Thomas Marek

Thomas Marek started tap dancing at age 14 and about two years after studying at local dance studios near Stuttgart, Germany he met Brenda Bufalino at a workshop. She quickly became his most influencial teacher in his beginning years. He later also had the opportunity to get to know and to study with tap innovators and old timers like Honi Coles, Cholly Atkins, Chuck Green, Buster Brown, Lon Chaney and Jimmy Slyde.
After finishing school in 1992  and an intensive training period in the USA Thomas Marek became a professional tap dancer, focusing on his own artistic performances and tap dance productions. 

In his artistic work Thomas Marek is blending traditional and modern jazz and rhythm tap with contemporary musical and theatrical elements. He is a regular guest in theaters and festivals all over Germany, Europe and the USA.
He performed in Spain, Brazil, Israel, France, in the USA and in many theaters all over Germany and he danced on stage  with tap dance masters like Brenda Bufalino, Sarah Petronio, Jimmy Slyde, Gregory Hines and others.

As a tap teacher he works nationally and internationally. He taught at the Internationalen Tanzwochen, Vienna 1996; at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center NYC, the New York City Tap Festival 2005 ; The Herräng Dance Camp 2008 & 2009,  in Israel, France, and Switzerland and of course all over Germany.

His interest for photography started in his teens and after buying a Nikon FG quicly became one of his main hobbies. In the early 1990s he started taking black and white portraits of fellow dancers and theater colleagues, developing them in his own darkroom. By 1997 he got first assignments shooting promotion photos for theater productions and actors and it slowly became a second profession side by side with his dancing and theater work. 
In 2005 Thomas Marek focused even more on his photography and he is comissioned to work for a variety of editorial, corporate and performing arts.

Today his dancing and his photography go side by side and complement and inspire each other...... His web portfolio can be found at 

In 2007 Thomas Marek founded his new studio "Footprints" in Hamburg, Germany. Footprints serves Thomas Marek as an inter-arts space :  a studio for his artistic dance work, for teaching tap dance and as a photostudio.

Infos about tap dance classes at Footprints you will find after the link.....

1986 – 1992 : 
-First Training and education in tap dance at different dance studios and workshops in Germany. First performing experiences in small theaters all over Germany. 
1992 : 
-Education and performances at the Colorado Dance Festival, Boulder USA
1993 : 
-Workshop and performances in Recife, Brasilien. Dance studies in New York, USA. Performances in different jazzclubs in NYC. 1994 : 
-Engagement with Brenda Bufalino´s „American Tap Dance Orchestra“, NYC. Performances with Gregory Hines in Gainsville, Florida USA
-Production of his first solo tap dance show „Aus Leidenschaft“ together with a jazz trio. 
1995 : 
-second engagement with „The American Tap Dance Orchestra“ : 5 week tour, USA
-Production of the tap show "TWO TALL" with Sebastian Weber and tour through Germany
-Production of his second solo show „Visual Music“ with a jazz trio. Concerts and performances all over Germany. Guest teacher and performer in Tel Aviv, Israel
1995 - 1997 : 
-First freelance assignments as a photographer for theaters, actors and dancers.
1996 : 
-Thomas Marek choreographed and produced an ensemble tap dance for the 1996 ARD Sportgala . Featured dancers were Barbara Duffy, Olivia Rosenkrantz, Leela Petronio, Andrea Goodman, Josh Hilberman, Klaus Bleis, Kurt Albert and Thomas Marek.
-Production of his third solo show „New Thing!“ – a full length evening show with an 8 piece orchestra. Performances all over Germany and Switzerland.
1997 : 
-Guest teacher for tap dance at : Internationale Tanzwochen Vienna
-Grant from the Kunststiftung Baden-Würrtemberg for his work in tap dance.
-Engagement in Neil Simons play „Sunshine Boys“, Scala Theater Ludwigsburg
-Production of the duo show „tap&bass“ with Bassist Kurt Holzkämper
1998 – 1999 : 
-Collaboration and Performances  with Paris Dance group „Funk Attitude“. Performances in France.
1999 : 
-Kleinkunstpreis des Comedy Festivals der Stadt Moers ( Award of the city of Moers )
-Move to Hamburg, Germany. Foundation of his dance company "Funked-Up - The Power Of Tap".
2000 – 2001 : 
-Premiere 2001 at Tanzhaus NRW, Düsseldorf. Performances at the  CCH, Hamburg all over Germany.
-Performance with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker ( 1. Part Morton Gould Tap Dance Concerto )
2002 : 
-Choreography and leading role in the short film„Stamp“ for ARTE, Germany.
-1. Price Choreography Award „tap ahead award 2001“ together mit Karolin Schäfer with their Duo "Soundcheck", Tanzhaus NRW, Düsseldorf
-Foundation of tap studio „nullviernull“ in Hamburg.
-Engagement as Jack Romano in the theater adaption of Jim Jarmusch´s movie „Down By Law“, Scala Theater Ludwigsburg.
2003 : 
-Performance und Collaboration with Angela Guerreiro in her piece „exposure no. 6“, Hamburger Botschaft, HH
-Premiere the 2nd  „tap&bass“ Production  „For Your Eyes Only“, Kulturamt Stuttgart
2005 : 
-Premiere about_tap vol 1 at Tanzhaus NRW, Düsseldorf.
-Photo exhibition at Tanzhaus NRW and MLP, Munich
2006 : 
-Premiere about_tap vol.2 auf Kamnagel, Hamburg gefördert durch die Kulturbehörde Hamburg und den Fonds darstellende Künste.
-In "about_tap volume 2“ , Thomas Marek stages six tap dance personalities with their individual artistic biographies and emotional connections to the dance form of tap.( Mit Josh Hilberman, Brenda Bufalino, Sarah Petronio, Leela Petronio, Pia Neises) , Choreography and artistic direction.
-Photo exhibition Kampnagel Hamburg
2007 
-Revival of  "about_tap vol no 2", Kampnagel Hamburg. 
-Premiere the 3rd  tap&bass show "Music Evolution" Kampnagel, Hamburg
-Foundation of Tap Dance Studio Footprints in Hamburg, Germany. InterArts Space for his dance and photographic work.
-Second Prize Canon ProFashional Award

2009 
-Premiere of "ORCHESTRA - expansions & dimensions". A tap dance production featuring a 10 piece ensemble. Kampnagel, Hamburg

- Guest performances "ORCHESTRA - expansions & dimensions"  at : Tanzhaus NRW , Zürcher Theaterspektakel