OMAR/ CHEEF EDWARDS is an internationally acclaimed tap dancer and foot musician  whose “tap music” has carried him to more than 20 countries and countless stages around the  world. His credits include performances as the headliner at the Paris Tap Festival and Tap Dance Paris; on Broadway in Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk; the national  touring company of Black and Blue; and a seven-year run as the beloved “Sandman” on Showtime at the Apollo at the world-famous Apollo Theater in New York City. He was also a featured performer at the Apollo Theater for the 2022 Soul Train Awards. He appeared in Live at the Hollywood Bowl featuring Alicia Keys and shared the stage with Savion Glover for a command performance at the White House. In the fall of 2022, he headlined the inaugural John Coltrane Music Festival at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in NYC. He was also a featured performer at the opening of the inaugural South Asian Theatre Festival at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, as well as the opening of the Wild Life exhibit at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY. He received an NAACP Image Award and nominations for both a Bessie Award and a BroadwayWorld.com LA Award for his work in FLY, in which he choreographed and performed the role of the Tap Griot. His television and film credits include A Song for Our People and 4 Little Girls: A Dance Film. Stage and touring credits includes REFORM: Disparities in America’s Criminal Justice System. Omar was named a New Jersey Heritage Fellow effective January 2026 by the New Jersey State Council of the Arts.