Workshops
Two full days, every level
Workshops across beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels — taught by the Tapdance Promotion team and invited guest teachers. Each edition brings its own mix of rhythm work, choreography, and style.
What is the Ghent Tap Festival
Tap is rhythm made visible.
Once a year, Ghent fills with the sound of metal on wood. The Ghent Tap Festival is a weekend of tap dance — workshops across all levels, an evening performance, and the electric energy of dancers from across Belgium, the Netherlands, and beyond, all under one roof.
Running since 2023, the festival brings leading tap teachers to Ghent to teach and perform, with each edition building on the community that has been growing year by year.
Hosted by Tapdance Promotion
At Shoonya Dance Centre · Stapelplein 41, 9000 Gent
Organised with the support of Stad Gent & Gent Sport
What happens
Two days, all levels, one stage.
A full weekend of tap — learning by day, performing by night, and trading rhythms in between.
Evening Performance
Tap on stage
An evening show in the Shoonya space, where teachers and guest artists perform for a seated audience. Past editions have featured touring artists bringing rhythm, story, and history to a full house.
And more
Beyond the schedule
Each edition adds its own flavour — free taster classes open to everyone, open tap nights, cutting contests, and the informal moments that make a community. The programme varies by edition.
Who's taught here
Invited guest teachers.
Each edition brings its own international guest artists to teach and perform at Shoonya. Here are some of the teachers past editions have hosted.
Josh Hilberman
Guest teacher · 2024 & 2026Tap dance artist based in Liège. Co-founded the Claquettes Club and curates the Tap Liège Festival. Studied for decades under Brenda Bufalino and taught prize-winning dancemaker Michelle Dorrance.
Peter Kuit
Guest teacher · 2026Dutch tap dancer since 1977 — from house parties and a speed-metal band to touring stadiums with Candy Dulfer and eight years with the David Kweksilber Big Band. Teaching tap for over 40 years.
La Liz
Guest teacher · 2026Brings over 25 years of flamenco experience. Taught "Hands on Rhythm: Clap & Groove" — flamenco handclapping as a percussive art form, open to every dance background.
Estefania Porqueras
Guest teacher · 2025Barcelona-based tap dancer, choreographer, and educator. Artistic director of Dance Company UNUM Project, performer with Camut Band, and faculty at Escola Luthier Barcelona.
Jep Meléndez
Guest teacher · 2024 & 2025Spanish body percussionist, tap and sand dancer. Principal dancer with Camut Band and artistic director of Cambuyón, staged at the Edinburgh Fringe and New York's New Victory Theater.
© Aarón S. Ramos
Joëlle Ribant
Guest teacher · 2023 & 2024Brussels-based tap dancer. Taught advanced and intermediate levels, including the "Begin the Beguine" advanced choreography workshop.
© Philippe Tollet
The next edition
Edition Five
The full programme and exact dates are announced on Instagram ahead of each edition. Follow @shoonyadance so you're the first to know when registration opens.
Follow @shoonyadancePractical
Good to know.
The essentials that stay true edition to edition. Exact dates, teachers, and tickets are confirmed each year — everything else below is how the Ghent Tap Festival always runs.
The venue
Shoonya Dance Centre, Stapelplein 41, 9000 Gent. All workshops and the evening performance take place under one roof — five studios and a theatre stage.
Who it's for
All levels welcome — every level, from beginner to advanced. No prior tap experience needed for the beginner and taster sessions.
Tap shoes
Hard tap shoes are required for workshops. If you don't have a pair yet, start with the free taster class first — then ask your local dance school or teacher about renting or buying.
Getting there
A 10-minute walk from Gent-Dampoort station. Street parking on Stapelplein, and the city centre a short walk away.
Tickets & registration
Registration opens ahead of each edition via shoonyadance.com. A Shoonya ID is required for all registrations.
Questions
Reach us through the Shoonya contact page, or follow @shoonyadance for news and announcements.
Past editions
Four editions, and counting.
Each edition brings its own guest artists, its own energy, and the same community that keeps coming back.
2026
Fourth Edition
"Not Dead Yet" — Josh Hilberman at Shoonya
Josh Hilberman brought his show Not Dead Yet: Dances & Stories, spanning generations of tap history, to the Shoonya Theatre for two performances on the Saturday evening. The weekend's workshops featured Alexandre Van Goethem, Peter Kuit — tap dancing since 1977, from house parties to touring stadiums with Candy Dulfer — Josh Hilberman, and La Liz leading palmas, alongside a free taster class open to all.
2025
Third Edition
A Pies y Manos at the Minard
Estefania Porqueras (Barcelona) taught tap advanced, choreography, and intermediate levels, Jep Meléndez led body percussion, and Alexandre Van Goethem taught advanced beginners. The Sunday performance, A Pies y Manos — Jep Meléndez, Benito Cabrera, and Tomás Fariña blending Canarian music, tap, and body-drumming — played at the Minard theatre, with an Open Stage inviting the community to perform on the Saturday.
2024
Second Edition
The community returns
Jep Meléndez taught body percussion, Josh Hilberman led workshops drawing on decades studying with tap legends including Brenda Bufalino, and Joëlle Ribant taught the advanced "Begin the Beguine" choreography workshop, drawing dancers from Belgium, the Netherlands, and beyond. The Open Tap Night featured a cutting contest on the Saturday evening.
2023
First Edition
Where it all began
The first Ghent Tap Festival brought Laia Molins (Barcelona) and Joëlle Ribant (Brussels) for advanced and intermediate workshops, Alexandre Van Goethem for advanced beginners and the Tap Jam, and a free Tap Dance Initiation with Teddy Robinet — a new home for the tap dance community in Ghent.