by using a simple base step and cleverly mixing where the
accents occurred. He taught a completely new concept where he introduced half beat counts to create unusual time signatures that were confusing to most and required skill and concentration with no music to keep time. ‘I really believe in developing the person’s individual metronome and musicality’ says Jason, ‘so if there is music then they can use it, but  if there isn’t they can still maintain a good sense of rhythm and timing which is very important for a tap dancer, because what is a tap dancer without rhythm?’. The routine he taught was rhythmical and fast paced and overall his class was 1.5 hours of exhilarating tapping, providing us all with a great mental and physical workout.

The equally incredible Chloe Arnold, like Jason, has amazing clarity in her beats. Chloe drilled us with a series of rudiments and also taught the intricacies of phrasing. When teaching combinations she had everyone singing the rhythms before tapping it, because ‘if you can’t sing it you won’t be able to dance it!’ Chloe teaches that ‘repetition is key’ and she challenged and motivated us to push ourselves to the limit. ‘You must put the practice in which takes a lot of time, pushing yourself beyond the point of where you want to quit. If you’ve done it 32 times and feel finished, then maybe you should do another 32 times?’

One of the objectives of the festival is to educate tap dancers on the African history of Tap. Both Jason and Chloe are very passionate about this and conducted a thought provoking lecture referring to its American jazz roots and paid respect to some of the first documented tap dancers including William Henry Lane, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson and John Bubbles. With little documented, the history relies on its oral tradition. According to Grant ‘the history of tap is like a tree, with the root (Africa) being the beginning of the history’.

To teach these roots, Grant held an African Tap class which was a powerful experience unlike any other tap class I had ever taken. With live African drumming the class used a flat foot technique, incorporating body percussion using hand claps and slaps to create rhythmical sounds similar to the dance form Stepping. In this tribal class students connected with tap’s humble beginnings and experienced ‘A-a-ta-u’ , meaning African tap as one.

New to the festival this year was the Cutting Competition which had everyone on the edge of their seats. This competition is a feature at the L.A. Tap Festival and is a tap dance battle between two dancers, each trying to outdo the other and ‘cut’ the other dancer out. It is all about how well you can improvise, and is judged on four criteria; creativity, timing, rhythm and the dancer’s ability to have fun. It was a fierce competition and showcased how strong Australian tappers are, improvising with no fear and creating amazing new sounds and tricks with their feet.

Another festival highlight was the show ‘Tap Down Under, Slowly We Take It Back’ at the National Theatre. It recognised the diversity of tap dance, and started with the suave beats of Chris Horsey. The boys from Red Hot Rhythm showed why they are hot with their smooth refined style of tap, while Raw Metal kept the audience entertained, tapping out rhythms with an unusual percussive dance using the famous Aussie footwear, thongs. The Melbourne Youth Tap paid tribute to legendary tap dancer Savion Glover, and Grant gave an athletic performance with his two sons, known as the ‘Swift Brothers’. A tribute to the root of tap featured African drummer Lamine Sonko, with the Swift Rhythm Hoofers. The show ended with headline acts, Jason Samuels Smith and Chloe Arnold, both performing outstanding tap solos, jamming with the jazz musicians on stage. Jason exuded confidence and demonstrated why he’s one of the best hoofers around. His fast moving feet sang on stage. It was hard to believe he was making such intricate beats. Chloe Arnold showed that tap can be fun, sexy and feminine and she wowed the audience with her unique style and radiating energy, pushing each step to the limit.

Overall, the 2008 Melbourne International Tap Festival supported by Dance Informa, Capezio and Connex, delivered more than I expected. This festival follows the traditions of the N.Y.C and L.A. Tap Festivals with the injection of our own unique Australian tap style and culture. This wonderful celebration of tap dancing has motivated and inspired me to push my creativity in tap further. Tap dance is not dying but is alive and well in Australia. ‘The future for tap is strong’ said Grant Swift. ‘I’d like to see tap reach its true peak, because it hasn’t yet!’

You won’t want to miss the 2009 MITF! Visit www.mitf.com.au

Dance Informa was a proud sponsor of the 2008 Melbourne International Tap Festival