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Recently: Getting lost in the shuffle

Posted on April 16, 2009April 16, 2009 by Staff

By Valarie Schwartz

This story needs to be heard — really — I wish you could hear this story. As I climbed the steep steps to the second floor of the Ballet School of Chapel Hill, I could hear it — the sounds of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (NCYTE) calling me into the studio. The percussive sound of metal tapping on a wooden floor rates up there with rain on a tin roof in my book.

The 33 young people of NCYTE (they pronounce it “insight”) auditioned to become part of the troupe, and their dedication and ability determines when and if they get to tour when their agent books them gigs like the one coming up in Chicago this summer, or the one in California (Ojai and Torrance) next winter, or the one they took two years ago to China. Since it began in 1983, NCYTE has been all over, including Germany, Mexico, Russia and many points in between.

In a rehearsal several weeks before the coming spring show, which this year is called “Good Vibrations,” the mirror that spans one wall of the studio had been covered with sheeting to help them get used to performing without seeing themselves. As I sat watching, listening and photographing them, it became clear that though Gene Medler serves as their director, the young people were in charge.

“They’re empowered,” Medler said. “I only step in if I feel like we’re jeopardizing the quality of the show.”

Medler was 28 before he began to tap, and once he did, he made a career of it. He came from Asheville to Chapel Hill for college in 1967, intent upon a career in physical education. He was in graduate school and doing a little freelance acting when he was asked to be in a video that showed a man learning how to tap dance. Five lessons later, the video was a wrap and he was hooked.

“My dad tap danced a little bit. He was an athlete and he’d do a little clog behind the lawn mower or a jig in front of the refrigerator,” Medler said. “I always thought it was kind of quirky but cool at the same time.”

In the beginning, he thought tapping would be nothing more than a hobby, but he was a natural and continued it. “Nobody discouraged me. Even my dad said ‘go for it.’”

He coached both men’s and women’s fencing at UNC for a long time, “but the dance bug bit me.” He’s made a career of both dancing and teaching — his nine tap classes per week at Elon are packed — and has helped many into successful dancing careers, among them Michelle Dorrance, now on tour with “Stomp!,” and Derrick Grant, the director and choreographer of “Imagine Tap!” Both will make guest appearances in the “Good Vibrations” shows.

The young people of the corps come from all over the Triangle, but many are from Chapel Hill, like Elizabeth Burke, 16, who attends Chapel Hill High School and has been dancing since age 6. Her face and body had already said it before, without hesitation, she stated, “Oh, I definitely plan to pursue this as a career.”

Medler later confirmed that she certainly has the potential and, with the right breaks, could make it.

Another impressive dancer was Alex Vigotov, who during rehearsal for the first number they ran commented a couple of times that it didn’t sound right. She heard when someone mis-stepped.

“She’s proactive and assertive,” Medler said. She’s also determined. Alex didn’t make it into NCYTE until her third audition before a panel of judges.
“She was too young the first time; the second time, she was borderline and didn’t get in; the third time, she got in, and she has good talent and a strong work ethic. She works harder than anyone else,” and has become a voice of leadership.

There are 11 boys in the troupe — more than in years past. Hayden Fitzgerald, a senior at Cedar Ridge High School, has been tapping for 10 years.

“It’s one of my favorite things,” he said. He’s a song-and-dance man, with chorus and theater as other pastimes. “I’ve done a lot of fencing with Gene. He’s pushed me along.” Which is why Medler’s there. The kids run the show — they are pros, after all – but he’s their support. “He’s guiding it along,” Hayden said.

The shows are at 7 p.m. April 25 and 2 p.m. April 26 at the Carolina Theater in Durham. Tickets are $15 or $10 for seniors and students. See: ncyte.org/ or call 560-3030.

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

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