Ian Berg

A week-long retreat in Vermont and Massachusetts in 2026 will provide time to write, arrange, and record music exploring tap dance textures within jazz, while community workshops and performances aim to bridge the gap between modern tap and jazz communities.

About the Artist

Ian Berg is a Boston-based tap dancer and composer originally from Chicago, Illinois with training and performance experience in various genres of dance and music. In high school, Ian trained as a drummer and percussionist while also dancing with renowned Chicago based tap company MADD Rhythms. Ian is also an alumnus of The School at Jacob’s Pillow and the Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Contemporary Dance Performance. Ian has his MM from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute where he studied with master teachers like Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Joe Lovano. Ian is a student of master tap dancer Dianne Walker, and a teacher of the Leon Collins Repertoire. 

Ian is currently an affiliate professor at Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Mount Holyoke College as well as a lecturer at Tufts University teaching tap dance practice and history. He has received recognition as a choreographer from The Yard where he was named a 2019 Bessie Schonberg Fellow, The Boston Foundation where he was named a 2019 Next Steps Awardee and The Massachusetts Cultural Council who named him a 2020 Choreography Fellow. 

Since founding Subject:Matter in 2015, the company has created and performed almost 20 different pieces in over 50 different venues across the East Coast, Midwest and Canada. Venues include: Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, The Inside/Out Stage at Jacob’s Pillow, Joe’s Pub in New York City, House of Blues Boston, Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, The Montreal Fringe Festival, Stage 773 in Chicago, Illinois and a residency at MASS MoCA. In 2025, Subject:Matter released their second studio album “With Far Hand”.