By Nicole Saleh.

Australia’s own Song and Dance Man, David Atkins, returns to the stage to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of his highly successful and original tap dance musical, Hot Shoe Shuffle. It’s a full circle for Atkins who has achieved international fame as a performer, choreographer, producer and director, with accolades that include producing the Opening Ceremonies for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and New Zealand Rugby World Cup.

Lacing up his tap shoes once again, Atkins is back on the Australian stage taking on the more senior role of Dexter, the father of the seven Tap Brothers and their long lost sister April. Twenty-one years on, it’s a new era for the show with many of the young cast only toddlers when Hot Shoe Shuffle first premiered back in 1993.

This highly entertaining musical pays tribute to the big band era of the 1940s, and stays true to its original storyline, which is a homage to the American vaudeville circuit and showcases tap dancing at its best. In 1995, the show was internationally recognised with a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Choreographer for Atkins and Dein Perry, and in the same year it also won an Australian Green Room Award for “Best Original Choreography.”

As a loyal fan of the original musical, I was thrilled to meet David Atkins and get the inside story on the return of Hot Shoe Shuffle, how it launched the careers of some of Australia’s best tap dancers and why it’s a show not to be missed! 

What can people expect from the musical Hot Shoe Shuffle?

Anyone who has seen it before will be coming back to experience what they saw the first time, which is fantastic dancing! The show is predominantly (and was inspired by) tap dance, but it’s a fully fledged musical, so you’ve got these fantastic tap routines that are combined with great songs, and the music is all well known big band hits of the 40s and 50s.

David Atkins and the cast of ‘Tap Brothers’ in Hot Shoe Shuffle

With the new production we’re actually lifting the stakes and increasing the skill sets of the boys (the seven Tap Brothers). We’ve really got the potential of eclipsing what we did the first time, and part of that is due to the fact that the boy’s skill sets are so much stronger because there’s been 20 years since Hot Shoe started and Tap Dogs in-between, and lots of other shows. Also we’ve got a lot of new stage technology that has developed in that time, so I think the show visually and in dance terms is going to be better than it ever was.

Is it true that Hot Shoe Shuffle launched the career of Adam Garcia (Saturday Night Fever, Coyote Ugly) and Dein Perry (Tap Dogs), and paved the way for Tap Dogs?

Absolutely. It preceded Tap Dogs, so the first show that Dein ever choreographed and worked on (in a production sense) was Hot Shoe, and it was off the back of Hot Shoe that he actually did Tap Dogs.

I pulled Adam out of school – I actually had to go and convince his mum to let him leave the HSC. He was 17 and I made an agreement with his mum that he would come back a year later and do it by correspondence. Of course, a year later he was on the West End. So, Addy’s first big show was Hot Shoe and it took him overseas, and while he was doing Hot Shoe in London, the producers of Saturday Night Fever and Grease saw him and that’s how his career developed in London.

The original Hot Shoe Shuffle was choreographed by yourself and Dein Perry. Will you be working with Dein to revisit and update any of the choreography?

Absolutely. Dein and I have already talked about that. And because of the skill set and the 20 years in-between when we originally created those steps, Dein wants to get back into the rehearsal room with us. We’re not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. We’re going to keep the essence of the show but there is definitely the chance to improve and also to take on the skills of the boys and bring this back into the show.

A scene from Hot Shoe Shuffle

Do you have any plans to bring Dancin’ Dynamite or any of your previous shows back to the stage?

No. [Laughs.] I don’t know how those shows would go now. I think they’re very much of their time. The one thing about Hot Shoe is that it’s universal in terms of the time because it’s a period piece, the nostalgia aspect of it worked. People loved it in the 90s and they’ve loved it each time it’s come back again. We’ve also done a special treatment of it. It’s got a Dick Tracy, cartoon-feel about it and all the elegance of the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies in the second half. I think that’s something that audiences really respond to and anyone who has seen a technicolour musical or a black-and-white Fred and Ginger movie will love the show because that’s what we’re paying homage to.

Did you find it difficult to cast the show, and what were you looking for in the auditions?

We cast the show across three states and we saw a lot of people. It’s a difficult show to cast because we’re not only looking for fantastic dancers. They also have to fit into the character types and they’ve got to be able to sing and act.

One of the things that has also happened in the 20 years since we did it the first time is that kids and their training have really broadened. So in those days if you were a tap dancer you were pretty much a tap dancer. Now if you’re a tap dancer you’ve got to be able to act and sing and you’ve got to be a genuine triple threat, and that’s what we saw in the auditions. Some of these boys are great singers too. So, what we were looking for were people who could fill all of those things. I think by the time we finished the auditions we had pretty much two or three boy candidates for every role, so we were pretty lucky. We’ve got a great group.

