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Tapping the boards

Posted on September 20, 2007September 20, 2007 by Staff

By Valarie Schwartz

Robin Vail and I both did our parts for me to attend a Footnotes Tap Ensemble rehearsal before its upcoming show Saturday, but we could not know that someone would lock me out of the dance studio. With sore knuckles (from much fruitless banging on the door), I write this with assistance from memory of my first introduction to the group’s energetic performances several years ago.

These dancers know how to tap their way inside a person’s soul; maybe because their passion for dance runs so deep. Footnotes Tap Ensemble, formed in 2002, is the only professional nonprofit dance troupe in the Triangle. The 12-members include a medical doctor, bio-researcher, graphic artist, kindergarten teacher and others from all walks of life.

“We all share the same passion,” said Vail, the only member with a profession in dance, as an instructor at The Ballet School of Chapel Hill and Barriskill Dance Theatre School in Durham. “I dance every day of the week but Monday. I love it.”

She started tap dancing when she was 11 and living in California. “There were no studios in my hometown but I’d always wanted to tap dance.” Her mother (Jeanne Baker of Carrboro) signed her up when a studio opened, and tap has been her preferred means of expression (including choreography) and exercise ever since. “Tap dancing to me is like getting on the treadmill,” she said, adding that the rhythm and music makes it “a whole heck of a lot more fun. Besides, I love it artistically.”

The ensemble, founded and directed by Vail and Mimi Benjamin, strives to keep this truly American dance art alive through promotion, education and performances. They put a lot of work into a show, with some numbers taking as long as two months to learn during weekly rehearsals.

“We all get a lot of joy out of the process — being together, learning the material, perfecting it, learning together. We have a great time together as a company,” with an age range from early 20s through 40s. Vail, 46, said one other dancer is older than she. Regardless, each member, with their educations and time spent studying with great dance teachers, seems driven not only to perform, but also to spread their infectious enthusiasm.

Besides Vail and Benjamin, dancers include, Erin O’Reilly, Mary Fletcher Pena, Meg Hennessey, Alexis Dunkle, Shannon Glutting, Zans McLachlan, Alyssa Mackenzie, JoAnna Langston, Jenny Parker and Whitney Goodman.

This show includes live music performed by Ed Paolantonio on piano, John Hanks on drums, Robbie Link on bass and Rodney Marsh on flute. Members of the Triangle Gay Men’s Chorus and soloist Erika Dunkle will also perform.

The chance to catch some of their spirit during a rehearsal helped spur me from the comfort of my couch, but alas, I returned home empty. Should you venture out Saturday for the free 7:30 p.m. performance at Hanes Theatre at Chapel Hill High School (a perfect venue for tap), the doors will be open. My guess is that the talent and exuberance will make your outing worthwhile.

Contact Valarie Schwartz at 923-3746 or valariekays@mac.com.

2 thoughts on “Tapping the boards”

  1. Terrence Taps says:
    September 20, 2007 at 10:40 am

    Thanks for keeping folks informed about this upcoming tap performance. I will link to this article for my blog in hopes that it will help fill more seats!

  2. Pingback: Tap Dance Blog: Footnotes Tap Ensemble Performs in North Carolina

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