RIGHT Dianne Walker. BELOW Michelle Dorrance.
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Dancers reunite in a tribute to tap legend Gene Medler at The ArtsCenter By A rshi a Si m ki n Photography by J ohn Mi chael Si m pson
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aroline Brodie was 8 or 9 years old when it dawned on her that her tap teacher, Gene Medler, was kind of a big deal. The home-schooled sophomore, now 15, recalls the moment with a smile: She was at a tap festival in Dallas and wearing a North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble sweatshirt. As she walked to one of her classes, she recalls, “One of the professional dancers who was teaching was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you’re from North Carolina – you’re with NCYTE, aren’t you?’” Caroline adds, “I think like 20 people told me to tell Gene that [they] said hi.” Gene founded NCYTE in 1983 and has been its artistic director for almost 40 years; for the last eight years, Caroline Vance has worked by his side as associate artistic director. Gene also teaches at the Ballet School of Chapel Hill and founded the NC Rhythm Tap Festival, an annual event where students can receive feedback from seasoned tap dancers that takes place at the school every June. Throughout his long career, Gene has trained thousands of students, taught
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chapelhillmagazine.com
May/June 2022