What are you looking forward to most about this show?

You know what, it didn’t really click or register until I started looking at footage of the old show, and I’d have to say getting back on stage with this show is going to be really reinvigorating, and it’s going to be good for my soul, because basically this show has got such a great sense of good will and joy about it and we really had so much fun when we put it together and we performed it. I think that was infectious and it transferred from the stage across the footlights to the audience and that’s the success of the show.

Looking at it today, I was watching it and thinking, ‘You know what? I love doing this and it was actually great fun.’ So I’d forgotten in worrying about ticket sales and production elements, and seasons and booking theatres and all that. I sort of lost touch with why I was doing it. That’s why I’m doing it, because it’s just great fun to do!

So this is the first time that you’ve returned to the stage in 15 years? Originally you played the role of Spring (lead Tap Brother) and now Dexter (Father of The Tap Brothers). How have you prepared for this role?

Yes, I can’t even remember the last time I was on stage! I couldn’t play Spring 21 years later because my legs just wouldn’t stand up for it. I’m back into training and I’m pretty fit generally, but fortunately, Dexter is much more an acting and singing role, and I’ve got a couple of nice slow tap routines to do so I’ll be fine.

What’s been your career highlight?

Hot Shoe. It was homemade, we created it ourselves and it holds a very special place. Before Hot Shoe I guess one of the biggest turning points was A Chorus Line. It was the show that put me on the map as a performer in Australia. Mostly they’ve been dance shows, and obviously, after A Chorus Line, I’ve worked in the theatre and done lots of musicals. The next big thing for me was the Olympics and moving into that forum and doing the Sydney Olympics, the Vancouver Winter Olympics and The Asian Games.

So what’s your key to being successful in the entertainment industry and achieving that longevity?

Just getting up and doing it every morning. Not giving up!

Hot Shoe Shuffle has just finished playing at Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre, before opening at the Lyric Theatre Sydney from 6^th July and Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne from 10^th August. Go to www.hotshoeshuffle.com for more information.

Photo: David Atkins and Jaz Flowers in Hot Shoe Shuffle. Photos courtesy of MGM Publicity.

Australia’s very own Tap Dogs first appeared at the Sydney Festival in 1995. The tapping feet of this internationally acclaimed dance sensation has now reverberated around the world in 330 cities, 37 countries, and been seen by more than 11 million people. Now they are coming home – stronger, faster, louder and more outrageous than ever to tour Australia from July to August 2012.

The 2012 winter tour commences in Canberra 3 to 8 July, then Newcastle 10 to 15 July, followed by Adelaide 17 to 22 July, Hobart 16 to 18 August, Albury 21 to 23 August and finally Wollongong 24 & 25 August.

Created by Olivier Award winning choreographer Dein Perry, this global dance phenomenon combines the strength and power of workmen with the precision and talent of tap dancing and is part theatre, part dance, part rock concert.

The adrenalin pumped touring cast includes the best tap dancers from around the world. Leading the pack is Sheldon Perry (brother of Dein) along with fellow Aussies Matthew Papa, Nathaniel Hancock, Jesse Rasmussen and from the US Anthony Russo and Richard Miller. In addition to the macho line-up, Tap Dogs now has two beautiful female percussionists, Cat Hunter and Lyndsay Evans joining the testosterone fuelled action on stage.

Tap Dogs was originally created and choreographed by Dein Perry and directed and designed by Nigel Triffitt. In the last 15 years Tap Dogs has won 11 major international awards, including an Olivier for Best Choreography.

Win a Double Pass to Tap Dogs in Adelaide or Canberra!

Just email info@danceinforma.com with subject: “WIN TICKETS” and tell us Why Your Love Dance Informa.
Dance Informa’s Editors will pick the best responses to win.
* All valid entries must include your full name, postal address and date of birth.

Competition open until June 20.

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine -covering dance in Australia, dance training, dance auditions, dance teacher resources, dancewear and fashion and more.

Capitol Theatre, Sydney
January 2011

By Nicole Saleh

Exploding onto the stage at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre are six sexy blokes in their trademark Blundstone boots, tapping out rhythms Aussie style with industrial strength and force. It’s the return of Dein Perry’s Tap Dogs, one of Australia’s most successful theatrical exports. Back home to celebrate their 15^th anniversary, Tap Dogs has withstood the test of time and is more dynamic now than when it first began.

