Tristan Bruns is a Chicago tap dancer who has received training under Donna Johnson, Ted Louis Levy, Sam Weber and Martin “Tre” Dumas III. Tristan has been a recurring faculty member of notable tap festivals – Circle City Tap Festival, Rhythm World and The Chicago Tap Summit.
Tristan is currently a member of M.A.D.D. Rhythms and the Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s resident ensemble, Stone Soup Rhythms. Tristan has performed as a guest artist with other Chicago dance companies such as the Cartier Collective, Chicago Dance Crash and Matter Dance.
Tristan is the Director of Tapman Productions and has produced four seasons of new works: The Adventures of Tapman in 2013 at the Athenaeum Theatre; La Raison d’Etre in 2013 at the Athenaeum Theatre; THRUST! In 2015 at Stage 773; What It’s Like To Be Human in 2018 at the Athenaeum Theatre and 2019 at Links Hall.
Tristan has performed in Chicago regional theater productions of Drury Lane’s 42nd Street, Choreographed by Jared Grimes, and Porchlight Theatre’s Sophisticated Ladies, choreographed by Brenda Didier and Florence Walker-Harris. Abroad, Tristan has been a performer and featured soloist at Celtic Fyre at the Busch Gardens Theme Park in Virginia and The Showboat Branson Belle in Missouri.
Internationally, Tristan has performed at the Beijing International Dance Festival in China, the Reus Tap Dance Festival in Spain, The Poznan Jazz Festival in Poland.
Other notable performances include Supreme Love choreographed by Jumaane Taylor, The Steve Harvey Show with M.A.D.D. Rhythms, The Inside/Out Stage at Jacob’s Pillow with Subject:Matter dance company, and the MGM Grand for the Chinese television show “Super Dancer Born Tonight.”
