In the futuristic love story, The Terminator, Kyle passionately uttered, “I came back for you Sarah.”
Maybe I didn’t pass through time for L.A. tap dancer Sarah Reich, but I did go back to see a second of her Pittsburgh Dance Council performances at the Cabaret.
Why?
She was part of PDC’s out-of-the-box 50th season, one embracing alternative spaces. Sarah seemed suited for the 280-seat Cabaret (four performances), usually the site of Broadway stars and intimate dinner theater productions.
The California native brought a five-piece jazz combo — an elegant Drew Tucker on vibraphone, Claudens Louis’ soulful tenor sax, Bill Muter so heavy-duty on bass, Peter Vernado’s drums and Kevin Maddox styling on keyboard. (Loved their seductive rendition of Sting’s Roxanne.)
She listed herself as the leader. Aaallllright! Not just a dancer, but a musician, joined at the hip with the jazz. Now we all think of tap that way, given the African American origins of both art forms. But this perky, personality — a Tinker Bell who could be pictured with silver cleats on her little green slip-ons — had an impishly charming way of conducting the program and establishing the tempo.
The first night, however, held an unforeseen problem — it was hard to see the footwork from the middle of the space where our table was located, due to the low height of the stage. So it virtually became a music concert since it was difficult to see the various heel and toe techniques. Actually it was more like a lecture demonstration as she peppered the performance with history, including many influences that were more familiar in the Deep South and on the West Coast.
But I realized that the tap community may be on the brink of something akin to a growth spurt. Still, I was surprised that Reich didn’t mention L.A.’s Lynn Dalley and the Jazz Tap Ensemble, which actually played Pittsburgh in the ’80’s. Dalley once said that tap needed a critical mass at the bottom of its pyramid, in other words, a large base, to produce a better art form.
Maybe that day is here.
The second day PDC added another riser, which gave Reich more visibility, with more emphasis on the tap (thank you, PDC’s Randal Miller!). Her busy exchanges with the young talented teenager, Enrique Rosario (who performed in Dorrance’s well-received “Nutcracker” this past holiday) became like Snapchat exchanges, full of numerous bursts of speed and sound flourishes.
It could be said that Reich brought a West Coast vibe with her, an energetic physicality throughout, perhaps fueled by those larger-than-life Hollywood film performances like the Nicholas Brothers, Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers and the like.
This was tap with bling (like the rhinestones on Rosario’s shoes). They both leaned heavily into the audience, an amiable duo that worked hard to entertain. And the audience took it to heart, particularly on the second night, where they unleashed plenty of rhythmic candy.
However, there could have been more nuance along the way. And while the second night truly excited the crowd, the duo could have adjusted the tempos and offered more mixed meters and surprise silences. The various musical instruments surrounding them seemed to beckon more of the light and lyrical, something that Reich successfully approached in her encore of Over the Rainbow.
But underlying the program, Reich’s strength was original music from debut album, inspired by her tap rhythms. Great to see the dance lead the way and she just could do it, scatting and hoofing her way.
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