THOMAS WADELTON
Beginning at age 4, Thomas took his first tap lessons and later on learnt from former Tap Dog Chris Horsey. He started learning from Grant Swift in 2005 before joining Grant’s “Swift Rhythm Hoofers” troupe in 2006. He has performed at places such as Peter Norton Symphony Space on Broadway, the Australian Construction Expo, the Sydney Road Festival, Prahran Market, on the streets busking, and in 2007 was in Shonah Honeyhill’s Jazz Tap musical Sammi D.
This year Thomas travelled to the US to study tap where he took part in the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles Tap Festivals 2008. He got the chance to learn from heaps of great tap dancers such as Jason Samuels Smith, Derick Grant, Jason Janas, Dianne Walker, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Sam Weber, Chloe Arnold, Jared Grimes, Ted Levy and many more. At the New York festival he won the Tap Youth/ Tap Future Award.
For the time Thomas spent in America it was non-stop tap dancing, whether it was learning in the festivals’ many workshops, street performing in Columbus Square, or dropping by a few jazz bars for a jam. After coming back to Australia he is even more inspired and determined to continue contributing towards the tap community.