Robert Benford, also known as Tigger Benford, is a percussionist,composer, and educator, specializing in hand drumming, improvisation and music for dance. Work in 2011 and 2012 included a set of appearances at Baryshnikov Arts Center in NYC as percussion soloist in Quentin Chiapetta’s score for Jody Sperling Time Lapse Dance, and two sets of appearances with The Washington Ballet, one set in DC, and this past summer at the International Ballet Festival in Bodrum, Turkey. In addition this year he has been performing an ongoing outdoor piece in each season with Merian Soto and dancers.  Over the years he has produced four full length CDs, some in collaboration with fellow musicians Peter Jones and Jesse Manno,  and released an instructional DVD on the subject of percussion for modern dance class.  In addition to numerous scores for his Rutgers colleagues, he has produced half evening length scores for eminent choreographers Sean Curran and Jane Comfort, and performed them live at the Joyce Theatre, New Victory Theatre, and various universities around the country.  This summer Benford will be returning for his 12th summer on the musical staff of Bates Dance Festival, in Lewiston, Maine.  He is in love with rhythm, and he hopes it shows in this piece you will see and hear any time now.