What three words could be used to describe Stories – The Tap Dance Sensation? Smoke, silhouettes and suspense come to mind, with the lasting impression of the show being one of the many dramatic, back-lit moments where the 10-piece cast, identical grey coats flying with each move, are silhouetted dramatically against a smoky haze. With a continuous sequence of perfectly executed dance numbers (accompanied by, one must admit, slightly less sensational music), the dance itself rises above the plot and music, sometimes quite literally, in this bold new show.
Stories is structured around a perpetual cat-and-mouse chase between Icarus, the successful yet vulnerable newbie in showbizz, and his controlling director, who surreptitiously begins to appear off-set in Icarus’s personal life too, stalking street corners and casinos in an attempt to hunt him down and control his every move.
The show begins with a number whose vocals repetitively intone: ‘Each day we get the job, we get the job done,’ to a backdrop of piles of papers in an editorial office. From this modest beginning and a relentless 9-5 existence, Icarus suitably rises to reach his dream of becoming a successful actor. But, in a tragic turn of events, his fame seemingly turns against him, and he loses almost everything, all whilst in debt to the very man who has turned his life upside down.
The plot is dramatic – it’s not subtle or nuanced, but neither is it meant to be, as it pays homage to musical theatre and relies unashamedly on melodrama, essentially functioning as a framework for the dance and emotions to shine through, as some of its confusing details are lost on the audience. Despite the slightly distracting lyrics of the music, expressed in the incongruously slow form of spoken word, the dance is contagiously high in energy and the cast seem to be brim with endless enthusiasm.
In some of the sequences, more traditional moments of tap-dancing pay tribute to the historical precedents of the genre, with the traditionally recognizable toe-tapping rhythm providing the pace for the looming drama to unfold. Predominantly, however, the show explores tap alongside urban jazz and synthesises dance genres, spoken word and percussion to shake up the audience’s expectations and assumptions about tap dance. Romain Rachline Borgeaud, the writer, composer, director, choreographer and producer of the show (clearly adept at wearing multiple creative hats) has described his process as follows, explaining that everything starts with the story:
“Writing a scenario, a piece of music or movement requires me to be in very different states of mind, but when I work I always see creation as a whole. When I write music, I think about movement and when I get into the dance studio, I often make immediate changes on the score.”
Romain began life as a tap-dancer as a kid after falling in love with Gene Kelly’s style. After love affairs with Jazz and ballet, the latter of which he considered making his career, Romain says that:
“Life led me back to musical theatre and tap dance.”
Testing tap’s capacity for expressing heavier emotions was part of Romain’s mission for the show, with Stories formulated with the intention, Romain says:
“Of bringing tap dance to a more modern, heavy place.’ Romain continues: ‘Tap dance is often used as a light, happy way to dance, but I think it also makes a lot of sense when it tells extreme, dark emotions, anger and despair.”
Romain set up the RB Dance Company in 2018 to fill a gap in the dance scene in France and give contemporary tap a new platform. Explaining that he intended to bridge generations and translate tap into a contemporary language, he says that:
“It was important for me to pay tribute to traditional musical theatre, but on the other hand, I want to bring that tradition to younger generations in a way that makes sense to them. One of my goals is to get kids to realize that tap dance is great and that it does not belong to the past. This allows generations to come together and appreciate the show from very different perspectives.”
Written by Lucy Evans
Stories: The Tap Dance Sensation is at Peacock Theatre from 30th October until 2nd November 2024.
Featured Image: ©Aline Gérard
Tickets and information: Stories – The Tap Dance Sensation – Peacock Theatre
