In 1992, while baptizing her ''Butterfly'', bebop tap-master Jimmy Slyde could not possibly imagine that her light-footed ''Papillon'' would so radically transform the landscape of tap, a language born out of african-american slavery on the plantations. Neither could he think she would take his beloved art-form all the way back to the African Mother-Land through the exploration of her own mediterranean roots. Underground tap-dance icon Roxane Butterfly, has been an instrumental force in helping transform the stereotypical presentation of tap in the contemporary performing arts world. Linking her performances with social justice issues such as domestic violence and immigration, her uncommon career has led her across North and South America, Canada, all around Europe, West and North Africa, Asia and the Middle-East, Russia and the Indian Ocean. From busking in New York City to playing Las Vegas New York New York Hotel, from hoofing with Bartabas’ horse at the Theatre de Suresnes in France to the Teatro Zinzani spiegel-tent show in Seattle, from Morrocan night-clubs to international jazz festivals, from teaching in schools for the handicaped in France to joining the campaign against female excision in Guinea from touring Israel with Peace concerts to premiering her north-african tap-fusion in Central Park… Butterfly’s achievements have been internationally acclaimed by both the music and dance critics. She has received numerous awards and grants from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, USArtists International and more... She lives between New York and Barcelona where she collaborates with the multi-disciplinary artists collective Central Art Process.

More about Roxanne's experiences are available on her website www.roxanebutterfly.com.