The Show Must Go On.

Our annual tap-dance performance at the Collingwood Toy Library Fair* was in October rather than March this year, and as such was subject to Melbourne's famously unpredictable spring weather. Being, as it always is, an outdoor performance, we monitored the forecast all week, and saw with dismay that rain was looming. But Pollyanna-like, I crossed my fingers that it would hold off until after we'd done our performance.  And then, as all my gorgeous kid-tappers and their lovely families assembled, it became quite clear that the rain wasn't going to hold off, and it was coats on, umbrellas out and a whole lot of questioning faces looking at me to see what should happen. By then my tap boards were wet and dangerous, the stall holders had covered their wares with tarpaulins and the general public was vanishing into the stands of the old football stand where the fair was being held. It looked like we'd have to cancel so I did at first say that, and about 4 families who were feeling the cold took themselves off. But most of them hung around and a few of them started saying we could go up to the second tier of the stand, we think there's enough room there.  Which made me think well we could at least get the senior kids to perform in a limited space, so everyone hiked up and around, and there was a big enough area of concrete up there, so the Tapsters grabbed their tap-sticks and started us off.  Then the Groovers looked at me hopefully and it seemed a shame not to show off their awesome routine and before we knew it, ALL the kids were sticking their hands in the air and asking if it was them next.  So everyone got to perform, except the ones who bolted early and I felt bad about that, but seeing as it was our first time in the new surrounds and staffed by volunteers who knew nothing, it was just a hard call to make. Anyway. The Show did, in fact, Go On, and that's how I like it.



As a change and a challenge I had choreographed all the routines without music, teaching the kids to  work with just rhythms so that they made the music.  I have been incredibly impressed with the way the kids all really got on top of what they were asked to do.  Even my adorable 4 year olds were able to master an a'capella routine and some call-and-answer patterns. On the day I only had one tapper from that group, but she did a wonderful job on her own.



This was her when she'd finished; she was so delighted and cute, and her family were bursting with pride when she rejoined them



But I'm getting ahead of myself. We opened the proceedings with the most difficult of all the rhythm routines, the clever Tapsters with their tap-sticks.  This is them getting ready to start us off.



They had to tap fast, and intersperse feet rhythms with bangs of the stick on the ground.  Check out the concentration on their faces.



They're such a lovely group and their lessons are very funny because in-between being clever at learning new and hard stuff, they love to muck around with each other and they do all have loony senses of humour..



Next up was my showbiz class, the always awesome Groovers, featuring my Cherub. Their routine was called Hands and Feet because I put tap plates on their hands (© !!) and built a routine using sounds made from all the tap plates. 
 

They adored doing the routine, and loved building the music of it by contributing their individual beats. I'm very proud of this one. They did it so well and sounded great and recieved a rapturous round of applause afterwards.



They always steal the show, this lot.







Next up were the Flappers class, most of who only started tapping this year. Their routine began with us singing a little bit of I Got Rhythm, and then we tapped the rhythm of that song without the song if that makes sense. Usually we have more kids in the group but not everyone can do performance days so these two coped really well with just each other and me.  I have been really impressed with this group and thought the girls did a great job; not a single mistake and absolutely knew what they had to do. I think for both of them it was their first performance with me, and they coped with a tricky routine, no music to hide behind, unfamiliar terrain and uncomfortable conditions, and they nailed it. Fantastic.



The Shufflers, my intermediate class, were split into 3 groups and had to hold their group's rhythm against the other two groups. I thought they performed it marvellously well. It really was a challenge, their routine, and there were days when it took us so long just to get one little bit that I'd wonder if I was being crazily over-ambitious. But they are great, they never gave up and they got it. They absolutely got it. Champions. Here's Group Three.



And Group Two, well, what there was of it! This little trouper had no-one with her in her group, and did a wonderful job holding her rhythms down.



And this is Group One, plus our human metronome. In fact, he is my Saturday Morning Assistant (Nell's replacement) and generally his job is marking the roll and taking the money and a little bit of dogsboddery. But bonus skillz, he is also a drummer so I can haul him out from behind the desk when I need a beat kept for me. He did so for this routine using a drumstick and a handrail. He's so good, and a lovely young man to boot.



We finished up with the cheeky Gliders. usually we have heaps of them but we were missing at least two thirds of their class for the performance.  They were looking very worried that I might forget to give them a go, bless their hearts.



Didn't matter that they weren't all there, they absolutely knew what to do and stormed through a very tricky dance.



What a bunch of tapping superstars.





* Previous performances available by clicking this link. it's quite interesting seeing how we've grown.
Excellent photography by my sister.

