Emeline Blohm:
This was truly one of my favorite shows that I’ve ever seen. In high school, I was in a youth tap dance company and have always really appreciated tap dance. Compared to other styles of dance, however, there are fewer opportunities to see professional tap dancing. Reflecting on it, this production may have been the first time I saw a full-length professional tap show.
I really appreciated going into the show knowing very little about it, and it defied many of my expectations for a traditional dance show. The show was not limited to tap dance: there was spoken word poetry, West African dance, and a singing tribute to Maurice Hines from a member of the company who was his mentee. The performer cried half way through the tribute, and most of the audience along with him. At the very end of the show, Ayodele Casel explained that how one tap dances is very much influenced by who one is and where one is from. She asked each dancer and musician “Where are you from, and what does [where you are from] sound like?”. I appreciated how informal the show was in this way. Compared to other dance shows, the performers also interacted with each other on stage. When someone had a solo or was improvising, the other performers would clap for them and shout “Yeah!”. When the performers surprised each other or even themselves, they would show it. I couldn’t tell that this exact show had been performed before because the performers danced with so much excitement and energy. I’m very excited to follow this artist and see her group perform again!