30 years of IDO World Tap dance Championships
Bernd Paffrath / Leverkusen - Germany Dancer | Teacher | Choreographer | IDO Licensed Judge
In the year 1980 a public TV-Station in Germany started to show a series of ten Fred Astaire films. “Up to that point I wasn’t interested in Dance”, Bernd recalls, “As everybody in Germany, I was into playing soccer, but when I saw Fred Astaire, I was mesmerized right away”, he says and remembers his reaction as a ten -year-old seeing Astaire Dance for the first time: “Everything looked so easy, effortless, and completely musical. I knew right away, I wanted to do that, too.” Since those ancient times Roger Louis from Switzerland and Victor Cuno from Paris, France were his first international teachers. In 1992 he met Sam Weber from San Francisco and still works with Sam on a regular basis. “My last meeting with Sam was in the Summer of 2019 in San Francisco before a global pandemic made it impossible
to go there again.” As a dancer Bernd was four times German National Champion, from 1995 to 1999. He won the IDO World Championship in the category solo-adult in 1996. He performed in variety shows all over Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In 2003 he was Soloist in the Show “Fire of Dance” and “Flamentap”. Several times he tapped on National TV in Germany: “Zimmer Frei”, “ZDF Tanzgala”, “Aktuelle Schaubude”, “Der fröhliche Weinberg“ and the Comedy - Show “Schmitz komm raus!“ with German Comedian Ralf Schmitz, are some of the names of shows he appeared on. In 2010 he was the tap dancer for the opening of the „Ruhr2010 – Kulturhauptstadt Euro pas“. Since 1989 Bernd Paffrath works as a teacher and tap dancer giving regular classes all over Germany. In 1997 and 1998 Gloria Jean Cummings and Bill Fowler invited him to teach at the "North American Tap Dance Festival" in New York and Boston, being the first teacher from Germany to be invited as a guest teacher. In the year 2001 he started teaching tap for the musical department of the “Folkwang University of the Arts” in Essen, Germany. Since 2015 Bernd focused on performing in concert halls as well, as in variety shows. He performed Morton Gould’s “Tap Dance Concerto” and Duke Ellington’s “Sacred Concerts” in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2015 Bernd joined forces with German tap dancer Kira von Kayser, performing as a Duo in various variety shows and projects. As a choreographer Bernd created tap numbers for several musicals and plays in Germany: “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, “The Wild Party”, “Der Fiskus” and in 2020 for the show “Himmel und Kölle”, still playing at the Volksbüh ne in Cologne, Germany, today (2022).
Annemarie Reynolds / Orangeville, Ontario - Canada Dancer | Teacher | Choreographer | Team Captain | IDO Judge
Annemarie has been teaching dance for over 35 years. Ms. Reynolds has had much success with her students winning many titles and overalls throughout the past 29 years in business. Some of her students have gone on to dance in companies, on cruise lines, Raptors Dance Pac, commercials, ‘The Next Step’ hit TV show, as well as teach and open up their own studios. She is very proud of her students and their accomplishments.
Ms. Reynolds was trained in many disciplines but now devotes her time to teaching tap, jazz, lyrical and musical theatre.
Annemarie was a former member on the Canadian Tap Team that competed in Riesa Germany, and several years later her daughter also danced in Riesa at the World Tap Championships winning a gold medal for her tap solo. Annemarie also served as choreographer for the Canadian Tap Team and frequently represents Canada on the judging panel at the IDO World Championships. Many of her students have been members on Team Canada competing successfully at the world level in ballet, modern, jazz, showdance and tap.
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