American Racket (Dance Company) features the sights and sounds of one of our, well, noisiest traditions... American Clogging and percussive dance! Productions feature some of the finest dancers in the country in a celebration of (loud) living traditions. These dancers have represented the United States in Brazil and Costa Rica and have opened for artists cuch as Bill Cosby, Sugar Ray, Ted Koppel, Dane Cook, Kenny Lovelace, and Wayne Brady. American Racket is a guaranteed toe-tapping, hand-clapping good time for all and a celebration of what young adults are doing to revive and reinvent the dance culture of the United States.

For Information, contact:
Andy Howard, Director / Choreographer
(352) 494-0104
email: Andy Howard, Director

Upcoming Shows:

August 29-31, 2008 - with Capital City Cloggers in Reedy Creek, Manitoba (Canada)
October 4, 2008 - Clogging Workshop - (Jacksonville, FL)
October 24-26, 2008 - American Clogging Hall of Fame - (Maggie Valley, NC)
December TBA - Turning Pointe Holiday Performance (Orlando, FL)
January 30, 2009 - Orange County Principal's Breakfast (Orlando, FL)
January 30 - 31, 2009 - Clogging Workshop - (LaBelle, FL)
February 15 - 10:30 AM "American Racket - Live And Kickin'" (Free, UnitedArts ArtsFest, Orlando, FL)
February 17 - American Camp Association Convention (Coronado Springs Resort, Walt Disney World)
February 28, 2009 - South West Florida Fair (Fort Myers, FL)
March 31, 2009 - Arts in April at Highlands Preparatory School (Orlando, FL)
April 18 - Indian River Cloggers' "Pow Wow" Workshop (Merritt Island, FL)
April 18 - White Party at Parliament House Resort (Orlando, FL)
June 7, 2009 - Turning Pointe Dance Recital (Orlando, FL)




Links:
American Racket Videos on YouTube

American Racket on MySpace

Become an American Racket fan on Facebook

Andy Howard to teach percussive dance at Turning Pointe (Longwood)

Andy Howard has announced that he will be teaching percussive dance (tap and clogging) at Turning Pointe studio in Longwood, Florida (Orlando), this upcoming year, starting August 2008.  

Andy started dancing at 8, enrolled in a clogging class as an afterschool program with his sister and cousin in LaBelle, Florida.  As a youth, he learned to enjoy clogging and performing as a member of the troupe, “Sidekick” which performed each summer as park entertainment for Dollywood in Tennessee and Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. Andy later expanded his interests into other forms of percussive dance—including tap (in its various forms), Irish, buckdance, and flatfoot.  Upon graduating from high school, Andy moved to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida and founded “SoundStage” which later become known as “American Racket”, recognized for high energy presentations of what Andy calls “America’s noisiest traditions”.  Under Andy’s leadership, artistic direction, and with his ability to choreograph fascinating stage presentations of both contemporary and representations of older, “traditional” forms of percussive dance, the troupe has performed for audiences in Brazil, Costa Rica, Wales, and Canada, American Clogging Hall of Fame, Gator Growl, Florida Folk Festival, Orlando International Fringe Festival, and as professional entertainment for corporations such as Hardrive Productions, Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld Orlando, HardRock Casino, Goodyear Tires, Home Builders Association and others.  They have performed with and/or opened for artists such as Bill Cosby, Sugar Ray, Dane Cook, Ted Koppel, Kenny Lovelace, and Wayne Brady.  Andy has been on faculty for the prestigious Florida Dance Festival in Miami, the National Clogging Conference, and taught courses in tap and clogging at Florida State University, while earning his Master’s degree in American Dance Studies.  He is a member of the Florida Dance Association and an inducted member of the All American Clogging Team by the American Clogging Hall of Fame.  Andy is thrilled to share his talents with the Central Florida community.

 

 For information or to sign up, contact:

Turning Pointe Dance Studio

3869 Wekiva Springs Rd

Longwood, FL 32779

(407) 862-5500 

More information:  Click Here

Turning Pointe Dance Studio, Longwood, Florida