Creator and choreographer, Dein Perry, has given tap dancing a unique Aussie flavour that was warmly welcomed home by the audience on opening night. The show is 80 minutes of hardcore tap cleverly delivered with great humour and brilliant tricks, moving tap away from its traditions and into the unexpected. Leading the pack is Adam Garcia, star of the film Bootmen and judge on the hit UK television show Got to Dance. Garcia reprises the role of the Foreman. He is casually dressed in jeans, a singlet and surprisingly a refined blue collared shirt instead of a chequered flanny that is synonymous with Tap Dogs. He opens the show with a strong solo and intricate crisp footwork that leaves you wondering how he can produce such fast and light beats with heavy workman boots. It’s not just about fast tapping for Garcia who also excels in a slow tap duet with Richie Miller that is delivered with amazing tonality and control.

Nigel Triffitt’s set design is like a playground for the dancers. Each of them helps construct the set from moving the floor and pulling ropes to erecting scaffolding, which requires great strength and stamina. The lighting design by Gavin Norris creates dramatic effect and the rock music scores of composer Andrew Wilkie are delivered with powerful force by two female drummers/percussionists; Lyndsay Evans and Genevieve Wilkins.

On stage it isn’t just the angle grinders creating sparks, but also the brilliant feet of tap technicians Sheldon Perry, Matt Papa, Donovan Helma, Jesse Rasmussen, Richie Miller and Adam Garcia. Their loud beats can be heard on different surfaces from timber, steel beams, the stage itself, and even electronic music pads that produce a fun sound when tapped on.

Overall, the Tap Dogs attack their dancing with fearlessness, strength and confidence, jumping on ramps, tapping on ladders and creating complex rhythms while balancing on narrow steel surfaces. Taking tap dancing to the extreme, Sheldon Perry performs an amazing tap solo while suspended upside down! Another highlight, led by the cheeky Jesse Rasmussen (2009 Australian So You Think You Can Dance top 20 finalist), is a sequence using an unexpected instrument; a basketball. The boys create cross rhythms bouncing the balls with the greatest of control in between their tap dancing beats.

It’s easy to enjoy a performance when the cast is also enjoying themselves on stage. Revolutionising tap dancing with its distinct Australian style, there’s no doubt this highly entertaining show will continue to achieve ongoing worldwide success.

Dein Perry’s Tap Dogs are back in Sydney for performances this January and February at the Capitol Theatre.
3 lucky Dance Informa readers won double passes and will be seeing the show this week!

Tap Dogs are currently taking the world by storm with their unprecedented tap show that combines the strength and power of workmen with the precision and talent of tap dancing. The show started with six guys from a steel town north of Sydney. Olivier Award-winning choreographer Dein Perry headed the team with designer/director Nigel Triffitt, and composer Andrew Wilkie and created Tap Dogs; an 80 minute reinvention of tap for the new millennium.

To get your tickets visit www.tapdogs.com

Dance Informa’s Nicole Saleh recently interview Tap Dogs’ Adam Garcia. Click here to read the interview.

Martin Zimmerman and Dimitri de Perrot – GAFF AFF
18 – 24 October
Playhouse, Sydney Opera House
www.sydneyoperahouse.com.au

Swiss performance duo Zimmermann & de Perrot are regarded as the most successful physical theatre company in the world.  Mikhail Baryshnikov saw them at the 2008 Pina Bausch Festival and booked them for his own theatre. In GAFF AFF they create a world that revolves quite literally on a turntable.  Like a modern Buster Keaton, rubber-limbed circus artist Martin Zimmermann navigates his way through a day’s existence to the music of Dimitri de Perrot’s live soundscape.

Win a Double Pass! Click here

Photo: Ralf Brinkhoff

TAP DOGS
Adam Garcia to star with Tap Dogs in Sydney 2011!
Dates: from 5 January for a five week season
Venue: Capitol Theatre 
www.ticketmaster.com.au 

The beat of their tapping feet has reverberated around the world for 15 years, and now Australia’s Tap Dogs is returning home for a strictly limited season.

The internationally acclaimed dance sensation has won 11 major international awards. Tap Dogs combines the strength and power of workmen with the precision and talent of tap dancing, and has been seen by over 11 million people worldwide and performed in 330 cities, and 37 countries across the globe.

 Win a Double Pass! Click here

NSW Permit Number: LTPM/09/00769 CLASS: Type B
http://www.danceinforma.com

By Nicole Saleh.

