Copyright © Billy Siegenfeld 2001-2004
PHOTOS: Maia Rosenfeld and William Frederking
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JEANNIE HILL is an associate artistic director and principal performer with JRJP.
Since the company’s founding in 1990, she has toured nationally and internationally with Billy Siegenfeld, performing the duo's chamber jazz musical Romance in Swingtime as well as other repertory duets and solos, and teaching the Jump Rhythm Technique. She also performs as an ensemble member in JRJP's full company show and lecture/demonstration, Jump Rhythm Jazz!, which have been delighting audiences from LaCrosse, Wisconsin to Helsinki, Finland. As a tap soloist, she danced with Buster Brown, Jimmy Slyde, Brenda Bufalino and Jeni LeGon in New Orleans, and with numerous great tap colleagues at festivals and venues like the Discover Jazz Festival, Sculler's Jazz Club, Southeastern Tap Explosion, Portsmouth Percussive Dance Festival, Tap City, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Schein Hall, Northern California Tap Festival and The Saco River Grange Hall. For seven years she toured internationally with Manhattan Tap working with choreographers Heather Cornell, Buster Brown, Dianne Walker, Fred Strickler, Harriet Brown and Germaine Ingram. In December 2000, she played Clara in the world premiere of Clara's Dream, a jazz-tap Nutcracker conceived by Drika Overton. In 2001 she toured with Mike Gordon (Phish) and the Code Talkers on his Outside Out project and in 2003 as band member (tap/vocals) on his Inside In tour. While living in NYC Jeannie taught Jump Rhythm Technique at Steps on Broadway and Manhattanville College. She continues to teach at various festivals and workshops, including the Jump Rhythm Jazz Project Summer Institute at Northwestern University and The Dance Inn, Tap City New York, Snowy Range Dance Festival and Southeastern Tap Explosion. In addition to choreographing for JRJP, she has created tap and jazz pieces for Point Park University, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Step Aside, Tappers With Attitude and Manhattan Tap. She has also enjoyed a ten year career performing with her comic country band The Chalks with co-writers/performers Mary Brienza and Kathryn Markey. The trio made their television debut as special guests on Comedy Central's Premium Blend, and their cd 3 Girls, 3 Guitars, 3 Chords, was released in June of 2004. Jeannie holds a B.A. in theatre from the University of Vermont and she is now an instructor at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.