From A to G: New Music for Strings & Tap Dance
Friday May 31 | 7-9 PM
@ The YES! House
726 Prentice St, Granite Falls, MN
Join Anna Esposito (tap dance, voice) and Greg Byers (cello, bass, voice) for a trailblazing evening of music and dance! The pair will write, arrange and choreograph original works for this unique instrumentation during their week-long residency at The Yes! House. Previous performances had them covering jazz standards, The Beatles and Stevie Wonder but this show will be a broader mix of influences and tailored to their strengths.
Artist Bios:
Anna Esposito is a dancer, performer, choreographer, adjudicator, and teacher from Minneapolis, MN. From a young age, Anna began performing in musical theatre and has been seen on many stages in the Twin Cities including Stages Theatre Company, Youth Performance Company, Lyric Arts, The Children’s Theatre, The Ordway, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and more. Her early experience in musical theatre motivated her to further her training in dance, and as a result, she began her tap training under Cathy Wind and Ellen Keane. She danced in both the Keane Sense of Rhythm Youth Tap Ensemble and Professional Company, and simultaneously began traveling to tap festivals internationally to learn from and train with masters of the art form.
Professionally as a tap dancer she has performed and toured with Rhythm Street Movement and Cabarave, performed in professional showcases at the Twin Cities Tap Festival, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Ladek Zrodj International Dance Festival, been a featured tap dancer in “Riverpants” at The Big Top Chautauqua and Mick Sterling Presents Three Stars Born at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and choreographed and danced in Rochester Motor’s car commercials. She has been on faculty at Omaha Rhythm Weekend and Swinging into Summer tap festivals. She currently guest teaches, choreographs, and adjudicates at dance studios, theatres, and competitions around the United States and is the tap teacher at Spotlight Productions, Urban Dance Productions, Betty Jo's Dance Center, and Escalate Dance and Theatre Studio where her choreography and students have won national titles and recognition.
Greg Byers, M.M. uses his talents as a performer, composer, educator and producer to share the joy of music with a diverse range of audiences. His relationship with music began at 2 1/2, when he first studied cello in the Suzuki method. In 2008 Greg became the first person in the history of University of Miami to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Instrumental Performance/Studio Music & Jazz on cello and bass. The winner of the International Journalists Award at the 2020 Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition, Greg was named a Global Music Initiative Artist-in-Residence at MacPhail Center for Music in 2021 & 2022. He is also the recipient of numerous grants, including the 2017 Artist Initiative Grant, the 2020 Next Step Fund and 2022 Creative Support for Individuals.
Visit Anna and Greg on social media! Instagram: @annakesposito and @cellogreg - or online at www.cellogreg.com
This event series is supported in part by grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council made possible by the voters of Minnesota, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.