Music from
the Sole
Led by Leonardo Sandoval & Gregory Richardson.
Where jazz and tap converge at the highest level.
Music from the Sole is a tap dance and live music company led by Brazilian tap dancer and choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and composer and bassist Gregory Richardson. Their work draws from Afro-Brazilian, jazz, soul, house, rock, and Afro-Cuban styles — blurring the line between concert dance and music performance, celebrating tap's roots in the African diaspora.
Matt Parker is a performer and composer within the company — playing saxophone and contributing original music alongside Sandoval and Richardson. The company's most recent work, "House Is Open, Going Dark," premiered at Guild Hall in East Hampton as the culmination of their multi-year William P. Rayner Artist-in-Residence residency.
"An unforced crowd-pleaser, original and true to itself... Fall for Dance at its finest."— The New York Times
The connections here run deep. Leonardo Sandoval is also a featured performer in Dorrance Dance — the same company Matt performs in as saxophonist for "45th & 8th." Gregory Richardson is the musical director of Dorrance Dance. The overlap of these worlds is not coincidental — it's a tight, extraordinary creative community, and Matt is embedded in the center of it.
Music from the Sole has been supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, New Music USA, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Community engagement — workshops, educational performances, and lecture-demonstrations — is central to the company's mission.
Productions
- House Is Open, Going Dark (2025)Guild Hall · William P. Rayner Artist-in-Residence
- Fall for Dance (2023)New York City Center · Featured
- I Didn't Come to StayCompany repertoire
"The blend of rhythmic dance and gorgeous music made for a very harmonious collaboration. Five musicians and four dancers, though those numbers changed throughout the show as the drummer got up and danced and one of the dancers took over drumming."
"Leonardo Sandoval, accompanied by bassist Greg Richardson, used his body as an instrument, contrasting soft taps of his feet with gentle slaps on his thighs and chest. His footwork was hushed — an articulate, musical whisper."
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