Dorrance Dance at Sadler's Wells

My knowledge of tap all stems from Fred Astaire. In fact, I don't know too much about tap other than what I've seen from Astaire's golden era. I grew up watching his movies, in awe from such a young age by the beauty and glamour he fed me. Astaire is one of my favourite dancers and I think he influences many today, whether they are ballet, tap or contemporary dancers. A lot of this is probably down to his incredible talent, his effortlessly cool demeanour and his humour. He always trumps those "who would you invite for dinner" type of questions for me and I always wish I could have met him or even just caught a glimpse in person. Him and Audrey, they're my dream team. I haven't seen too much 21st century tap, especially live, so jumped at the chance to see Dorrance Dance last week at Sadler’s Wells. I had a feeling I wouldn't be getting the old Hollywood glamour from the show, but I didn't expect it to be so raw, so vibrant, so enjoyable.

Dorrance Dance was founded by Michelle Dorrance, a thirty something tap prodigy from the States. What I love about what Michelle is doing is that she's pulling tap away from what people like me think it's about. She's showing us that you don't have to be a skinny red head in heels to tap those dancing feet. She shows her audience how inclusive it is as an art form, how all shapes and sizes, genders and races can take part. As she has said, this is America’s oldest dance form after all. I'd never really thought of this before but tap is one of the few dance forms that transcends all divides. Tapping your feet and making beats and music with that sound can be done anywhere and by anyone, no Juilliard training needed, so the fact it grew directly from the streets of America proves just how raw an art form it is and this is what Michelle seems to be highlighting. Let's not ignore, however, that the dancers in Dorrance Dance are clearly well trained and have some incredible experience behind them. They haven't quite literally stepped off the street and onto the Sadler’s Wells stage but they still all share a raw talent for tap.

What really amazed me about watching Dorrance Dance, who brought their show ETM: Double Down to Sadler’s Wells, was the audience. This was a loud show but the audience remained silent throughout, hypnotised by the tapping feet on stage. It was only after each segment of dancing was over that they released all built up silence, whooping and cheering for this talented company. I am so happy that they received such applause because this was a great show. There doesn’t seem to be a narrative or obvious premise behind ETM: Double Down, but Michelle worked in collaboration with fellow Dorrance Dance member Nicholas Van Young, who devised a genius idea to use electronic boards for the dancers to tap on. Each board has the ability to create a range of electronic sounds and music is made from each dancer tapping away in cleverly choreographed patterns. At first, the bass was extremely loud and took some getting used to, but as the sounds lightened up to reveal piano notes and funky beats, it all became even more joyful. There was a section in the show where they introduced a singer, who I think I could have done without mainly because the music from the dancers’ feet and from the electronic boards and drumming going on made exquisite music on its own. The voice was drowned out by this louder music and didn’t fit in the busier tapping sections. I have to say that the idea of tapping on these boards is a great one. Each foot and tap needed to be meticulously part of a wider choreographed segment to make sure that every note was played when it needed to be. One foot out of place and that would be it, the rhythm and sound would mess up. This was particularly highlighted in a piano section, where the dancers all jumped and tapped in a uniformed sequence to play a melody. It reminded me a lot of the famous scene in the movie ‘Big’ but I’d swap Tom Hanks with Michelle Dorrance any day when it comes to dancing on a piano. There was a lot of ‘board tapping’; however, Michelle doesn’t forget to give her audience some pure tap. In fact, the piece is jam packed with tap dancing, and there are many occasions that we find Michelle and the rest of her dancers centre stage in a rhythmic and choreographed dance. I loved these sections. The energy, the vibe, the joy on their faces – it was so infectious and just really pleasant to watch. They make tap look so cool, in a different way to Astaire, and complemented each other well in the big group dances.

I think that what Dorrance Dance are doing not only in the tap world, but in the world of dance full stop, is really exciting. They seem to be a company who are moving forward, keeping a traditional dance form current and up to date. Michelle is an inspiring woman, paving the way for other women interested in a dance form that has been dominated by men. She’s bold and lively but she doesn’t hog the limelight. When she smiles and laughs with her other company members on stage, it looks real. They all seem to be having such a great time, making me wish I could also have a slice of the pie. They may not be in top hats and tails, nor may they be tapping around an art deco ballroom, but what they are doing is showing people like me, stuck in black and white, that tap in this day and age is very much in technicolour. Top hats off to Dorrance Dance and their ETM: Double Down programme. It's only mid July but I already know that this is the coolest thing I'll see all summer.

*With thanks to Sadler's Wells. All images copyright of Sadler's Wells.