My Favorite Things -- OnTap

by Nicole Harris

Last night, after a day of wandering the city and a visit to Degas' dancers at the Met with longtime Monkeyhouse supporter and dear friend Laura Scanlan, we headed up to SummerStage in St. Mary's Park to see On Tap.  Created by Novisi Productions' artistic director Awoye Timpo, the show was a diverse collection of choreography from across the tap community.

The show opened with choreography by Michelle Dorrance, performed by our new Blogger in Residence Ryan Casey, Claudia Rahardjanoto, Carson Murphy, Tamii Sakurai and Elizabeth Burke.  Extraordinary Machine showcased the dancers' ability to communicate with their bodies-- not just their feet and Michelle's skill at creating distinct characters within her choreography.

At Against the Odds this spring I premiered The Shed, which I had the pleasure of learning from Lynn Schwab.  As you might remember, it was an adaptation of an excerpt from a larger work she is creating with Chikako Iwahori.  Probably Maybe Know, is an excerpt from that larger work and was the second piece in On Tap.  These two amazing women have a true gift for combining the physical storytelling of dance theatre with beautifully complex tap rhythms.  I can't wait to see the rest of the piece!

You might remember Ray Hesselink from the interview he did with Kelsey Griffith a few years ago, or from his fabulous performance in Derick Grant's Imagine Tap!, or maybe from his work with those sensational young dancers in the Broadway hit Billy Elliot.  Last night he shared his tribute to "man's better half" with Red Hot, performed by five red hot tap dancers, Claudia Rahardjanoto, Carson Murphy, Lisa LaTouche, Pam Lenker and my good friend Megan Bartula.

The whole evening was hosted by Dewitt Flemming and he took a moment to share a few of his own thoughts with us.  Soon he was joined by Patrick Mangan on electric violin.  Talk about exciting!  I'm pretty sure I could have watched another hour or so of the two of them!

If you do not know who Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards is please drop whatever you are doing, go to YouTube and start watching.  Once you've collected your jaw from the floor, come on back and I'll tell you about her Michael Jackson tribute.  It started with a fierce version of Smooth Criminal performed by an outstanding group of dancers who managed to make Dormeshia's incredibly challenging footwork look like a walk in the park.  The second half was performed by Dormeshia herself to Gone to Soon, a song Michael Jackson originally dedicated to the young Ryan White.  Used now to remember her relationship with Michael Jackson, Dormeshia's dancing was as beautiful and awe inspiring as ever.

To close out the show Dormeshia, with her brand new baby on her hip, explains the history of The Track, a traditional number where each dancer gets a few bars to step out and say their thing, then hurry back into the line to keep time for the next.  As always, I am astounded by the diversity, talent and strength of the tap community.

For all of you that missed On Tap, don't you worry!  You'll have a chance to see most of these dancers and many more at  

Salute to the Copasetics, 

Saturday, July 9th at  

Symphony Space.  See you there!