pbs.org.
  6. ^ Wozny, By Nancy (2007-06-19). "Tapestry Dance Company". Dance Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  7. ^ Faires, Robert. "April Fools". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  8. ^ Dinges, Gary (2012-09-01). "A jazzy version of 'Nutcracker' on tap". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  9. ^ Faires, Robert. "Acia Gray". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  10. ^ "Austin Arts Hall of Fame Critics Table Honors Cultural Heroes". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2025-09-26.