THE BIG BAND TAP REVUE
Featuring
The Toronto Jazz Orchestra
Tap Dancers:
Stephanie Cadman | Ryan Foley | Travis Knights | Danny Nielsen | Allison Toffan
Sophia Perlman & Justin Bacchus, vocals
Choreography by Allison Toffan & special guest choreography Lisa La Touche
Directed by Ted Louis Levy
Produced by Allison Toffan, Josh Grossman & Soraya Peerbaye
Originally premiering to a sold-out house at Lula Lounge in December 2014, the Big Band Revue took the stage at The Brigantine Room at Harbourfront Centre in November 2015, once again to sold out crowds.
A co-creation between Toffan and Grossman, the Revue explores the intricate relationship between big band and tap dance. The show includes swing, pop and more contemporary sounds. Toffan’s rhythmic transcription of an Oscar Peterson solo is accompanied by Grossman’s melodic orchestration dispersed over the horn section in Bossa Beguine, and Transference’s orchestration is composed by Grossman, using Toffan’s original choreography as the starting point for the piece, amongst other innovative approaches within the show’s repertoire. Roles of musician and dancer are reversed, mingled, and celebrated through both modern and historical sounds. The show is guaranteed to dispel any preconceived notions attached to big band and tap.
“The work they put into building this collaboration shows. The dancers and the music are working together. They are part of a whole. I didn’t feel like the music was backing the dancers, I felt like the dancers were part of the music.”
- Mooney on Theatre
The Big Band Tap Revue gives thanks and graciously recognizes the support of the following organizations: