{"id":340851,"date":"2026-06-18T04:23:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T04:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/340851\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T04:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T04:23:22","slug":"soul-2-sole-tap-festival-returns-june-17-21-at-the-long-center-for-final-25th-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/340851\/","title":{"rendered":"Soul 2 Sole tap festival returns June 17\u201321 at the Long Center for final 25th edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Austin, TX \u2014 Tapestry Dance Company<\/a> will bring the 25th Annual Soul 2 Sole Festival to the Long Center June 17\u201321, 2026, filling the week with rhythm, artistry and a final bow for this beloved celebration.<\/p>\n

After the unexpected cancellation of the 2025 festival due to rescinded NEA funding, this year marks both a long-awaited return and a poignant finale. The 2026 edition will be the final Soul 2 Sole Festival, closing out a groundbreaking quarter-century legacy that has shaped, elevated and championed the art of tap around the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 25 years, Soul 2 Sole has been a gathering place for master artists, emerging dancers and tap lovers from around the world,\u201d said Acia Gray, Tapestry Dance founder and artistic director. \u201cThough it\u2019s bittersweet to say farewell, this final festival is a celebration of everything and everyone who has contributed to this incredible journey. The rhythm lives on in every dancer who has shared the Soul 2 Sole experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

This internationally recognized festival brings together artists, students and audiences for an immersive week of rhythm, artistry and community. Participants will experience the signature mix of technique classes, improvisational sessions and conversations that have defined Soul 2 Sole for decades. Guiding this exploration of tap dance as a living, evolving art form are some of today\u2019s most celebrated artists: Dianne Walker, Acia Gray, Brinae Ali, Nicholas Young, Luke Hickey, Elizabeth Burke, Jeremy Arnold and tap historian Margaret Morrison.<\/p>\n

Beyond festival week, Soul 2 Sole will extend its reach with additional classes and workshops scheduled throughout the summer at Tapestry Dance, giving dancers of all levels the opportunity to continue their training with world-class faculty. \u201cThe rhythm of Soul 2 Sole has never been contained to a single week,\u201d Gray said. \u201cWe have additional classes and workshops planned through the summer, so the learning doesn’t stop when the festival does. This is your chance to go deep with artists who have shaped tap for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Live music remains at the heart of the Soul 2 Sole experience, with festival performances accompanied by the Soul 2 Sole Jazz Trio: Masumi Jones on drums, Angelo Lembesis on piano and Dylan Jones on bass.<\/p>\n

As one of only two still-existing and among the oldest tap festivals in the world, Soul 2 Sole has endured while many others across the United States have succumbed to financial challenges, shifting funding landscapes and changes in arts ecosystems. Its legacy reflects a rich lineage of tap innovators, advocates and educators who have passed through its studios and stages.<\/p>\n

While the Soul 2 Sole Festival takes its final bow, Tapestry Dance Company\u2019s commitment to tap dance continues year-round. The company will maintain its successful tap dance classes and its popular monthly Tap Jam sessions, which remain a vital gathering place for dancers, musicians and audiences. These ongoing programs ensure that the spirit, rhythm and community cultivated through Soul 2 Sole will continue to thrive in Austin and beyond.<\/p>\n

A Celebration of Rhythm, Connection and Tap | June 17-21, 2026<\/p>\n

WHO: Tapestry Dance<\/p>\n

WHAT: 25th Annual Soul 2 Sole International Tap Festival<\/p>\n

WHERE: Festival performances: Rollins Studio Theatre at the Long Center<\/p>\n

Festival classes, events and workshops: Tapestry Dance<\/p>\n

WHEN: Participants\u2019 Showcase w\/Faculty performance , Friday June 19 at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

An energetic evening featuring auditioned works by festival participants, blended with performances by this year\u2019s distinguished guest artists and the Soul 2 Sole Jazz Trio.<\/p>\n

Friends in Time \u2013 Faculty Performance, Saturday, June 20, 2026 | 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

A powerful, reflective finale featuring solos, improvisation and musical interplay from the 2026 faculty and musicians, honoring the artistic friendships and creative exchanges that have defined Soul 2 Sole for a generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach night will be a celebration of the spirit that has driven Soul 2 Sole for 25 years,\u201d Gray said. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for audiences to experience the depth, joy and artistry of tap one more time on the Long Center stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soul 2 Sole is supported in part by an Austin Live Music Fund Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music, & Entertainment.<\/p>\n

TICKETS: Starting at $27 and available through www.tapestry.org<\/a> \/ www.thelongcenter.org<\/a><\/p>\n

ABOUT TAPESTRY DANCE<\/a>: As a Long Center Resident Company, Tapestry is a professional, non-profit organization founded in 1989 by Acia Gray and Deirdre Strand for the purpose of developing a foundation in multi-form dance and music performance and education. For over 35 years, the critically acclaimed events and programs of Tapestry Dance have included more than 68 full length world premiere concerts, the Annual International Soul 2 Sole International Tap Festival, community outreach programs such as Rhythm, Dance, Music & You! serving thousands of at-risk and Title One children since 1990 and numerous master classes and workshops as well as touring performance residencies throughout the world. Awarded best ensemble, best dancer, best choreographer and other honors by The Austin Critic\u2019s Table Awards, Tapestry is also listed on the TCA Touring Roster and the company’s NEA American Masterpiece production of The Souls of Our Feet – A Celebration of American Tap Dance which toured the US and globally for over five years including a five-week tour of The People\u2019s Republic of China.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Austin, TX \u2014 Tapestry Dance Company will bring the 25th Annual Soul 2 Sole Festival to the Long…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":340852,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":["post-340851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=340851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/340852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=340851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=340851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=340851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}