Ellie Sciarra brings an impassioned, joyful approach to tap dance. Her deep knowledge of technique combines with her experience as a massage therapist to create a whole body approach to dance.

Sciarra has decades of performance, choreography, and teaching experience – all deeply influenced by early experiences in New York with tap greats Henry LeTang, Brenda Bufalino, Paul Draper and Danny Daniels.

Sciarra conceived, choreographed and produced Taps Are Talking: Women In Tap, here in the Denver metro area, which highlighted the historical and contemporary contributions of female tap artists. She received a Boulder County Arts Alliance Fellowship for this work. The Women in Tap Collection is archived at the Carson Brierly Dance Library at the University of Denver.

Before moving to Colorado, Sciarra toured the U.S. and Europe with NYC TAPworks, performed on PBS’ Draper on Tap, in Sondheim’s Follies at Lincoln Center, and at The Duke Theater in NYC.

Sciarra choreographed 42nd Street at the University of Central Michigan and taught a week-long tap intensive in Manila, Philippines. She has been guest teacher and choreographer at many universities across the country, in addition to Tap City in NY, Snowy Range Summer Dance Festival, American College Dance Festival, Interlochen Arts Academy, Black Hills Dance Theater, Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop, Colorado Dance Festival, and New Orleans Jazz Project.

Sciarra is the president of Taps Are Talking, Inc., dedicated to promoting tap dance. Her dance advocacy and love of writing led to the creation of Sole Stories, a web-based archive representing a celebration of female tap dancers. Currently, Sciarra is writing a book linking the elements of tap with personal life lessons and was selected to participate in the Aspen Summer Word Workshop 2019. She lives in Boulder.