Tap dancing is where it all began for the talented Adam Garcia. With his first big break on London’s West End performing in the acclaimed Australian musical Hot Shoe Shuffle, Adam has since gone on to achieve success not only on stage but also in film and television. Garcia showed off his hot dance moves in the movie Coyote Ugly, created the lead role of Fiyero in the hit musical Wicked, was a dance teacher in the drama Britannia High, and most recently appeared alongside Kimberly Wyatt (former Pussycat Doll) and Ashley Banjo (Hip Hop crew Diversity) as a judge on UK’s popular television show Got To Dance.

Ready to return to his roots, Adam is hitting the West End stage but this time in Blundstone Boots, leading the cast of Tap Dogs.

In rehearsals on the eve of their upcoming UK and Australian tour, I got a behind-the-scenes preview of Adam in action. Not only does he bring his own charm and humour to the show, I was amazed at the footwork of this highly skilled tap technician. Intrigued to learn more, I caught up with Adam Garcia in between his busy rehearsal schedule.

How did you start Tap Dancing?
I started doing ballet from about the age of seven for no particular reason, other than my friend Morgan O’Neil asked me to come with him to his dance class. The class was a bit too far away and he left and I wanted to continue, so I went to my cousin’s dance school which was Dumbrell Academy (now Capital Dance). Glenn and Kerrie Dumbrell’s strong point was tap. I did ballet and jazz, and everyone did tap, so I started doing tap dancing.

Did you always want to be a dancer?
I didn’t ever think I’d be a career dancer. I simply did it because I enjoyed it as a hobby. When I was 15 or 16 I started getting jobs, but I still never thought that this would be a career, even when I went to London with Hot Shoe Shuffle.

Hot Shoe Shuffle was supposed to be a six month deferment from university and it turned into a year and a half. Then in London, I thought I probably wouldn’t get another job, I’d just backpack for a year and come back to Australia, but I ended up getting more work and so it sort of developed.

So do you think Aussie dancers need to move overseas for a career in dance?
Not necessarily. There are more opportunities over there, but equally there are good opportunities in Australia. Obviously the pool of jobs is much bigger in Europe or even America, but as the percentage of jobs increase, the percentage of people competing for them increases as well, so it’s never going to be easy. You have to be on top of your game!  

Is it true that this is your first season of Tap Dogs?
It is! I’ve never done Tap Dogs, so I’m not officially a Tap Dog until it opens.

What is it like to be once again working with Dein Perry (Tap Dogs Creator/Choreographer) since working together in the musical Hot Shoe Shuffle and the film Bootmen?
I grew up with Dein and he was a mentor of mine. My first big experiences in my life away from home were with Dein. He was a real father figure to me and we’ve been very good friends ever since. It was kind of odd, as I didn’t know how we were going to operate again, but we just know how each other works and we found it really easy, so it’s a delight.

How did you get ready for this role in Tap Dogs?
I hadn’t been tap dancing a great deal, so I had an extra two weeks tapping in London before starting rehearsals in Sydney. You need fast feet for this show and I thought “Oh my, are my feet going to be ready at all?” But they seemed to have mostly come good.

I did a fair bit of fitness work when I was in Los Angeles – lots of sprint training and a bit of muscle work. I played football two or three times a week and one of those games was a 90 minute full field soccer match. You’re constantly sprinting and never stop, and so it’s kind of the equivalent to doing an 80 minute show. It’s certainly challenging, but I’m getting there.

How important do you think Tap Dogs is to championing the art form of Tap around the world?
I think it is incredibly important, and not because I’m intimately attached to the show. There aren’t tap shows of this nature that are still continuing today. There are ballet companies and contemporary companies and their expression and narrative is done through dance. Tap shows don’t exist like that. Savion Glover obviously has his shows, but then there’s 42^nd Street and musicals where suddenly there is some tap dancing and then it ends. There is not a show that I have seen that is just a tap show, and that’s all it is. Tap Dogs is really the only one on an international scale. There’s no speaking, its music and tap for 80 minutes and that’s that!

The Tap Dogs trademark is the Blundstone Boots. Was there a need to adjust your tapping style for these shoes?
Actually in London when I was starting rehearsals I knew I needed to get some boots on because they are a lot heavier than tap shoes. I dug around in my cupboard and found the first boots we wore for the original Tap short for ABC TV (this short film launched what was to become the Tap Dogs and the concept of tapping in Blundstone boots). It takes a lot more deliberate dexterity to make the sounds. I had to remember how to use them, and it took about a week and a half to get really used to the boots.

What’s been a career highlight for you?
Definitely the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony (Adam led over 1000 tap dancers performing to a global audience), and opening in the musical Saturday Night Fever in London (Adam played the lead role of Tony Manero). Even just opening in Hot Shoe Shuffle was kind of weird and crazy back in 1992. I had no idea about openings and I didn’t realise it was such a big deal. I even asked Dein if I could have it off as I had tickets to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert and they were only playing one gig. We had another 30 shows after that and I couldn’t see what the big deal was!

