Parallel Rhythms: The Harp & The Hoof – A Tap Dance Tribute to Dorothy Ashby
"Come Live With Me" is an original set choreographed by Shanzell Q. Page, inspired by the musical brilliance of Dorothy Ashby, a trailblazing jazz harpist from Detroit. This work explores the rhythmic conversation between tap dance and jazz, approaching counter rhythms, syncopation, and soft shoe traditions to bring Ashby’s composition to life.
Through musical phrasing, this highlights tap as a percussive jazz instrument, much like Ashby redefined the harp’s role in jazz.
Filmed at Dayton Dance Conservatory (May 2023), this serves as both a celebration of Black women in jazz and an artistic inquiry into how tap dance and music exist in a shared, conversational dialogue.
Performance Details:
Choreography: Shanzell Q. Page
Music: "Come Live With Me" by Dorothy Ashby
Filmed at: Dayton Tap Project, Dayton Dance Conservatory, May 2023
References: Jeni LeGon, Tina Pratt, Cholly Atkins, Henry LeTang, Dianne Walker, Dormeshia , Jason Samuels Smith.