Dr. Jazz taps into dance's energy
by Simon Collins

American dancer Joshua Hilberman turned away from a career in medicine to concentrate on his unusual passion - jazz tap.
"Both my parents are doctors," he said after arriving in Perth from Boston for the Perth International Arts Festival. " Medicine was where I was meant to go, but I couldn't stand it."
After a year of studying medicine he decided to do something else. Jazz tap is a mixture of African-American dancing and music with Irish, English and Spanish folk dancing.
Hilberman, 35, will perform two shows with a quartet of local musicians, including vocalist Libby Hammer, as part of this weekend's inaugural Fremantle International Jazz Festival.

"Helen Matthews (Jazz Festival Manager) has really gone out on a limb to say,'Jazz is part of the tradition,' he said. " I really appreciate that."
He said his shows at the Fremantle Town Hall would showcase the humor, energy and musician of jazz tap.

Photo caption: Energy flow: Dancer Joshua Hilberman mixed a number of cultural influences for his performances of jazz tap dancing.
Picture: Bill Hatto

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