Artistic Director Max Pollak, named one of “25 to Watch in 2007” by Dance Magazine, was the first person to merge American Rhythm Tap with authentic Afro-Cuban music and dance. Capturing the charged electricity and power of a Latin jazz Orquesta," RumbaTap features a multi-talented international cast of musicians and dancers and has toured throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States; recently performing to a capacity crowd at New York City's Central Park Summer Stage.
Pollak has published articles on tap dance in several international publications including Dance Magazine; has recorded with the Cyro Baptista, Paul Carlon Octet, Grupo Los Santos, TrioNada, and members of the Tito Puente Orchestra; has appeared in films and documentaries including the critically claimed Como Se Forma Una Rumba with some of Cuba's most prestigious salsa musicians; and was the tap coach for lead actor Pablo Veron on the Sally Potter film The Tango Lesson.
Today Pollak is recognized worldwide as the creator of "RumbaTap” and is a 2008 recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Choreography.
The Paul Carlon Octet
Musical Director Paul Carlon formed the Paul Carlon Octet in 2002. The Paul Carlon Octet is currently riding high on the momentum of its sophomore CD release, Roots Propaganda (Deep Tone Records). The group imagines a meeting of the worlds of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Gil Evans’ Sketches of Spain, and the Yoruban orixas. The album has been getting airplay on NPR’s All Things Considered, and was chosen as a Global Hit on PRI’s program The World. The Octet was featured in August at Summerstage in Central Park, guesting with Max Pollak’s Rumbatap.
