 Tap | Frances Bradley-Vilier is a Flint, Michigan native. She began her dance training under the guidance of her father, Bruce Bradley. At age 12, she won Amateur Night at "Showtime at the Apollo" with the female tap group The Stepettes. In 2004, she was an ensemble member in the musical "Bubbling Brown Sugar," directed and choreographed by George Faison and starring Diahann Carroll in Atlanta. In 2006 she earned a BFA in Illustration at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. In 2013 Bradley was casted in the dance musical, "Noah Racey's Pulse: The Beat of Song and Dance," which premiered at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, FL. She was a featured tap soloist for the international touring company Illstyle & Peace Productions, and has performed in notable productions/venues, such as: "Black Girls Rock! & Soul Tour", Samsung Galaxy Unpacked at Radio City Music Hall and Salute to Betty Carter at Jazz at Lincoln Center. She has taught at world renowned schools and organizations such as: The American Tap Dance Foundation, The Brooklyn Waldorf School, Mark Morris Dance Group, Black Girls Rock!: Year Round Program, Black Girls Rock! Queen’s Camp of Leadership and Excellence; Carol Morgan School of Santo Domingo, Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performing Arts (SXM), Art Saves Lives Foundation (SXM), Sister Magda Primary School (SXM), St. Marteen Montessori and has currently formed a tap cultural exchange program with National Institute of Arts of St. Maarten through her family’s non-for profit Tapology, Inc. Frances is currently a Leo Lecturer in Tap Dance at the University of Michigan-Flint. |