Meet Jenefer Ardell Miller (Soon To Be Muller) | Tap Dancer, Choreographer, and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenefer Ardell Miller (Soon To Be Muller) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenefer Ardell, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m originally from the Detroit area of Michigan, and my upbringing there shaped much of who I am today. Growing up in the Midwest instilled resilience, adaptability, and a strong sense of community — qualities that have carried into both my teaching and my work in the tap dance world. I was introduced to tap as a child, and it immediately left a lasting imprint on me. As a teenager, I had the life-changing opportunity to learn from historical hoofers and later, through the mentorship of Professor Robert Reed and Dianne Walker, to study with legends such as the Nicholas Brothers, Jimmy Slyde, and Buster Brown.

I earned a degree in the Performing Arts and later pursued a master’s in education, which led me to become a school teacher with a mission to inspire the next generation in every way possible. With nearly three decades in the professional dance community and a long career in public education, I’ve developed a deep passion for storytelling, discipline, and creativity. My experiences in the classroom and on the stage have always felt interconnected, and that blend of education and artistry continues to shape how I connect with others, share history, and create spaces where people feel inspired and included.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is rooted in rhythm, history, and community. Tap dance has always been more than movement for me — it’s storytelling, a bridge between past and present. What sets me apart is the way I blend education and performance. With nearly three decades as both a professional tap dancer and a public school teacher, I bring the classroom to the stage and the stage back into the classroom. Preserving and passing on the oral history of tap is central to my work, and I’m proud to share material from legends like Eddie Brown and the Copasetics with the next generation.

The path hasn’t been easy. Tap doesn’t always receive the recognition or support that other art forms do, so building a career required resilience, sacrifice, and creativity. I’ve traveled far with little money, paid for classes with jars of change, and relied on pure determination to be in the room with the masters. I’ve also had close friends in my past who weren’t supportive and were dismissive of my passion for this artform. Every challenge deepened my love for the art form and strengthened my commitment to making space for others.

The biggest lessons I’ve learned are the importance of community, the value of mentorship, and the power of persistence. I wouldn’t be here without the generosity of those who shared their time and knowledge with me, and I feel a responsibility to carry that forward.

What I want the world to know about my work is that it’s not just about choreography or performance — it’s about connection. Through the Phoenix Tap Festival, my company J.A.M. and Company, and my teaching, I strive to honor the legacy of tap while creating a future where rhythm, history, and community continue to thrive.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My initial thought for this question is to take anyone and everyone to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, which happens to be one of my favorite places (even though they do not -yet- have a pair of tap shoes in their displays! 😉 This is a one of a kind experience that is hard to explain, but an incredible way to spend the day! Of course, it’s important to share the desert with anyone who comes this way. I live near a mountain where I can walk out my front door and hike. It’s a great time sharing with others the ways of the desert plant and animal life and how the ecosystems work together. The desert is brutal, but beautiful. My favorite restaurant, The House of Tricks, unfortunately closed down a couple of years ago, and I have yet to find a new favorite, but I am open to suggestions and often go out to try new places with my friends. Driving up towards Sedona and Flagstaff is always a great time. Any of the mountain towns such as Prescott and Jerome are always on my list of places to take visitors!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The three most influential people in my dance career are Professor Robert Reed, Dianne Walker, and Heather Cornell. I first met Robert and Dianne at a tap festival in Flint, Michigan. I spotted a flyer for classes and decided to check it out, not realizing it would change my life forever. That was also the day I met Jimmy Slyde. I remember sitting in class thinking, How did I not know these people existed? How is this my first time learning from them? We hit the wood, we slid, we sweat — and then I sat on the floor during a faculty panel where I first learned about the Four Step Brothers and a wealth of history I had never been exposed to before. I left inspired and transformed.

From that weekend on, I chased every opportunity to study with them, traveling as far as I could on whatever money I scraped together. In fact, I once showed up to Robert’s St. Louis Tap Festival with a jar of change and asked how many classes it could buy me. He slid the jar back and told me to get my butt into class! Meeting Dianne that weekend felt like finding home. Her intricate patterns and flowing rhythms were unlike anything I’d ever experienced, and through her I discovered the work of her mentor, Leon Collins. Beyond her artistry, Dianne’s generosity and kindness left a permanent mark on me. I’ve spent much of my career seeking opportunities to learn from her — and I feel fortunate now to also call her my friend.

Around that same time, I was in college studying modern dance as a major. While I loved dance in all its forms, tap was always my true passion. One day I saw an ad for a concert by Manhattan Tap, directed by Heather Cornell, and bought tickets. Three minutes into the show, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Heather seamlessly blended everything I was learning about concert dance in college with the rich history and roots of tap. After the show, I waited around just to speak with her — probably to her annoyance — because I needed to know more. I didn’t just want to tap dance, I wanted to be in her company. Life’s twists and turns prevented me from making it to New York to audition, but I sought out her classes and performances whenever I could. Even now, I continue to find ways to learn from her.

I honestly don’t know where I would be in the tap community without the influence of these three remarkable humans. Their artistry, mentorship, and generosity not only shaped me as a dancer but as a person, and I carry their lessons with me every day.

Website: https://jmillproductions.com/

Instagram: @jenk360 @phoenixtapfest @j.a.m._and_company

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenefermiller?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Youtube: @jmillproductions9132

Image Credits
Michelle Burke