Dancer Spotlight • Exclusive Interview

Chloé Arnold & the Syncopated Ladies: How Tap Dance Became a Global Movement

From a viral Beyoncé tribute to an Emmy nomination, 200 million views, and a national tour — Chloé Arnold turned tap dance into a cultural force and never looked back.

By Dance Mogul Magazine Staff

The Interview

Dance Mogul: What was your inspiration for your current concept video?

Chloé Arnold: In 2007, I had my first and quite amazing opportunity to work on Beyoncé’s “Upgrade You” video for brilliant director Melina Matsoukas (she did “Pretty Hurts”). This experience was life-changing. Beyoncé’s confidence, incredible performance, and command of her beauty — inner and outer — are inspiring. The first thing she said to me when we met was “You’re beautiful.” I was taken aback and said “so are you” — haha, duh! But her level of humility and kindness and passion and expectation of excellence is compelling. I walked away from the experience thinking to myself, I want to bring this sort of passion and fierce feminine energy to my passion for TAP DANCING, and I want to share TAP with the world.

We chose “End of Time” for several reasons. The beat is incredible. It has so much syncopation, powerful rhythms, and a commanding, determined beat. The lyrics are so meaningful to me as well. The idea of love until the End of Time is something that me and my sisters truly believe in as it pertains to our friendship and our bond. And of course, as I was creating the choreography there are moments in the dance that are all about that dream man, who I hope to be with until the End of Time. Beyoncé’s beautiful and powerful voice give you that boost to stand up taller, dream bigger, and a strong sense of determination!

Dance Mogul: It would be nice to see your work behind an artist that respects your craft. Would you also consider taking your own work on the road — like headlining your own show and having other dance acts open up for you?

Chloé Arnold: I want to see TAP on the music concert stage. I do believe we have the ability to command music venues and large stadium audiences. We have a full-length Syncopated Ladies Concert: “We Are The Music” and would love to put up our concert with opening dance acts.

I have been touring the world as a soloist for nearly a decade in over 25 countries and 35 states. I love and appreciate the creative platform I’ve had to explore. I have several shows: my One Woman Show, the Syncopated Ladies full concert “We Are The Music,” and my NY-based company, Apt 33.

I would also love to collaborate with recording artists as well. There are SO many ways that tap can be incorporated in a pop or R&B concert — as an opening act, featured act, a musical break, a dance break, acapella, acoustic, creating the music for the singer or rapper for a track. We are like a voice, and an instrument, and a performer, so the possibilities are endless!

Dance Mogul: What is the climate out there now for female choreographers and artistic directors? Have things changed in the past 10 years?

Chloé Arnold: If you asked most people to name a female tap dancer or choreographer, they probably couldn’t. I hope to change that. The most well-known accomplished tap dancers have been predominately male — both dancers and choreographers, directors. While there were certainly always wonderful female dancers and choreographers and directors, they did not get the same recognition or work.

In the past 10 years, I feel that the climate of the tap world has grown to embrace female choreographers, artistic directors, and dancers much more than before. With the help of social media and online magazines, the word can be spread faster and to broader audiences, and be a platform to level the playing field. I think that as a female artistic director, choreographer, and dancer, you have to be strong, confident, passionate, courageous — be ready to kick down the door past any obstacles that get in the way of your dreams.

Dance Mogul: What would you like to see happening for young female dancers as they come into their own and navigate through the business of dance?

Chloé Arnold: I want to encourage and teach young girls to be confident, self-assured, intelligent, skilled, dreamers and achievers. It is so important for young women to understand the business of show business. That being great on the dance floor is not enough. You have to match that passion with how you present yourself and build a reputation and brand that precede you. Be your own advocate, as well as build a great team, and stay focused on your goals. Find the joy through the challenges and the journey. And make decisions out of faith, not fear.

Where Chloé Arnold & the Syncopated Ladies Are Now

When Dance Mogul Magazine first sat down with Chloé Arnold, she was a tap dancer with a vision: put tap on the concert stage, collaborate with the biggest artists in music, and prove that an all-female tap company could command the same audiences as any pop act. Every single one of those goals has been realized — and then some. What has happened since this interview is one of the most remarkable ascents in modern dance history.

Beyoncé Called — And Then Called Again

The Syncopated Ladies’ viral tap tribute to Beyoncé’s “End of Time” was just the beginning. Their cover of “Formation” caught Beyoncé’s attention directly — she shared the video across all of her social media platforms and publicly stated that they “killed it.” That endorsement catapulted the Syncopated Ladies onto a global stage. Beyoncé then hired Chloé and the company to perform at the Ivy Park activewear launch at TopShop in London, turning the tap world’s dream of standing alongside a megastar into reality. Their tribute to Prince also went viral, and praise rolled in from Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg on The View, Mariah Carey, Ciara, Lupita Nyong’o, and Shonda Rhimes.

Emmy Nomination & Television Dominance

In 2018, Chloé earned her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Choreography for “Crosswalk the Musical on Broadway” featuring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Her choreography has been featured on over 50 episodes of that show alone. Her television credits also include So You Think You Can Dance (where the Syncopated Ladies won the first-ever dance crew battle on Season 11), Good Morning America, The Ellen Show, The Talk, America’s Got Talent, Dancing with the Stars, and HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show. National commercial campaigns for Macy’s, Special K, Gap, and Cantu further cemented her presence across mainstream media.

200 Million Views & a National Tour

The Syncopated Ladies’ viral videos have now amassed over 200 million views — making them the most viewed female tap dance group in history. But Chloé never let digital success replace live performance. The full-length production Syncopated Ladies: Live! has toured nationally to sold-out audiences, playing major venues including Ensemble Arts Philly’s Miller Theater, the Ordway in Saint Paul, the Hylton Performing Arts Center, the Eisemann Center, and theaters across the country through the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 seasons. The show weaves autobiographical storytelling with intricate footwork and live music — a celebration of sisterhood, empowerment, and the future of tap.

Entrepreneurs, Educators, and History Makers

Chloé and her sister Maud Arnold co-founded Chloé and Maud Productions, the critically acclaimed DC Tap Festival, and co-produced the award-winning feature documentary Tap World with Hollywood executive producer Dean Hargrove. Together, they made history as the first African American women to sign a tap shoe deal with BLOCH, the iconic dancewear brand. Chloé holds an Ivy League degree from Columbia University and has performed in over 30 countries. Through the Chloé & Maud Foundation, the sisters ensure that Black and brown children have equal access, opportunity, and encouragement in the fields of dance and entrepreneurship. From Folsom State Prison — where they performed for 800 inmates who said the dancing made them “feel free” — to the stages of the world’s most prestigious theaters, Chloé Arnold has done exactly what she told Dance Mogul Magazine she would do. She shared tap with the world.

Dance Mogul Magazine — Inspiring Self-Empowerment Through Dance Culture.