Meet Gracey Tune, founder and artistic director of Arts Fifth Avenue. Gracey Tune is one of only a handful of internationally recognized women exhibiting extraordinary talent in the field of tap dancing. A recipient of the Outstanding Woman in the Arts Award from the city of Fort Worth, Gracey was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame by Gov. Ann Richards in 1983. Recently, the Dance Council Inc. of North Texas honored her with the inaugural Texas Tap Legends Award in 2005. She is a frequent guest artist at major events in the world of tap. She provided choreography for the productions of “Steppin’ Out” and “My One and Only” on Broadway; performed with and produced shows for tap legends Cholly Atkins, Savion Glover, Sarah Petronio, Ron Young and her internationally recognized brother, Tommy Tune; and continues to teach and perform at Arts Fifth Avenue.
		top
		Eddie Dunlap is artistic director of MONDO DRUMMERS Eddie Dunlap is a native of Fort Worth who began playing drums professionally at age 10. He has performed with international stars Stevie Ray Vaughn, Mose Alison, Master Cylinder, Sarah Petronio and West-African dancer Titus Fotso. Eddie has hosted popular workshops through the Van Cliburn Foundation outreach efforts, most notably with the Brazilian percussion group Uakti and world-renowned percussionist Evelyn Glennie. For the past 20 years, Dunlap has contributed his talents for musical theatre production with such organizations as Jubilee Theater, Circle Theater and Hip Pocket Theater.
		top
		Peggy Bott-Kirby is a vocal chorus specialist listed on the Texas Commission of the Arts/Arts In Education Artist Roster. Info coming.
		top
		Elizabeth Bowie teaches Ballet, Photography and Art History. Info coming.
		top
		Amrita Schlacter always has a story to tell. Amrita Schlachter created STORIES &MORE in 1994 in an effort to share the richness of distant Asian cultures with American children. The stories are mainly of Indian origin, where Amrita is from, but occasionally they include folktales from other Asian cultures, including Sri Lanka and Tibet. Prior to her work with STORIES &MORE, Amrita was a freelance writer reporting on family and children's issues for the For Worth Star Telegram and other publications. She has written a book for UNICEF, India: The Forgotten Children and in 1998, she was filmed by a Discovery Channel crew for a documentary on India's spiritual wealth.
		top
		April Gaines is a consummate tap artist. April holds a BS in Eucation from the University of Texas. She worked in the public and private school system for many years. April has taght Tap at Arts Fifth Avenue for four years and is a member of the Legacy Tap Project and LaFeet Tap Ensemble. She continues her tap education with master classes sponsored by Legacy Tap Project, the Rythym Junkies, and the Tapestry Dance Company.
		top
		Glenna Janda is an artist and sculptor. Bilingual artist Glenna Janda received her B.A .from TCU and continued her studies at the University of the Americas, the Instituto Allende, and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes while living in Mexico. In addition to her work in sculpture, painting and ceramic, Glenna has a history with dance that often influences her visual arts.
		top
		Harris Kirby plays mandolin and ukulele. As a wee lad, Harris listened to his older brother’s band rehearse. He learned to play mandolin and guitar in his teens and began accompanying fiddle players in south Texas. Harris has played in country bands and garage bands and enjoys many types of music from folk to classical.
		top
		Dale Luna teaches and performs tap. As a young man, Dale remembers dancing in his room to Broadway musical scores. He was especially inspired by the movie “West Side Story” and later in life, after focusing on his ballet studies, became a “gangleader” of tap. Of course, there’s no tap in “West Side Story,” but, if you know Dale, you’d know that doesn’t matter a bit!
		top
		Cessilye Smith performs and teaches Hip-Hop, Creative Movement, Tap and Ballet. Info coming.
		top
		Scott Mann performs and teaches guitar Scott first sang in a band called “Necroplis” in high school but didn’t start studying guitar until he was 20 years old. An accomplished singer-songwriter, he released his first CD entitled “the road as I know it” in 2002; his second release “Sam’s Acoustic Soul” came out in March of 2004. Scott is also involved with the Fort Worth Songwriter’s Assoc. and was elected to their Board for two consecutive terms.
		top
		Shelley Hallum helps others experience Yoga. Shelley began practicing Hatha Yoga in 2001 at the Body, Mind, Spirit Center in Fort Worth. In 2003, Shelley was introduced to Anusara yoga and has been following that path ever since. Anusara Yoga, developed in 1997 by John Friend, means “flowing with Grace,” or “following your heart.” Through this “celebration of the heart, Anusara yoga helps to unveil the innate goodness, worthiness, and supreme nature of each student and every being. All levels of abilities and experience are honored for their unique differences, limitation and talents. Along with her experience in Anusara, Shelley is a licensed massage therapist and incorporates therapeutic insight in the asana practice. For more information on Anusara, visit www.anusara.com
		top
		Dena Brinkley Phillips is our Zumba expert. Dena has been involved with fitness for more than 25 years. In fact, she taught the first low-impact aerobics classes in Fort Worth at Westside Workout, where she taught for 15 years. She is a certified Zumba instructor. But what is Zumba? Zumba utilizes the principles of fitness and interval training to maximize caloric output, fat-burning, and body toning. But, what makes Zumba unique is that it is fun! You don’t have to know how to dance to do Zumba. It creates a party-like atmosphere with a fusion of Latin and international music dance themes, creating a dynamic, exciting, effective system of fitness.
		top
		Chris White teaches and plays upright bass and trumpet. Info coming.
		top
		Pat Trimble teaches and performs guitar and piano. Info coming.
		top
		Rachel Hitzfeld instructs our yoga and ballet classes. Dancing since an early age, Rachel studied with Gayle Corkery of the Fort Worth-Dallas Ballet and Arlington Ballet School. She also appeared with the Fort Worth-Dallas Ballet as an apprentice dancer.
		top
		Rachel Shirk Rachel received her education from Bennington College where she earned a B.A. with concentration in Music, June 2004. Her most recent work experience includes, Teaching Artist, Theatre Action Project (Austin, TX). Other Training/Skills includes being a trained singer with acting and movement experience. Her solo recitals include "Classically and Otherwise" at Bennington College, where she organized and performed combination of classical and contemporary repertoire in solo voice concert; "Find Me Here" where she directed a chorus of four dancer-actors and utilized contemporary poetic texts. She is currently studying at Tarrant County College vocal music for personal/professional growth.
		top
		top

