Sydney Burtis

Sydney Burtis, originally from central Florida, is a performer, choreographer, teacher, and multidisciplinary artist based in NYC. At a young age, she discovered her artistic voice through tap dance and has been mentored by Michelle Dorrance, Derick Grant, Sarah Reich, Anthony Morigerato, and Danny Wallace. In 2017, Sydney was recognized as one of “Tap’s Next Generation” in Dance Spirit Magazine, and was featured on the October 2018 cover. Some credits include, The Billy Elliot National Broadway Tour, SYTYCD, Dorrance Dance, The Kennedy Center, Little Island, The YoungArts New York Gala at the MET, Demi Remick & Dancers, and Max Pollak repertoire.

As a choreographer, Sydney has had the honor of presenting works at Choreographer’s Carnival NYC, Battery Dance Fest, OC Tap Festival, Steps Beyond Foundation, Arts On Site, Rhythm in Motion, and more. Her passion for storytelling through movement is the drive behind her tap company “Elements of Sound” which she founded in 2022. Most recently, Sydney became a finalist for the 2025 DEC Choreographers Cup, in which she is presenting a collaborative work of contemporary and tap dance. She is an Artist in Residence at The American Tap Dance Foundation, a 2017 YoungArts Silver award winner, a 2018 Presidential Scholar in the Arts semi-finalist, an alumnus of the Jacob’s Pillow Tap Program, and co-founder of the Orlando Tap Festival.

Sydney is an inspiring and dedicated teacher who loves connecting with dancers through choreography and private lessons. She travels throughout the U.S. and abroad as a guest teacher and choreographer for dance studios, tap festivals, and intensives. Sydney is on faculty at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, Allegro Arts Academy, tours with Adrenaline and Revive Dance Conventions, and is a teacher for Sarah Reich’s Tap Music Project. Tap Dance has always been at the forefront of Sydney’s life inspiring her to present her honors thesis: “Tap Dance as a Form of Non-Verbal Communication for Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Sydney graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pace University with a BA in Communication Studies.

Class Description
I strive to make my classes a safe place for exploration, discovery, and growth. We dive into our individual relationships to sound and movement, while continuing to honor the tap dance masters. I always begin class with a thorough warm up, introducing our bodies to a multitude of tap dance techniques. Immediately following, we will move through a couple of exercises ranging between technique drills, across the floor combinations, improvisation, musicality training, and/or hands and feet coordination. To finish, I will share a piece of choreography that encompasses everything we worked on. Here, dancers are encouraged not only to grasp the tap dance technique and rhythmic structure to the best of their abilities, but to also explore their approach to the floor, and how their bodies move through space. I absolutely love teaching at Steps on Broadway, and hope you join me in the studio soon!