The Playhouse reverberated to the sound of Blundstone boots tapping en masse yesterday when members of Tap Dogs came to town for a class with some of the young students from Canberra's Legs Dance Studio.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cameron Taylor, 14, who's in his 11th year learning dance, said: ''We were invited by the Tap Dogs to learn how they tap and for them to show off their skills to the public.''
He began dancing in the same class as his sister when ''Mum couldn't put up with me whingeing how bored I was.'' He soon found himself more than interested.
Maddison Catlin, 13, who's been learning dance for 10 years, said she enjoyed tap the most of all the dance styles she learned because: ''You get to give off a lot of energy and have fun.''
As for the Tap Dogs class, she said: ''They're teaching us combinations … how to keep in time and to do different stuff.''
And ''different stuff'' is what Tap Dogs are all about, giving tap dancing a new image. Formed by Dein Perry in 1995, it brought tap away from the black-tie elegance associated with Fred Astaire and gave it a high-energy, testosterone-drenched Australian vibe that became an international success.
The class marked a homecoming for one of the Tap Dogs, Canberra-born Matt Papa. He was a student at Legs Dance Studio from the age of 10 until he finished high school and was invited by Perry, with whom he had taken weekly classes in Sydney, to join the group shortly after he finished high school.
Since then he's performed in Europe, the United States and around Australia. Next month would be the first time he would have performed in his home town with the show.
At the class yesterday he said he saw a lot of students who had been just starting out at Legs when he left. He said: ''It's nice to see them growing up a bit and enjoying it more.''
Legs director Michelle Heine said Tap Dogs along with shows such as Dancing with the Stars had helped increase the popularity of tap dancing, especially with boys.
She remembered Papa as someone ''who always had great showmanship''.
■ Tap Dogs will be at the Canberra Theatre on July 3 at 7.30pm; July 4 at 2pm and 7.30pm; July 5 at 7.30pm; July 6 at 7.30pm; July 7 at 2pm and 7.30pm and July 8 at 3pm. Bookings: 6275 2700.