Roxane Butterfly is a tap dancer and choreographer. Hailing from Toulon, she is the first European tap-dancer to have gained the status of permanent resident of America in the quality of Hoofer. Known for her conceptual approach of the form and her daring musical experimentations, Butterflyhas been a figure on the international tap scene since the early nineties. It was her mentor, the bebop tap dancer Jimmy Slyde, who nicknamed her ´Butterfly` because of her light and fast dance style. Born Roxane Semadeni, it is the name Butterfly that was to accompany her career ever since her encounteer with Slyde.
Artistic achievements
Summary
First European dance percussionist to have gained the status of permanent resident of America in the quality of Hoofer, she has made herself known for her conceptual approach of the tap dance form, her daring musical experimentations, and her involvement for the woman cause in the field and beyond. Her numerous and adventurous collaborations with artists from the arabic music, flamenco, jazz and world-music environments have consequently helped transformed the musical tap landscape in America and Europe. Butterflyhas revived the presence of tap on the stages of many international dance and music festivals, venues and schools such as the Nice Jazz Festival, Jacob's Pillow, ImpulsTanz in Vienna, DanceSalad, American Dance Festival in Durham, Harkness Dance Festival, GlobalFest, Institut del Teatre, Palau de la Música Catalana Her break through as a choreographer goes back to 1998, when she became known for her pioneering work with her all women ensemble: BeauteeZ´n The Beat. She later toured internationally with her company Roxane Butterfly´s Worldbeats. Roxane Butterfly is the only woman of her generation who has led a worldwide solo-career under her own name, presenting original work in Africa, the Middle-East, Europe, South and North America, Asia and the Caribbeans. Her multiple achievements include teaching at universities, lecturing at world-dance conferences and music-ethnology events, publishing in dance and music magazines in French and English, coaching actors and dancers such as Pablo Veron, appearing in films and multi-media projects, radio, television, directing and choreographing for commercials: HSBC commercial, Istanbul 2007 etc.… In 2005, she attracted to Barcelona American fundings to work on her celebrated flamenco-tap fusión project Djellaba Groove and to form her first European tap-company.
In recent years
While representing a direct link to the generation of her mentors, the Original Hoofers, Butterfly pushes the art-form further and passing on the knowledge she has received from the masters teaching and performing worldwide. She founded the Jimmy Slyde Institute in Barcelona, a study and creative center that serves as a platform for innovative European contemporary tap works. She founded the Euro-Tap-Coalition a not-for-profit organization that helps to consolidate the presence of tap dance in Europe.
Roxane Butterfly´s music credits as a feet-percussionist
