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Current Members
Kathy Banks has been a member of Step
Aside since 1998, but she's been tapping since age 3, when her mom enrolled her in her very first ballet and tap class.
Kathy has been quoted as saying, "Some of my happiest moments are when I lace-up those shoes and hit the
floor." Kathy also enjoys performing and will always cherish the years she was able to share the stage
and the love of tap dance with her son, Darren, a former member of Tappers With Attitude Youth Ensemble.
Tamara Henry has been an active member of Step Aside for eight years. Tamara’s first experience with “rhythm” tap was in 1994 when she took a class taught
by Bakari Wilder at Knock On Wood. She has studied under Yvonne Edwards, Renee
Kreithen, Heather Cornell, Lane Alexander, Acia Gray, Diane Walker, Jeannie Hill, and Josh Hilberman. She has taught master
classes, workshops, private lessons and competition routines throughout the Washington DC area. She just recently opened up her own dance studio (Body Rhythms) in Largo,
Maryland. Although a dancer at heart, Tamara holds a degree in Business Education
from Morgan State University, a master’s degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in Computer Technology
from Bowie State University and a school
administration and supervision certification from McDaniel College.
Erica Hidalgo-Monroy grew up in Richmond, Virginia where she started tap dancing at age 5 with Tracy Crouch, owner and
director of Regency Dance Academy. Through Regency, she competed in various competitions including Showbiz and Starpower.
In college, she was a part of the Lynchburg College Dance Company for four years. While there, Erica choreographed tap
pieces for performances held twice a year. During the summer of 2005, she had the opportunity to go to New York City and tap in Break the Floor, an off-Broadway production directed by Gil Stroming. Currently,
Erica lives in Northern Virginia and works for KPMG. She
is the newest member of Step Aside, joining the company in January 2006.
Cindy Hsu started dancing at the age of three and hasn’t
stopped since. After receiving her B.A. in Dance from Colorado State University, Cindy moved to New York City where
she worked as a guest artist-in-residence and performed throughout the New York area with Manhattan Tap II. She has studied tap with Chris Baker, Buster
Brown, Heather Cornell, Mark Goodman, Lisa Hopkins, Idella Reed, and Olivia Rosencrantz.
Cindy went on to tour with the National Tap Ensemble and was on faculty at the annual National Tap Seminar. Cindy danced with Taps Are Talking: Women In Tap, under the direction of Ellie Sciarra. She has choreographed and taught classes, workshops, and residencies in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, North
Carolina, New York, and Virginia. In addition to teaching
at 24/7 Dance Studio, Elite Feet Dance Studio and the Russell School of Ballet, Cindy also directs and dances with Step Aside.
Carrie Hunter has been a part of Knock On Wood Tap Studio for the past 10 years. She was a member of Tappers With Attitude
Youth Ensemble from 1996-2000 and has been a dancer with Step Aside for the past six years. Carrie has been a faculty member
at Knock On Wood for the past eight years and is also teaches at Body Rhythms Dance Studio under the direction of Tamara Henry.
Aside from dancing, Carrie is an eighth grade Pre-Algebra teacher at Charles Carroll Middle school in New Carrollton, Maryland.
Yara Jahrling graduated with high honors from Muhlenberg College in May 2005,
where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in both Dance and Art, and earned membership to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. At
Muhlenberg, Yara gained experience as both a choreographer and performer. She
has worked with Tiffany Mills, Nicholas Leichter, Robert LaFosse, Danny Buraczeski, Shelley Oliver, Charles O. Anderson, and
Karen Dearborn. This fall, Yara completed an internship with Tiffany Mills Company in NYC, and her piece "Still Seeing" was
selected for performance at the Joy of Motion Dance Project in December 2005. Yara has performed with the Muhlenberg
JazzTap Ensemble, directed the tap group, Copasetic Rhythms, choreographed for Equinox, worked with the Music Theater Factory,
and been teaching in and out of the Frederick community for seven years. Yara currently teaches dance for 24/7
Dance Studio. This is Yara's first season with Step Aside.
Gina Korrell is the owner and director of 24/7 Dance Studios in Frederick and Hagerstown. She has been teaching dance for the past 21 years. Gina has directed and choreographed for
many area dance companies, teams, organizations and theater groups. She played a vital role in establishing Frederick County’s first and only dance scholarship program and increasing funds
for the dance programs in Frederick County. She looks forward to several new and exciting business ventures in the future and plans to
continue growing, teaching, choreographing and performing. Gina is the mother of three and lives in Myersville, MD with her
husband Brad. This is Gina’s first season with Step Aside.
Courtney Richardson is 19 years old and is in her first season with Step Aside.
She is currently a freshman at Carroll Community College studying Elementary Education. Courtney spent two summers
touring with Hoctor Dance Caravan as a Caravan Kid. She was a member of the Elite Feet Dance Studio Competition Team in Frederick for several years and continues to study and take classes and work as an assistant teacher there.
Her future plans include going to the University of Maryland where
she’ll continue to study dance and education.
Lisa Swenton-Eppard was raised in her mother's
southern Maryland dance studio where she participated
in dance competitions and pageants, and has taught tap since age 15. A Frostburg State University graduate with a Psychology
degree, she performed with the FSU Dance Company. She has judged competitions, choreographed for local Miss America preliminaries, and has taught
and choreographed competition tap. Lisa teaches tap at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, Maryland and is associate director
of Tappers With Attitude Youth Ensemble. She credits husband, Jimmy, and son, Peyton, for giving her the life she always
wanted!
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