ECU Song & Dance Showcase

Location: R.A. Fountain

For tonight’s show, Dirk Lumbard and Mollye Otis put together a showcase from among their best students. Lumbard, a Fountain favorite for several years, has five Broadway shows to his credit as tap dancer and singer. He lives in the Edgecombe County community of Old Sparta in a restored farm house. His shows at Fountain with the Steve Creech Jazz All-Stars are usually standing room only. He teaches tap dancing at ECU.

Lumbard was joined in the program by Otis, who is a vocal instructor in the professional acting track in ECU’s School of Theatre and Dance. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in piano performance from the University of Kentucky. She was previously on faculty at the University of Miami, Penn State, and the Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training. Her former students are working on Broadway, in regional theatre, for Disney productions, Cedar Point, Dollywood, in the cruise industry and on international tours. She’s a professional freelance pianist who will accompany some of the dancers and will also perform with Dirk.

A partial list of performers:
Waseem Alzer, a sophomore from Rocky Mount who also emceed the evening’s show and also sang tapped; Anna Higginson, Josy Christian, Sarah Davis, Caitlyn Leach, Rachel Wells, Austin Mejia, Talen Piner Matty Redai, Jessica Rogers, Jane Simmons, David Thomas Smith, Lydia Tart, and Kaitie Weddle.

Tags: eclectic, jazz, popular, show tunes, tap dance