Tapdogs – Legs
Legs by the Tapdogs group is a sort of hybrid type of tap dancing. My intuitive response to the piece of work is that it’s a showcase where men are men and scaffolding is scaffolding whose combination results in a muscular feel. As Fred Astaire shapes his body into elegant arcs making everything point to his shinning feet, the Tap Dogs sprawl on in their heavy boots and work clothes. The heavy taps on the floor are relentlessly forceful, building a beat. It is energetic, noisy and fun (Tap Dogs 1).
It is admirable the variety in the dance by choreographer Dein Perry. The six tappers mimic a group of laborers at a construction site designed director Nigel Triffitt. They dance both alone and in unison, on metal, in blow-torch sparks, by torchlight as well as in water. I liked most the instances where the dancers created their own music using loud percussive sounds by their feet; when they collaborate with two female drummers, acting in cages directly above the stage. The utter volume sinks out the clear-cut rhythm of their tapping, making it all appear somehow pointless. In a spectacular finale, the dancers balance on steel girders to evoke great excitement.
Stomp Basketball
Stomp Basketball is an interesting dance full of rhythmic basketball beat activity. Performing in a steamy alleyway, the troupe use basketballs to create a fascinating dance with the brick walls, dumpsters, and street (Titchener 102). Anyone who understands the intrigues of a basketball would appreciate the difficulty of creating rhythms using basketballs. I was fascinated with the amount of muscles employed to execute the basketball movements and produce rhythmic pattern. It was also interesting 2 minutes in, how the six performers lock into a shuffle. The artistic intent of the group is making a rhythm out of anything. The performance lacks speaking parts making usable by hearing impaired students.
Tap Dogs. Dein Perry’s Tap Dogs. Available: http://www.tapdogs.com/videos
Titchener, B. Campbell. Reviewing the Arts. London: Routledge, 2006.
