So, I was thrilled to see this very unusual tap dance company at The Wallis in Beverly Hills last night.\u00a0 I\u2019m actually rushing this review through so that my fellow Angelenos won\u2019t miss their opportunity to see Dorrance Dance for themselves, this week-end only!<\/p>\n
This company is distinguished by a whole lot of creative choreography performed by a group of very disparate dancers.\u00a0 Talk about thinking outside the box!\u00a0 I never even\u00a0thought<\/em>\u00a0of a slow tap dance before, let alone\u00a0see<\/em>\u00a0one!<\/p>\n This program consists of a trio of routines which are anything but! All three are, without a doubt, the most unusual tap dances I’ve ever seen.\u00a0 In the last lengthy piece, a couple of performers didn\u2019t even have taps on their shoes, and those two even breakdanced and krumped a bit!<\/p>\n Three To One.<\/p><\/div>\n The whole show is under an hour and a half, and it absolutely flies by. It starts off with Jungle Blues<\/em>, which got my attention right away; the choreography is so not the norm. It\u2019s highlighted by a duet, of sorts, by company founder and Artistic Director, Michelle Dorrance, and Warren Craft, a rubbery guy who looks like he\u2019d be right at home on the sci-fi television show\u00a0Fringe<\/em>! (Actually, I think they all<\/em> would!)<\/p>\n The second one up, Three to One<\/em>, is the most unique tap dance ever! I don\u2019t want to spoil the surprise of it for you, so I won\u2019t tell you more, except that it reminded my friend, Lisa, of a clock, I assume due to the precision of the footwork and the way the trio worked together.<\/p>\n I was really wowed by all<\/em> of it, but at that point I found myself longing a bit for some good old-fashioned\u00a0Tap Dance Kid<\/em>, Nicholas Brothers, Lex Ishimoto-Gaby Diaz show biz tapping.\u00a0 And then I got it! Okay, Myelination<\/em> is not quite<\/em> my old pals, the Nicholas Brothers, but the forty-five minute number has a bit of everything in the way of tap dancing. You really can’t look away for even one second, or you\u2019ll miss something special. (I have a feeling that a lot of it is improvised, so you may even be treated to something different than I was.)<\/p>\n The entire piece is in that unique vein, but in the middle, Nicholas Van Young started-off the pure, old school tap dance that I wanted to witness before the show was over. He was immediately followed by my favorite part of the presentation\u2014an eye-popping duet from Michelle and Byron Tittle.\u00a0 I was wishing that part would go on longer.<\/p>\n I also love that the musicians are featured right on stage with the dancers for that number. And three of the four play multiple instruments. And what does the fourth guy, the percussionist, do extra? Glad you asked\u2014he\u2019s the aforementioned tap dancer, Nicholas Van Young! What an incredibly multi-talented group of artists the audience is lucky enough to see!!! I\u2019m happy the opening night crowd was so appreciative of the cast\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s my only tiny complaint.<\/p>\n So, my fellow SoCal lovers of dance\u2014hie thee to The Wallis this week-end to see Dorrance Dance! Remember\u2014it\u2019s your only chance to see the show in this neck of the woods. (You can thank me later.)<\/p>\n And one final word:\u00a0The Wallis is the best place in the world to see dance shows! So don\u2019t miss any<\/em> there!<\/p>\n Dorrance Dance<\/em>\u00a0running through October 14, 2017<\/strong> DORRANCE DANCE When the wonderful contemporary dancer, Lex Ishimoto, (who won this season\u2019s\u00a0So You Think You Can Dance,) recently posed the Twitter question, \u201cSo what\u2019s your favorite performance of me from the show?!,\u201d I immediately answered, \u201cThe tap one,\u201d followed by a plethora of exclamation points!\u00a0 Tap is such a higher level of dance to<\/p>\n![\"Three](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/promo-dorrance-dance-1000x563.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>I could have definitely used some better wardrobe<\/em> to look at, though. My mother always loved to tell the story of when I saw my first modern dance performance as a little girl who was used to beautiful ballets. She says that when I saw the non-ballet costumes, I embarrassingly loudly inquired, \u201cWhy are they wearing shmatahs<\/em>???\u201d (\u201cRags,\u201d if you\u2019re not of my ethnic persuasion.) I\u2019m used to all kinds of wardrobe now<\/em>, but I still wish that Dorrance Dance would up their game in that category. (And no offense to the one female\u2014whom I won\u2019t name\u2014who wore her hair on top of her head in the oh-so-unattractive \u201cdo\u201d that some think is hip now, but it is not<\/em>–it looks like the wearers of it are about to wash their faces in the privacy of their own homes, with no one else around!)<\/p>\n
\n Wallis Annenberg Theater For The Performing Arts<\/strong>
\n 9390 N. Santa Monica Boulevard \u00a0Beverly Hills \u00a0310-746-4000 \u00a0www.thewallis.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"