The Show Must Go On

I had this very bad lead-up to the Merri Creek Fete performance yesterday, because I was so strung out about the sick kitty and therefore not fully able to keep all my balls in the air, so to speak. A morning's phone call from the vet saying Basil would need a blood transfusion and that that would cost an extra $700 sent the stress levels sky-rocketing.  Then I realised I had arrived at the Tap Hall without any ipod to teach class with, that it had probably fallen out in the car -which was at soccer with Fixit and the boys - and that Fixit was phone-less.  A few deep breaths were required before I worked out how to contact Fixit;  the ipod was delivered and the morning's classes went off smoothly.  Then it was time for lunch and Nell and I set off to the fete to prepare the tap boards while Fixit and the boys ducked home to get the forgotten good camera and normal shoes for Cherub (ie ones that were not studded soccer boots or tap shoes for him to run around afterwards at the fete in). And then as we stood near the stage in what we thought was an organised state, another glitch: several students had not got their tap-shoes for the show.  A quick discussion took place - the stage was running 15 minutes late and Pea's Dad was willing to drive Nell to the Tap Hall to collect spare shoes!  Only that meant a sort of bated breath wait because Nell is the ipod keeper at shows and the stage crew of course asked me for the ipod pretty much the minute Nell left.  They made it back with minutes to spare, and the shoeless children and I had a quick rummage to match feet with taps, while Nell sorted the ipod.



I walked on stage with the Tiny Tappers, preparing to dance the Yellow Submarine, but the music was playing up and there were no vocals at all, which bewildered the Tinies and made it difficult to get our cues.  So there was a bit of battling through with the dance and grimacing wildly over my shoulder at the crew to please fix the problem; and then Nell, in desperation, did something  (she still doesn't know what) to the ipod, and balance (and vocals) were restored.  From that point on, the show went really well.  The Tiny Tappers were divine as always:



The combined middle groups (beginner and intermediate level) were an absolute smash with their routine, Concrete & Clay (the Martin Plaza version).  The audience were spontaneously cheering and whooping during the routine - I think because a section of choreography echoed exactly what everyone really wants to do when they hear that bit of the music and the kids looked so deliciously happy as they did it - and that was an absolute tonic for me and a big happy high for the kids.  It's good to be cheered, it really is.  Look at our faces, we're loving it.



The Gliding Groovers class were next with their Goodies routine, complete with comedy falls at the end. The rule of comedy falls is to go up before you go down. Look how high up my Cherub went. (And well done to Fixit for catching that precise moment, what a corker of a shot!)  I love how good this class is and how well they do this routine.  They requested that I did it with them yesterday, they don't really need me but it was fun to be part of it with them.



The Tapsters started with their acapella number.  I could feel a very impressed vibe coming off the crowd when they did it too, and received quite a few comments afterwards about how much people loved that  bit.  They finished with a Shim-sham, and received a great big hand.  They really are super, those Tapsters.



Fixit captured the audience after we'd taken our bow. It really was one of our best shows ever.



I am lucky to be surrounded by people who help make it work - the kids, their families, Nell Fixit and Jenny. Thank you xx

Dancing With Children

Today we had another great performance at the Collingwood Toy Library Fair.



All the kids were superb, and are, I think, starting to look like a very professional little troupe of tappers. Cherub's class are able to do their number without my help ...



... and Climber's class of 9 and 10 year olds are very impressive indeed, whether they be beating out an acapella number or a traditional Shim-sham.



But today I want to talk about one little tapper: H. He is the second child of a really really lovely family, and his adorable big sister has been dancing with me for ages. H is nearly 5, and has Aspergers. He has, I gather, been quite the handful. I do remember frequently both hearing him shriek and wail when his sister first came to dance with me, and seeing him carried outside by a parent whilst obviously in the throes of a great passionate razz. However, recently, and I believe at his own instigation, he started doing tap classes with me too, much to the delight of his family and his paediatrician. He has been coming along in leaps and bounds, and if we occasionally have problems with co-operation, they are, these days, short-lived and really, no more remarkable than other children in his age group. Actually, his mother quite often comes and thanks me for my patience with him, and I can say quite honestly that he doesn't really push my patience, that I think he's great, and doing a really good job, and coming along so well. He is certainly not the only child who has to stop the class so they can tell me something.

At today's performance, I sidled up to his Mum and said nobody else from his class group has turned up, do you think H would dance on his own with me or would it be too much for him? She was of the opinion that we should give it a go, particularly as he'd gone to the effort of dressing up for the day and was wearing his brand new, very own tap-shoes. So H and I opened the performance together, and although he became slightly distractable for a little moment during the song, (he just really needed to tell me that he had this song on their ipod) he danced the whole Yellow Submarine with me like a champion.




(Apologies for my demented son in the background.)



Proud doesn't even cover it.

Full photo set here.
Previous year performances at this event : 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007.