About Us

How Tappy Feet Came to be

(A message from Molly)

I wanted to create a tap dance class for adults that would improve coordination, balance and memory-enhancing brain workouts, while connecting people to those in their community. Especially in this day and age with rising tension among political parties and nations, community connection is vital for our mental and physical health and the wellbeing of our world.

Over the years, I have become in awe of the expression one gets the first time they put on tap shoes and stomp around. The pure expression of joyful discovery. I named this discovery “Tapzilleration.” I want everyone, of every learning style, to feel “Tapzilleration” someday. And I want those who fall madly in love with tap dance to continue to be filled with elation and pride as they discover and re-discover tap steps and rhythms.

So, I began to create products that make learning more fun. Products that bring more joy to the experience of learning tap dance. I made these, at first, in collaboration with dancer and artist, Kristen Jorden. When life took her career in another direction, I continued this journey with computer programmer, tap dancer and cat officianado, Tracy Hiltbrand. I also received help from fabulous members of the Tappy Feet community, lovingly referred to as “Tappy Feeters.” The creative partnerships I have built because of Tappy Feet are what makes our products, classes and events so damn special.

And thus, Tappy Feet was born of creativity, connection and joy. Our products, classes and events aim to bring out these three qualities in each person who comes across them. They’re what make Tappy Feet such a jewel in Denver, CO and such a valuable part of my life.

Our tappy Team

Molly Dyer

Tap Dancer, Acupuncturist, Pursuer of Good Food & Medicinal Herbs

Molly’s passion for tap dance was born out of a love for rhythm and percussion.  She started tap dancing in college in 2003 and simply never stopped.  While pursuing her graduate degree in Eastern Medicine and License in Acupuncture, she found tap dance to be the best therapeutic break from responsibility. She called it her “Get out of my head and into my feet therapy.” The more she learned about alternative health, the body and the brain, the more she realized how powerful tap dance is for brain health, and both physical and mental wellbeing.

Molly received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre at Western State College (now Western Colorado University) in Gunnison, CO. There, she began taking and teaching tap classes at the Gunnison Arts Center. Later, she substitute taught tap classes and summer camps at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) in St. Louis and attended the St. Louis Tap Festival. After several years and many different tap classes and teachers, Molly started Tappy Feet to help adults experience the same mood-boosting, confidence-building, joy-filled therapy that she had come to rely upon from tap classes.

Molly’s passion for helping others and building community permeates across her two professions - tap dance and Eastern Medicine. Helping people find healthier and happier lives is how she spends her time. Her greatest passions include preparing medicinal herbal formulas for her acupuncture clients and teaching tap dance and writing tap choreography.

Tracy HiltBrand

Tap Dancer, Software Developer, Lover of Cats & Colors

Tracy joined Tappy Feet in late 2020 with the mission of using her technical skills to make learning tap dance a more accessible and user friendly experience for all.  By day, she is a computer software engineer who can thankfully say that she loves her job.  By night, she is a mom of 3 cats and many pairs of colorful tap shoes (both of which compete for her attention when she’s at home).  Tracy loves color - from bright purple hair, to every sparkly, bright tone you could possibly put in a tap shoe.  Her bucket list includes the goal of trying on every single professional style of tap shoe, preferably in a different color each time.

Tracy received her Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1993.  She took adult tap lessons for many years and three years of tap lessons with an incredible local tap dance mentor.  She attended Rhythm Weekend, a tap festival in her hometown of Omaha and assisted the Omaha Jitterbugs in planning the event in 2021. 

After years of taking classes, Tracy started her own YouTube channel, which focuses on… cats and tap dancing! (What more could you possibly need?)   

Tracy states that performing and sharing her love for tap dance has given her confidence and a sense of accomplishment that helps every area of her life. This is the exact feeling that she and Molly aim to spread far and wide through Tappy Feet.  To get started finding your own sense of pride and achievement, you can join one of our classes, buy one of our products or check out Tracy’s YouTube Channel. 

Madison Hatchett

Tap Dancer, Ability Specialists Support Professional, Pursuer of Thrifting, Plants and Upcycled Fashion

Madison’s tap career began at Belliston Ballet in Littleton, Colorado, where she danced competitively for 8 years. After having spent several years competing in jazz, tap, ballet and hip hop, her mother signed her up for a teen tap dance class in the summer, despite Madison’s disinterest. And of course, to Madison’s surprise, she quickly found tap to be “better than all the other classes.” Yeah, that’s right. We said it. Madison loves the percussive quality of tap dance and the way the you can tap dance to any style of music.

After graduating with her undergraduate in Environmental Communications in 2021, Madison found Tappy Feet and became invested, involved and supportive in all ways. She quickly became our class helper and back up instructor on the side, while pursuing her career as a Direct Support Professional at Ability Specialists.

Madison’s spicy, creative flare adds a playful joy to each class she teaches. Her choreography style ranges from theatrical to technical and her music style ranges from classic “Singing in the Rain” to new age “Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish.

In her free time, Madison loves to find opportunities to dance, walk in the snow, go thrifting, throw themed parties, create upcycled fashion, build miniature things and take care of plants. Join Madison for some playful and creative fun!

Aubree Thayer

Tap Dancer, Tap Teacher, Lover of Dogs and Accounting Firm Extraordinare

Aubree grew up in Tucson, AZ where she began dancing at the age of 3. She joined a competitive dancing group, Danswest under the direction of Frank Trent at the age of 8, specializing in tap. She competed in national competitions for 10 years receiving many awards and recognitions as well as had the opportunity to tour Europe where her company was invited to dance at the Roman Jazz Festival as the youngest group to ever perform.  Following high school, Aubree moved to Denver, CO to attend college at Johnson & Wales University. After graduation in 2006, Aubree decided to get back into dancing and started taking classes at various dance studios, which lead to her eventual position as a tap instructor.  Aubree has been teaching tap for over 17 years to students of all ages and levels. 

Aubree’s tap classes involve quicker combinations and more challenging tap steps that are rhythmically rigorous. She writes choreography to popular songs of all genres and writes solidly brain-jumbling combinations which are well loved by her students. If you love tap dance with your whole heart and you want to reconnect with technically sound and fast-paced tap dancing, you’ll love Aubree’s classes!

In her free time… Free time? What’s that?