Feet don't fail: Tamango at Town Hall

Tamango's Urban Tap, a one-night show at Town Hall, was an argument for the revival of '60s values in the new age of the '00s. (Let's bring the people of the world together to share their musical licks and boogie down!) And the production's stage-spanning video projection by "Naj" Jean de Boysson--with live camerawork by Carlos Motta--created such a color-soaked acid trip that viewers should have checked their cough drops for signs of tampering.

Overall, the dancing was swell. Impressively lithe and jazzy, Tamango occupies a quirky galaxy all his own. When NASA finally finds life in outer space, they will probably send some jiveass former jet pilot instead of big-hearted Tamango who'd be the right man to make sense of things. Mistake.

Wing-footed Roxane Butterfly--who can be relied upon to cross refined footwork with funky fluidity--was in top form. Rennie Harris-- head of Philadelphia's PUREMOVEMENT)--made an astonishing surprise guest appearance, portraying a hulking b-boy remote-controlled by Tamango's increasingly challenging tapdancing. Some will remember Vado Diomande, the choreographer and drummer felled by inhaling anthrax from animal skins a few years ago. As Tamango's towering, squawking stiltwalker, he revved up the crowd with his acrobatic performance, drawing gasps, cheers and ululations. Another highlight was a too-brief solo by Colombian harpist Edmar Casteneda whose percussive approach turned the instrument of the angels into something quite devilish and sexy.

Unfortunately, the theater did not serve this show well. The sound was muddy, ruining the potential tastiness of the assembled multicultural band as well as the precision of dancers' tapwork. I had an odd seat--pretty close to the stage but at a diagonal, with heads and amps obscuring my line of vision--but I was probably far from alone in having difficulty seeing dancers' feet. Now, one might think that hearing tapdance would suffice but, for a true lover of the form, seeing precisely how those sounds are made is an integral part of the delight. Nevertheless, when I noticed what a good time Tamango was having throughout the show, I relaxed and felt happy for him and for his collaborators to whom he showed tremendous generosity.

Keep up with Tamango here. And if you haven't yet heard my Body and Soul interview with him, you'll find it here.

It's almost Tamango time!

Body and Soul interviewee Tamango brings his Urban Tap show to Town Hall this Friday. Listen to the podcast interview I conducted with him in January.

Tamango's Urban Tap: A Body and Soul podcast interview

Tamango's revolutionary approach to tap transforms his dance into music with a sharpened sense of style and awe-inspiring fluidity. Born in Cayenne, French Guiana, Tamango moved to Paris at age eight and began a formal education in art. He started tap dancing in his early 20's at the American Center in Paris and the Beaux Arts de Paris, which he left to join the university of the streets before moving to New York City.

Bringing together a global mix of dancers, musicians and artists, Tamango's Urban Tap crosses and blends the cultures and rhythms of jazz, tap, hip hop, capoeira, stilt, world, free-style and more. Tamango has been hailed worldwide for the electrifying skill and elegant beauty of his dancing. The New York Times declared, "One is tempted to call him the best dancer of any kind around."

He is also a painter, drummer, didjeridoo player and spoken word artist. Currently, he is acting, singing and dancing in "In Search of Josephine," a French production that draws together stories of the sensational Josephine Baker and modern-day, flood-ravaged New Orleans.

Urban Tap performs on March 7, 2008 at New York City's Town Hall. In April, Tamango's collaborative project with jazz funk guitarist Charlie Hunter will be presented as a work-in-progress at Harlem Stage.

For more information about Tamango's Urban Tap, visit www.urbantap.net/. For ticket information for the March 7 performance at Town Hall, visit http://www.the-townhall-nyc.org/pages/calendar/march.html.

Visit Eva Yaa Asantewaa's dance blog--InfiniteBody--at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com.

Subscribe to Body and Soul, the podcast of InfiniteBody, at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml
and through iTunes.

(c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

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