You’ve been a judge on the successful UK reality television show, Got To Dance. What qualities do you believe make a great dancer?
Obviously feet are pretty important, and musicality. Musicality is not only about keeping time and doing the choreography, but it’s feeling the music and where moves should be. I think dancers learn that music carries with it an inherent rhythm, tone, style and nuance and that’s why people have different styles. They hear the music differently or feel the dance moves in a different way. When people really explore and give into what they feel and express it through the music, it makes a good dancer and a very watchable dancer.

The ability to let go is very important. There was a 10 year old boy on the show who is autistic and literally the music moved him and that’s the only way I could describe it. He just stood there and the music went, and he just went. That was one of the most beautiful things in the show.

Do you see yourself as an actor or a dancer?
Even though I’ve got acting, dancing always reels me back and I realise “oh yeah, you’re a dancer – deal with it”. For all my protestation about being an actor, people recognise me as a dancer, so I don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I love making movies, I like making TV, I love doing live theatre, I love doing musical theatre, I like doing dance shows and I like being a judge, so I’m just trying to do as much as I can.

What are your future plans after Tap Dogs?
A new season of Got to Dance (UK) starts at the end of the year so I’m excited about that. Chris Horsey (Tap Works Director) and I have been working on a show which we’re about half way through choreographing. He’s got his tap company up and running and we’ve got ambitions to complete the show and put it on stage finally, that’ll be nice!

Tap Dogs is now showing at the Novello Theatre London until 5^th September 2010, and returns to Australia at the Capitol Theatre Sydney from 5^th January 2011 for a limited 5 week season. For details visit www.tapdogs.co.uk

Photos: Ralf Brinkhoff

HOT OFF THE PRESS – JUST ANNOUNCED
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE  RUNNER UP CHARLIE
Will be performing with THE NEXT STEP!

Multi-talented, all male crew, The Next Step, is set to rock Luna Park this November. Directed by Dein Perry, The Next Step is the creation of brothers Jason and Kris Lewis. From humble beginnings in the Lewis brother’s garage, The Next Step has exploded into a phenomenal, action packed, high energy show.

The Next Step are said to be bold, innovative and unique. “The whole concept of The Next Step is fresh and exciting”, says the team. “A group like this has never been done anywhere else in the world before. There are three different dance styles, two vocalists and a three piece band all working together to bring the audience great music and a cool performance. It’s both a visual and sonic treat that has to be seen.”

On Saturday November 21st the crew are bringing their new show to the Big Top at Luna Park. The group will bring their edgy fusion of hip-hop, tap and break dancing to the stage, and a live band teamed with the group’s talented vocalists will perform their original score, including their debut single Do It On The Dance Floor.

This team of dedicated performers aims to take dance, choreography and music to the next level. “The Next Step strives to not be ordinary. We always try to better each and every performance and show we do”, explained the group. “With an industry such as entertainment, it’s constantly evolving and growing so we continue to look for new ways to keep all the different elements of the show current.”

The Next Step enjoyed a successful sell out season in 2008 at The Metro Theatre, Sydney. But what can audiences expect this year? “People who came to watch last time will see and hear some of The Next Step favourites as well as some surprises”, we are told. “The show has now been re-crafted by the infamous Dein Perry (creator of Tap Dogs) who has taken on the role of Director for the upcoming shows. Dein is thrilled to come onboard and help take the show to the next level. Our performance at the Big Top is going to be the first time audiences get to see the new show”, they shared excitedly.

The Next Step has rightfully earned a reputation for cutting edge performance, and finely honed talent, comprising of artists from Dein Perry’s Tap Dogs and contestants featured in the Top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance.

With rehearsals in full swing for November, it seems that the upcoming performance is only the start of things to come. “We are currently releasing an EP in October with our new single Do It On The Dance Floor accompanied by an awesome new music video, and we are working towards a season of shows in Sydney starting in February 2010. We also plan a second single and album release followed by a national tour”, they shared. It seems that it is full steam ahead for the talented team. Good luck guys!

Get your tickets to The Next Step at The Big Top Luna Park.
It’s street and stage, dance and music at its finest!
Date: Saturday November 21st, 7:00pm
Venue: The Big Top, Luna Park
Contact: www.thenextsteponline.com  www.bigtopsydney.com  
or 1300 Big Top www.ticketek.com.au  or 132 849