DATE: February 27, 2008
CONTACT:
Lillian Harder, (864) 656-3043
harderl@clemson.edu
WRITER:
Glenn Hare, (864) 656-1478
ghare@clemson.edu
'Tap Kids' takes tap to new heights
CLEMSON — “Tap Kids,” a tap dancing stage celebration of American youth culture, will appear at Clemson University’s Brooks Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 25.
“The show promises to be a night filled with dazzling choreography and high-energy tap dancing,” said Brooks Center Director Lillian Harder.
In a series of musical vignettes, “Tap Kids” loosely traces a day in the life of high school seniors, including a career-day assembly, gym, detention, the senior dance and finally graduation. The idea for the show was born several years ago during the “Tap Kids” summer intensive training camp, which teaches tap techniques to students ages 9 to 21. Struck by the energy and talent of the dancers, show founders Lisa Hopkins and Philip David Stern began trying out ideas for a national touring show. The pair chose school as the setting since it was common to their students.
“The show touches on the universal theme of growing older,” Harder said. “We’ve all faced the uncertainty of leaving high school and taking on the responsibilities of adulthood. It’s an important time of life that ‘Tap Kids’ treats with humor and poignancy, as well as dynamic dancing and music. This is a show that everyone can relate to, especially high school students and their parents.”
Launched five years ago, “Tap Kids” has been successful across the country and abroad. The show has twice toured Mexico and was featured at a royal gala for the Queen of Holland in Amsterdam. The show made its national television debut during the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in 2005.
“The show takes tap dance—a traditional dance form—to new heights in an exciting performance that is hip, contemporary and uplifting,” Harder said.
Tickets for “Tap Kids” are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets and information are available at www.clemson.edu/Brooks or by calling the box office at (864) 656-7787 from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
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