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Tap
Fest
9th
February 2003
Cecil Sharp House, London
Initially
it was to be a modest little affair at which the new Tap Awards were
to be previewed. But like Topsy it grew, shifting to something just
short of a Tap spectacular.
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(From R-L): Phil Thomas, Sue Passmore, Robert Harrold, Joanne Marsden
Blackwell, Murielle Ashcroft and Gaynor Owen |
In
the period leading up to the event in February there was the odd feeling
of apprehension. Had the Committee been a little too ambitious in mounting
the Tap Fest so early in our stewardship of the Faculty?
The
day duly arrived and we were truly staggered by the response. Hundreds
of 'grass root' tappers descended on Cecil Sharp House from all quarters
of the UK and Europe. Tap Fest had certainly caught their imagination.
Due
in the main to the talented people who provided such an entertaining
and varied programme, the event was a success and we are indebted to
them. However it would be remiss of me not to record my thanks and appreciation
to all the visitors for their goodwill and co-operation throughout the
day.
Paddy
Hurlings
Tap Dance Faculty Chairman
Nobody
could have anticipated the amazing response which the ISTD Tap Committee
received at the Tap Fest day held in February.
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Jack Allen a pupil of Emjay School |
A
huge number of people arrived at Cecil Sharp House, London to take part
in the event, many more than expected, and this initially caused difficulties
for the organisers but was soon resolved with slight adjustments to
the day's programme.
Carol
Ball took to the floor first and led the dancers in a warm-up to start
the day. The dance space was crammed with as many dancers as possible,
and as a result the class was repeated in a separate smaller area of
the building to allow those who weren't able to find room a chance to
warm-up as well. Despite the crush, Carol Ball's wonderful personality
and charm helped to ease the dancers gently into the day ahead. In order
to ensure that everyone got the chance to warm-up properly, Nick French
also gave an impromptu session with a rock 'n' roll style sequence -
much fun for all involved.
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Scarlet Hollands |
Next
on the agenda was a class for 12-15 year olds taken by Phil Thomas,
a West End star currently appearing in Mamma Mia! The children participating
picked up the sequence quickly and accurately and were obviously enjoying
it. With such a large group of dancers it can be difficult to give feedback
but Phil Thomas was clear in his direction and had a natural and witty
teaching style which got results. Set to a piece of music by Michael
Jackson, the children were asked how they would describe the music.
Words such as 'funky', 'strong', 'wicked', and 'aggressive' were suggested
and so they were asked to link those words to their dancing. Many of
the dancers were inspired, particularly the young boys taking part.
The
following two items were delivered twice in order to accommodate all
those in attendance and ensure that there was still some room to dance
on the floor. The first item was a demonstration from Ian Waller and
Paul Robinson. Both have worked on productions such as Tap Dogs, Hot
Shoe Shuffle and Singin' in the Rain so came to the event with tremendous
experience and expertise. The demonstration was a funny, friendly competition
to show each performer's precision and skill using exciting combinations
and complex rhythms. Even difficulties with wandering canes and wayward
taps coming off shoes weren't enough to stop the abundance of ability
in these two demonstrators.
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Chris Baldock |
This
was followed by a class led by Chris Baldock who taught a combination
based on an excerpt from Bounce, the hit show recently shown in the
West End. The class was restricted to Advanced 2 students only and they
worked well with the material given. The combination was taken from
a sequence involving a live rapper and a dancer as a type of Q&A session.
Chris Baldock explained that the feet needed to talk and, as Phil Thomas
had talked about previously, it was essential to gain a style from what
the dancers were hearing in the music. The hip-hop/street vibe was fun
for the students to work with and the resulting performance was full
of attitude!
Once
again, the next two items on the agenda were repeated twice so that
everyone had the opportunity to watch. A delightful performance by winners
from the Marjorie Davies Star Tap Awards 2001 and 2002 gave the audience
a chance to see the calibre of young Tap students competing in this
type of event, and also the variety of music and style that is being
used to perform. Amongst the winners were Kerry White, whose performance
was stylish and lyrical, Daniel Harrison, whose excellent timing and
cheeky grin created a humorous Blues Brother tribute, and Tom Keeley,
performing with powerful rhythms that worked well with the music. My
personal favourite was Katie Lusby. She performed with grace, elegance
and apparent ease and the smile never left her face! Amal Hassan, Ellesha
Newton and Charlotte Calloway completed the line-up and also performed
with professionalism and a real sense of style.
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Bronze award demonstrators |
The
Tap Committee went on to present the new Awards for Bronze, Silver and
Gold Medals within the examination syllabus. A new group of students
demonstrated each level and it was clear to see how each stage progressed
on from the previous. Clever arrangements allowed each area of the seated
audience to see the combinations and gave the dancers full opportunity
to perform. Students from Paddy Hurlings, Deborah Capon College and
2nd & 3rd year students from Bird College took part.
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Gold demonstrators |
A
presentation was made to the very special guest attending the Tap Fest.
Ava Astaire, daughter of the legendary Tap dancer Fred Astaire, was
presented with a bouquet of flowers. She stated how impressed she was
with the performers she had seen, and told the young male dancers in
particular to keep up the good work. After all, if Fred Astaire's elder
sister hadn't gone to dance class, he would never have tagged along
and may never have taken up Tap!
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Ava Astaire |
How
to follow someone as prestigious as that was going to be tricky, but
Bill Deamer, a choreographer with tremendous professional experience,
rose to the challenge. Currently working on a production of The Boyfriend,
and Babes In Arms, which has never been performed in this country before,
Bill Deamer talked about the aspects that a choreographer has to deal
with when working on a show. Essential advice included making sure that
each person, whether the producer, director, designer or choreographer,
worked as a team to ensure that everything complimented the other. This
was crucial for the success of the production.
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Bill Deamer |
Also,
at auditions, Bill Deamer confessed to looking for those dancers with
strong, solid technique that he could then add on the style to. Those
performing flashy steps hoping to impress would rarely be chosen. Four
dancers he had brought along with him performed a couple of sections
from Babes in Arms, the second of which clearly demonstrated how Tap
is not just about making a noise but is about the rhythm of the step.
For this the dancers performed in alternative shoes with no taps on,
which was a direct link to the Nicholas Brothers who performed the dance
when the production was originally performed in the USA. Advanced 2
students were then able to join in and learn a section of material under
audition conditions which they obviously found highly enjoyable.
The
final part of the day was an invited class for advanced students given
by Jurek Sroka. After a brief disappearance by the lecturer, the class
soon got under way! Jurek and his 'magic feet' received a standing ovation
in response to his wonderful and inspiring class.
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Jurek Sroka |
Packed
full of a variety of different guest teachers and lecturers, with a
superb array of demonstrations and performances, the first Tap Fest
was a resounding success. Paddy Hurlings and her team should be congratulated
for a huge achievement, with special thanks to Sheila Lucas for her
excellent piano playing throughout the day and John Sutton on sound.
A wonderful day was had by all and inspired many teachers and dancers
to go back to their studios and try new things out. I suspect many are
already looking forward to a repeat performance next year!
Sophie
Roper
Photographs by Elaine Mayson
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