I was introduced to Claudia Gomez from the audience during San Diego REPertory Theatre’s 2013 production of Federal Jazz Project. Her tap dance role as ‘Tijuana’ brought foot percussion as an integral sound alongside the jazz band. Claudia’s resounding elegance under the stage lights left such an impact that I have continued to follow her interdisciplinary career via social media. Her mastery of movement extends far beyond just tap dance!
This article serves as a belated welcome to TAP IN WITH CLAUDIA, a space of sanctuary for movement, joy, and healing through tap dance, yoga, and Reiki. Open since July 2021, Claudia Gomez’s new studio brings her decades of training in multiple mediums and her wisdom into the City Heights neighborhood.
“Around age five, I was a ballet folkórico dancer, like my mother, Ede. I did not always understand what we were saying, because I was just a little kid, but I saw how important it was [to my mother and the other dancers]; it was part of their life. Home. So I loved it too.
I was only allowed to watch PBS as a kid and one day this documentary came on: No Maps on My Taps, about the tap dancers in Harlem. Also, About Tap. I saw them and…I knew. I told my mom it’s what I want to do. She took me to a Civic Dance Arts class at the rec center, through the City of San Diego. I was around age six or seven; there was a tap teacher Lori Allen Groves, and that was it. Home.”
“I think I’m the big client here! I need to move too. Several years ago, I was in this crazy car accident and I could barely move my hands; I couldn’t do anything with them. Doctor told me I’d need surgery and my acupuncturist suggested that I keep doing what I was doing: yoga. So I did. I put in the work of wanting to heal myself. And it was work. Everyone wants to work through things differently. I chose yoga and it worked for my hands and it continues to work for me. So I get to share that.”
Claudia has learned and taught in many arenas, from tap dance festivals across the country to yoga and healing gatherings around the world. In addition to years of experience working with adults, she is currently the dance teacher at Keiller Leadership Academy in Encanto.
Claudia offers group and private sessions in her studio and local outdoor spaces for tap dance, yoga, and Reiki. Seekers and skeptics, beginners or advanced students will find gentle, joyful instruction in Claudia’s healing hands. Learn more about Claudia by following her on social media @tapinwithclaudia or visiting https://tapintoyogaandreiki.com/book-a-class/
