With its fun flurry of in-sync beats, tap keeps drawing fans and evolving. Victoria Lorraine Jones, founder of the nonprofit Sound Steps Rhythm Dance Company, wants even more young people to join in the joyful noise.
“There are several programs and events that I produce every single day and every year,” says Jones, who has become the biggest motivating force in the tap dance community in southern Nevada. “We just don’t stop.”
Tap Matters, a dance academy for advanced students ages 8 to 17, offers dance instruction and performance skills. “Our mission is to passionately educate the fundamentals of professional tap dancing through skills, sensory, performances, and positivity,” Jones explains.
The Sound-Off after-school program, held virtually daily, introduces kids to tap and other percussion dance disciplines. The classes train and develop skillsets for dance and rhythm. Students also learn the history and origin of each style of dance, as they are prepared for professional development, especially those who want to pursue dance as a career.
Originally from Gary, Indiana, Jones says she was born to tap dance and trained extensively in the art. In 2007, she relocated to Las Vegas, where she began her professional career in dance. After serving five years in the United States Army National Guard, Jones continued her dance career, performing on the Strip, including at MeatLoaf’s Rocktellz and Coctailz at Planet Hollywood.
Jones’s primary mission is to teach, inspire, produce, educate, and mentor kids and teens. While the primary focus is tap, the programs include other rhythm dance genres, including hip-hop, breakdance, clog, Irish, and body percussion.