Affiliates

MONDO DRUMMERS educates audiences and students about the history and culture of musical styles from around the world. Begun in 1994 through the Eastside Neighborhood Arts Center as an outreach program for at-risk youth, MONDO focuses on percussion and hand instruments and beyond. MONDO DRUMMERS Performance Ensemble was the first youth hand-drum and percussion ensemble in Texas and recorded their first CD “It was a Big Sky, After All” in 1999. A new recording from MONDO will be launched this year. To purchase a copy of “Big Sky,” contact us.
For class and event schedules click here.

THE ARTS FIFTH AVENUE JAZZ COLLECTIVE is made up of seven Fort Worth native jazz artists who premiere original jazz compositions.
The concept of the 5th Avenue Jazz Collective is twofold. First, to provide an ongoing collection of musicians dedicated to developing and exploring jazz and providing an outlet for their original compositions. Second, to further Arts Fifth Avenue's 6-year history of presenting jazz in an intimate family-friendly venue. The Collective is made up of Dave Williams, Joe Carter, Pat Brown, Leonard Belota, Kyp Green, Eddie Dunlap, and Damon Callahan. With a joint experience of over 125 years, these jazzmen are dedicated to their art, and constantly work to keep things new and fresh.

Leonard Belota, Trumpet
A native of Fort Worth, Leonard toured the States with Monopoly LTD, a show band associated with Stax Records. He lived to New York City where he immersed himself in the jazz culture, being fortunate to play with many of his jazz heroes. Once more returning to Fort Worth, he formed the Lelota Be-Bop Quintet, and played with Pete Peterson and with the Winston Barney Orchestra. He is the founding force behind the 5th Avenue Jazz Collective.

Eddie Dunlap, Percussion
A native of Fort Worth, Eddie began playing drums professionally at age of 10. He's performed with Stevie Ray Vaughn, Mose Alison, Master Cylinder, French tap dancer, Sarah Petronio, & West African dancer, Titus Fotso, and has hosted workshops through the Van Cliburn Foundation with the Brazilian percussion group, Uakti, & internationally renowned percussionist, Evelyn Glennie. He has worked with local theaters such as Jubilee Theater, Circle Theater & Hip Pocket Theatre. Eddie is also the founder and artistic director of Mondo Drummers.

Joey Carter
Piano, Vibes, & Percussion
A native of Fort Worth, Joey has performed with many area jazz groups: Johnny Reno, Brad Thompson and his Undulating Band, the Fort Worth Symphony Big Band, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Texas Wind Symphony. Joey is a member of and composer for the original jazz group Bertha Coolidge whose debut release Live at the Caravan of Dreams 030201 won the Album of the Year in the 2002 Fort Worth Weekly music awards. He is currently teaching percussion at Texas Christian University.

Dave Williams
Saxophone & Composer
A native of Fort Worth, Davegrew up in a family of musicians and performed in woodwind quartets, jazz big bands, rock bands, and C&W groups. For the past 20 years he has performed professionally in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and toured the United States with jazz artists such as Louie Bellson, Mel Torme, Clark Terry and the Glenn Miller orchestra among others. He has backed pop artist such as The Temptations, Frankie Valli, and The Supremes as well as playing festivals and concert halls.

Pat Brown
Trombonist & Composer
A native of Fort Worth, Pat began playing trombone at age 12. He has performed and recorded with numerous Latino organizations in the Metroplex including Latin Express, C.R. and Special Guest, Joe Lerma, and Lisa Ramirez. He has performed and recorded with such diverse groups as Razzmajazz Dixieland Band, and Tao, an electric fusion venture, which he co-founded with Fort Worth guitarist Keith Wingate. He currently is playing, arranging, and composing for a variety of musical organizations.

Kyp Green
Bass
A native of Fort Worth, Kyp is active as both a classical and jazz bassist. He is a member of the Dallas Wind Symphony, East Texas Symphony, Waco Symphony and the Dallas Jazz Orchestra. He has backed artists as diverse as Itzak Perlman, Pincas Zuckerman in the classical world to popular acts such as Yanni, the Moody Blues, Larry Gatlin, Steve Allen and Phyllis Diller. Over the years he has also been privileged to accompany many jazz greats such as Clark Terry, Doc Severenson, Eddie Daniels, Al Grey, Red Holloway, Carl Fontana, the Four Freshmen, Bobby Shew, Shelly Berg, Don Menza, Mary Stam, James clay and Lou Marini among many others.

A last-minute addition to the group is Damon Callahan on piano.

The 5th Avenue Jazz Collective was conceived by Leonard Belota, Eddie Dunlap, and Gracey Tune. The funding for the Collective was made possible by an anonymous jazz supporter.

For upcoming Jazz Collective events, click here.

top of page