Max Pollak
Awards & Nominations
2023 Creative Grant for Interdisciplinary Art from New York State Council on the Arts
2021 US Postal Service Forever Stamp Honoree for Tap Dance (depicted on USPS Forever Stamp)
2017/18 United States Artists Fellowship Nominee
2016 Flo-Bert Award winner
2011 Hoofer Award winner
2011 Bessie Award nominee
2010 Individual Artist Grantee of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance
2008 Fellow in Choreography from the New York Foundation of the Arts
2007 Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch”
2001 Arts International Grant
Performance Credits
New York & National Stage Performances (selection)
Terraza 7: Max Pollak Group (2023/24)
Washington Heights Jazz Festival: Max Pollak Group (2018-2024)
Little Island: Max Pollak Group (2022)
University of Wisconsin Jazz Festival: Max Pollak Group (2022)
USPS Tap Dance Forever Stamp Presentation, Times Square NY: Honoree, Speaker, Soloist (2021)
Beacon Theater: Soloist with Trey Anastasio and Cyro Baptista (2020)
Charlie Parker 100th Anniversary Jazz Festival NYC: Soloist (2020)
National Dance Institute: Soloist (2019)
New Victory Theater: Soloist with “Dreaming The Drum” (2019)
Duke Ellington Birthday Concert, Ellington Statue, Harlem: Soloist w Duke Ellington Ctr. Big Band (2019)
National Jazz Museum, Harlem: RumbaTap (2018, 2019)
Good Morning America, ABC TV: Soloist w American Tap Dance Foundation (2018)
Whitney Museum: 12 Shouts to The Ten Forgotten Heavens, Soloist (2018)
Washington Heights Jazz Festival: RumbaTap and Soloist (2018, 2019, 2020)
Americas Society: Soloist with String Orchestra of New York City (2018)
The Duke on 42nd Street: Rhythm In Motion, Soloist (2017)
Sheen Center for Thought and Culture: The Art of the Duo, Cyro Baptista & Max Pollak (2016)
Hostos College: Larry Harlow Orchestra 40th Anniversary Concert (2014)
Columbia Medical Center: MCNS Jazz Festival (annually 2012 - 2021)
New Victory Theater: Victory Dance (2015)
Lincoln Center – Jazz at Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, Meet The Artist, RumbaTap, Manhattan Tap, Feet 2 The Beat, Beat The Donkey (1995 – 2008) (Soloist w/ Cyro Baptista; Ray Brown, Danilo Perez, Dafnis Prieto)
Central Park Summer Stage: RumbaTap (2008), Beat The Donkey (2000)
Joyce Theater: RumbaTap (2005), Urban Tap (2002)
Joyce Soho: RumbaTap (2007, 2006)
Apollo Theater: Dana Leong’s Life After Dark (2009)
Doris Duke Theater: RumbaTap (2001 – 2007), Dejelaba Groove (2005), Global Jam
Public Theatre: Shakespeare Sonnets on Tap (2007), Global Fest w/ Roxane Butterfly (2006)
Symphony Space: Guest Soloist w/Los Muñequitos de Matanzas (2011), RumbaTap (2010, 2008, 2007), Jazz Nativity as Third King (usually played by Jimmy Slyde) w/ Paquito D’Rivera, Slide Hampton, Dave Valentin (2005)
Town Hall: Barry Harris Spring Concert w/ Jimmy Slyde (2002), Super Son Cubano w/ Jose Fajardo, J.P. Torres (1999)
International Performances (selection)
Bavarian State Opera & Orchestra, Munich, Germany: Soloist,”Die Fledermaus” by Johann Strauss Jr. (2023/24/25)
Top Show Colombo, Max Pollak Group, Tour of Colombia (2023)
Bolzano Danza, Italy: Soloist (2019, 2021)
Wuxi Grand Theater, China: Soloist with MinWuXu Trio (2018, 2019)
Hanglou Jazz Club, Hangzhou, China: Soloist with MinWuXu Trio (2018)
Yangzhou Festival of Chinese Culture: Soloist with MinWuXu Trio (2018)
International Body Music Festival, Dzhodzhe, Ghana: RumbaTap and Soloist (2018)
National Theater of Ghana, Accra: Soloist with Pan African Youth Orchestra (2018)
John F. Kennedy Center, Washington DC: Cuba Goes Tap, (Chamber Music Concert), Soloist (2018)
Minsk, Belarusian State Philharmonic Hall: Soloist with Belarusian State Chamber Orchestra
Zürich University: Soloist with Camerata Zürich (2018)
65th Anniversary of Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Matanzas, Cuba: Soloist (2017)
Zürich Tonhalle, Switzerland: Dance N’Rhythm, contemporary chamber music concert (2016)
Ottawa Chamber Music Fest, Canada: Duo concerts w Michel Strauss, Dafnis Prieto (2016)
Montreal University, Salle Claude Champagne: Orchestre Nouvelle Generation (2015)
Hamburg, Germany: Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival, Solo Show (2014)
Giverny, France: Musique de Chambre á Giverny (2014)
Films / Documentaries (selection)
The Dam (2022) Independent Short Film
Max Pollak – Tap Dance Icon (2021) Documentary by Austrian Cultural Forum New York
Los Muñequitos de Matanzas – La Leyenda en Ruta (2020) Cuban Documentary, Bis Music
Da Me La Mano (2003) Dutch Documentary
La Historia de la Rumba (2002) Cuban Documentary
Como Se Forma Una Rumba (2001) US Documentary, featured at “Latin Beat Film Festival”, Lincoln Center
Latido Latino (2000) Spanish Documentary
The Tango Lesson (1997) Tap coach for lead actor Pablo Veron
Discography
RumbaTap (2015) Max Pollak
Clave Heart (2013) Grupo Los Santos
TrioNada (2008) TrioNada
Roots Propaganda (2008) Paul Carlon Octet
Lalo’s Urban Myth (2008) Lalo’s Urban Myth
Lo Que Somos Lo Que Sea (2008) Grupo Los Santos
Other Tongues (2007) Paul Carlon Octet
Love The Donkey (2005) Beat The Donkey
Cyro Baptista & Beat The Donkey (2002) Beat The Donkey
El Otro Lado (2001) Syotos Band, members of Tito Puente Orchestra
Cool Heat – Urban Beat (1999) live at Spoletto Festival, Italy
University Lectures/Residencies (selection)
Dance For PD (Parkinson’s Disease), 25th Anniversary of Mark Morris Dance Center (2023) Composer/Choreographer
Filomen D’Agostino Greenberg School for the Blind, New York (2022-present)
Drew University, Madison, NJ (2020-2023)
Austria: University for Music & Art (MUK), Vienna (2020, 2021)
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, WI (2015, 2016, 2021)
The Netherlands: Royal Dutch Conservatory, Den Haag (2016)
The Netherlands: Prince Claus Conservatory, Groningen (2016)
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT: Dance Masters (2016)
Special Music School at Kaufmann Center, NYC (2016)
Barnard College, NYC (2015, 2016)
Juilliard, NYC (2015)
92nd Street Y, New York (2014–present)
Hunter College, NYC (2014)
Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY (2010-present)
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis & Duluth (2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2014)
Lexington School for the Deaf, Elmhurst Queens (2007)
New School for Social Research, NYC (1995-1999)
Australia: Worawa Aboriginal College, Melbourne (2000)
Cuba: Instituto Superior de Arte, Escuela Nacional de Arte; Havana (1999, 2000, 2001)
Germany: University at Leipzig (1995)
