Posted 10:44 pm Friday, October 12, 2012
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Dance troupe blends styles in 'TAP: The Show'
BY STEWART SMITH
ssmith@tylerpaper.com
It’s going to be an evening of “dance and song” when “TAP: The Show” takes the stage at Caldwell Auditorium on Thursday.
ssmith@tylerpaper.com
It’s going to be an evening of “dance and song” when “TAP: The Show” takes the stage at Caldwell Auditorium on Thursday.
Scott Seidl, the show’s writer/director, was very specific when he described “TAP” as a “dance and song” revue, as its emphasis is on dancing but also with singing sprinkled throughout.
“It’s music from classic Broadway shows, softshoe, all the way to the hottest Top 40 pop stuff, as well as some a capella. There’s a huge range of genres that we hit over the course of the show,” Seidl said.
It’s also (nearly) all-new material. “TAP” got its start as a 30-minute performance piece three years ago, but has since been expanded into the two hour show the audience will see next week.
“The show exists at a whole bunch of different levels. Audiences will have a great time and be unbelievably entertained. The level of talent on the stage is like nothing I have had the opportunity to work with before and I’ve been at it for over 35 years,” Seidl said.
Rhythm, Seidl said, is a universal language, and he and choreographer Mike Minery have worked hard to use the show as means to convey that message.
“Near the end of Act 1, Maria (Logan) sings an arranged version of ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon and it’s a great arrangement for a female voice,” Seidl said. “It’s kind of a thesis statement for the entire show. ‘What if we could all get along,’ to oversimplify the thought. We endeavor to explain through the show, this language of rhythm, is a really universal language. It has existed since the dawn of time when people hit things to communicate.”
It may have a message on its mind, but “TAP” is still a big bit of broad entertainment, going so far as to provide a veritable history of tap and rhythmic dancing.
It’s also (nearly) all-new material. “TAP” got its start as a 30-minute performance piece three years ago, but has since been expanded into the two hour show the audience will see next week.
“The show exists at a whole bunch of different levels. Audiences will have a great time and be unbelievably entertained. The level of talent on the stage is like nothing I have had the opportunity to work with before and I’ve been at it for over 35 years,” Seidl said.
Rhythm, Seidl said, is a universal language, and he and choreographer Mike Minery have worked hard to use the show as means to convey that message.
“Near the end of Act 1, Maria (Logan) sings an arranged version of ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon and it’s a great arrangement for a female voice,” Seidl said. “It’s kind of a thesis statement for the entire show. ‘What if we could all get along,’ to oversimplify the thought. We endeavor to explain through the show, this language of rhythm, is a really universal language. It has existed since the dawn of time when people hit things to communicate.”
It may have a message on its mind, but “TAP” is still a big bit of broad entertainment, going so far as to provide a veritable history of tap and rhythmic dancing.
“(That thesis is) really the guts of the show, and then somewhere in between that base and the guts of the show we hit a history of tap, so there’s softshoe … there’s rhythm world dance, there’s a tribal number with spears and poles, there’s Flamenco, there’s Irish step dancing and then we go to more modern American step dancing and then what people in the business would call rhythm and hoofing,” Seidl said. “Act 1 is more old school, and act 2 is more modern and rhythm tap. The term ‘something for everyone’ is sorely overused, but I think it’s particularly true in this show.”
Seamlessly blending styles is no easy task, especially over such an elongated show. But Seidl said they looked to Broadway classic “42nd Street” for help, using the show’s main theme as a transitional melody.
“So it’s always that melody, but with a different lyric telling you where we’re going next. And then musically, it’s always setting up the next genre. We might be going into a softshoe scene and the arrangement of that 42nd Street melody is in a softeshoe style. We might be going into a pop/rock scene and it’s still that melody with a lyric and rhythm section and vibe that leads into that scene,” he said. “It’s almost operatic, in a way, that you get this big theme which becomes your narration theme and the audience knows they’re going someplace new.”
Maria Logan, who has been with “TAP” since its inception (and also performs as one of its featured vocalists), said she was initially worried about learning so many disparate styles of dance, much less trying to transition between them in a single show.
“However, Scott has done such a wonderful job with these transitions and the music really puts you right in the place to be able to just be in that genre and be in that song. So it’s really not as hard as I thought it was going to be,” she said. “Yes, I am singing a very classical tone in some songs, but then by the end I’m belting out Aerosmith. But it doesn’t feel schizophrenic at all.”
Seamlessly blending styles is no easy task, especially over such an elongated show. But Seidl said they looked to Broadway classic “42nd Street” for help, using the show’s main theme as a transitional melody.
“So it’s always that melody, but with a different lyric telling you where we’re going next. And then musically, it’s always setting up the next genre. We might be going into a softshoe scene and the arrangement of that 42nd Street melody is in a softeshoe style. We might be going into a pop/rock scene and it’s still that melody with a lyric and rhythm section and vibe that leads into that scene,” he said. “It’s almost operatic, in a way, that you get this big theme which becomes your narration theme and the audience knows they’re going someplace new.”
Maria Logan, who has been with “TAP” since its inception (and also performs as one of its featured vocalists), said she was initially worried about learning so many disparate styles of dance, much less trying to transition between them in a single show.
“However, Scott has done such a wonderful job with these transitions and the music really puts you right in the place to be able to just be in that genre and be in that song. So it’s really not as hard as I thought it was going to be,” she said. “Yes, I am singing a very classical tone in some songs, but then by the end I’m belting out Aerosmith. But it doesn’t feel schizophrenic at all.”
Seidl said, ultimately, his goal is simply to craft an experience that is memorable and infectious.
“I want to see a parent with their kid walking out the door and both of them trying to tap dance,” he said. “And almost, without fail, with every show in its previous version, and even when people have been coming in to see us during rehearsals, we see that happen.”
“TAP: The Show” will be performed Thursday at Caldwell Auditorium in Tyler at 7:30 courtesy of Tyler Community Concert Association. Admission is $30 per person, or a pass granting access to the remainder of TCCA’s shows this season is available for $60. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
For more information, contact the TCCA office at 903-592-6266 or visit www.tcca.biz.
“I want to see a parent with their kid walking out the door and both of them trying to tap dance,” he said. “And almost, without fail, with every show in its previous version, and even when people have been coming in to see us during rehearsals, we see that happen.”
“TAP: The Show” will be performed Thursday at Caldwell Auditorium in Tyler at 7:30 courtesy of Tyler Community Concert Association. Admission is $30 per person, or a pass granting access to the remainder of TCCA’s shows this season is available for $60. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
For more information, contact the TCCA office at 903-592-6266 or visit www.tcca.biz.
