Our Directors
About Us
ABOUT US
Reverb Tap Company, based in Southern California and is led by the renowned Artistic Director and Choreographer, Leah Silva.
Distinguished for their dynamic fusion of dance and film, Reverb Tap Company brings tap dance to global audiences with a cutting-edge, vibrant, and sophisticated approach. Their performances, known for electrifying audiences and bringing down the house, showcase their versatile, highly trained artists that leave audiences captivated.
Reverb Tap Company has garnered acclaim for their appearances at prestigious events such as the Emmy Awards Governors Ball, the Newport Beach Film Festival, and the televised broadcast of the Music Center’s Holiday Celebration at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, an Emmy Award-winning production in which Reverb Tap Company performed. They have also graced stages at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Rose Center Theater and Temecula Theater, captivating sold-out audiences with their full-length shows like “All We Got: Life of the American Teenager” and “The Space Between”.
Their artistic endeavors extend to collaborations with the American Cancer Society and American Dance Movement, as well as engagements with McCoy Rigby Entertainment and televised news segments. They have also been featured at renowned dance festivals and shows across the United States and in Canada.
Individually, artists of Reverb Tap Company boast a multitude of accolades, including distinguished winners of YoungArts, recipients of the Los Angeles Music Center's Spotlight Grand Prize, IDO World Tap Dance Champions, alumni of Jacob's Pillow and recipients of the Orange County Register Artist of the Year award.
OUR DIRECTORS
Leah Silva
Founder / Artistic Director / Choreographer
A Southern California native, Leah Silva is an internationally recognized educator, adjudicator, award-winning choreographer, artistic director, producer, and critically acclaimed performer. With more than two decades of experience in dance education and performance, she has cultivated a distinguished career rooted in artistic excellence, creative exploration, and mentorship. Her work as an educator has taken her throughout the United States and internationally, where she continues to inspire and mentor dancers and artists across diverse communities and cultural settings.
Leah currently serves as a Lecturer of Dance in the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). She travels nationwide to teach and set choreography and is also a recurring specialty master teacher at dance studios throughout Southern California.
Leah’s career spans performance, choreography, education, and arts leadership. She has been featured in Dance Teacher Magazine and made history as the first tap dancer selected as an Artist-in-Residence at Zion National Park. Her professional credits include choreography for the Television Academy’s Emmy Awards Governors Ball, performance engagements with Mattel, and collaborations with American Idol finalists. She has taught, choreographed, and performed throughout Central and South America, including Brazil and Guatemala, as well as Australia, Canada, and across the United States.
As an educator and mentor, Leah is recognized for her dynamic teaching approach, technical expertise, and commitment to developing the individual artistry of each student. She has trained and mentored numerous accomplished tap dancers whose achievements include top honors from YoungArts and the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards, as well as acceptance into the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow. Her students have gone on to pursue dance at leading collegiate programs and establish professional careers in dance education, television, touring, and performance with acclaimed artists and companies. These accomplishments reflect Leah’s emphasis on technical rigor, artistic development, creative independence, and individualized mentorship.
Leah’s award-winning choreography has been presented at prestigious venues, including Symphony Space in New York City, and featured in film festival programming. Her work has also been showcased live on KTLA and PBS for multiple years as part of the Music Center’s annual Holiday Celebration at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The production received a 2026 Emmy Award for Live Special Events – Programming, with Leah’s choreography featured as part of the award-winning program. Her choreographic practice reflects an interdisciplinary approach to movement, performance, and storytelling, with particular emphasis on the evolving language and possibilities of tap dance.
In addition to her work as an educator and artist, Leah is the Producer, Founder and Artistic Director of Reverb Tap Company, an acclaimed ensemble recognized for its powerhouse tap performances and innovative dance-film productions. The company’s work has been selected for the Newport Beach Film Festival and has captivated sold-out audiences with their full-length shows. She is also the Founder and Director of the Orange County Tap Festival, an international annual event that brings leading educators, choreographers, and dancers together for master classes, performances, and special events. Through these initiatives, Leah continues to expand opportunities for artistic exchange, professional development, and the advancement of tap dance as a dynamic art form.
Mary Thomas
Associate Co-Director / Choreographer
Mary Thomas is an accomplished tap dancer from Southern California and the Associate Co- Director of Reverb Tap Company.
She started as a member of Reverb in 2016 and has performed at dance festivals and special events around the country, including the 2018 Emmy Awards Governors Balls. Mary is passionate about choreographing and in 2019 was awarded the Rhapsody in Taps’ Ted Gatto Memorial Tap Legacy Scholarship. Highlights include choreographing for the Huntington Beach High School Academy for the Performing Arts and having her choreography featured in “The Space Between” concert at the Old Town Temecula Theater in 2023.
She also enjoys teaching students of all ages and levels in Southern California and recently taught tap at Golden West College. Mary is honored to teach and perform at festivals and workshops, including the OC Tap Festival for six years running. Her goal as a teacher is to instill technique, musicality, artistry, and most importantly, a love of the dance in all her students.
Mary has always been encouraged in her art by Christy Hernandez, Linda Sohl-Ellison, and Leah Silva, and she considers herself very blessed to be mentored by these three phenomenal women and tap dancers. Mary graduated summa cum laude from Cal State Long Beach in 2023 with her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Accounting.