Hailing from New York, choreographer, performer, teacher, actor and model Tarik Winston is probably familiar to millions world wide as the original choreographer and star of Riverdances’ “Trading Taps” section.

With his tap once described by the “New York Times” as “Dazzling”, Tarik trained at the “Professional Children's School” in New York and found fame early when in 1983 he appeared at “Radio City Music Hall” in “Porgy and Bess” followed by replacing Savion Glover in the title role in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “The Tap Dance Kid” alongside legend “Harold Nicholas” of “The Nicholas Brothers” fame.

From there Tarik continued to take Broadway by storm appearing in “Henry Le Tangs’”Tony Award-winning musical “Black and Blue” alongside “Lon Chaney”, “The Nicholas Brothers”, “Bunny Briggs”, “Jimmy Slyde” and “Dianne Walker”, before appearing in “Allen Toussaints’” 1992 Broadway production of “The High Rollers Social and Pleasure Club” at the “Helen Hayes Theatre”.

However it was in 1994 that Tarik was brought to the worlds’ attention when he first choreographed and then appeared in the “Trading Taps” section of “Riverdance”. The five week sell out run at the “Point Theatre” in Dublin was followed by a tour of Europe before taking Tarik back to New York and “Radio City Music Hall” in 1996 followed by a year-long residence at Broadways “Gershwin Theatre”.

Other theatre credits include the Australian tour of “Dein Perry’s” follow up to “Tap Dogs” – “Steel City” and touring the world alongside the “Eileen Rivers Band” and That’s Tapping” at the “Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York”.

His film, TV, DVD and recording credits include: "Jerry Lewis Telethon" alongside "Sammy Davis Junior", "Black and Blue" (TV Special), "Riverdance: Live at New York City" (TV Special), "Riverdance: Live from Radio City Music Hall" (TV Special), "The Best of Riverdance" (TV Special), "Riverdance: Live from Radio a l'Areana de Geneve" (TV Special), "The Royal Varity Performance 1995" (TV Special), Dein Perry's Steel City" (TV Special), "The Alan Titchmarsh Show" (TV Special), "Black and Blue Soundtrack" (Original cast recording), "Riverdance: Music from the Show" (Original cast recording) and 14 international commercials.

Signed to the “Ford Model” agency in America, Tariks’ modelling credits include two copies of Vogue, one as a cover model the other alongside Super Model Linda Evangelista.

As a teacher Tarik was artistic director of “T.W.A.P.A.” teaching fellow New Yorker “Jason Samuels Smith”, as well as appearing at numerous tap festivals and workshops throughout the US. Over the last two years he has been a teacher in the UK for “Tap Attack” and acts as co-artistic director for the “Tap Attack Youth Company”. He regularly teaches around the UK at workshops for all ages and levels, as well as taking regular classes in Hampshire at local dance schools.