Tap Dogs Review

by Bonnie Cameron

It’s hard to describe Tap Dogs. Telling my family about it after getting home from the show, the words I kept coming back to were “fun,” “impressive,” and most of all, “loud”! What with the six sets of reinforced, beefed-up tap shoes banging out beats on industrial materials like sheet metal, plus the two very talented drummers set into the back wall of the stage, you can feel the sound thumping in your chest stronger than a heartbeat. However, not every moment of the show is quite this loud-- there are a few quieter moments, and the show makes the most of them. There’s one number towards the beginning where, without a word of dialogue, we see the youngest member of the six-man group of characters learning from his mentor, with a back-and-forth dialogue of matching tap patterns that get more and more complicated as the number goes on. This number impressively manages to maintain the fun, high-energy attitude of the show while also being genuinely touching. Maybe my favorite number in the show featured only one dancer on a sheet of metal, using his taps in unique ways to make some really interesting sounds that I wouldn’t have expected, while the entire audience snapped along in rhythm. However, just because my delicate ears and I tend to prefer the quieter numbers doesn’t mean that the loud ones aren’t just as impressive. It’s absolutely riveting to watch these six men tap out incredibly complicated rhythms completely in sync with one another, moving their feet so fast it’s a wonder how they can keep their balance. Throughout the show, it’s obvious that these dancers are having the time of their lives, and it’s infectious! With a generous dose of comedy, an equal amount of sincerity, some incredible feats of choreography and prop work, and percussive music that’ll keep your toes tapping too, Tap Dogs is a real feat-- no pun intended.