On Nov. 14 and 15, Utah Valley University’s Rhythmic Tap Company (RTC) performed its showcase “Rhythm and Sound” in the Ragan Theater. RTC has been at UVU for five seasons, and it is a tap-dancing group on campus for UVU students only.
The showcase was not only performed by RTC, but also by four other guest tap companies from Utah. Those groups were the Salty Tap Co., Rhythm Nation Tap Dance Company, Foot Poetry Tap Dance Company and one of them was a solo performer and a previous RTC member, Chaeli Ashby.
The performance featured 25 different songs. Each song had different sets, costumes, and themes. The themes of the dances ranged from movies like “La La Land,” “Cars” and “Twilight” to a 1920s speakeasy and throwbacks to the 1970s. The costumes were provided by the Wasatch Arts Center, and you could feel yourself enter the setting of the dance with how well they were done. The costume designers were Lillian Sampson and Brinlee Gillman.
Overall, there were 25 songs performed by the different tap companies, solo performers and tap duets. The RTC director, Isabella Arnett, really outdid herself. There was a liberal amount of variety and talent to be found in the showcase.
The performance started off with a song performed by RTC and choreographed by Colleen West. It was a 70s-themed dance. The costumes were brightly colored, and they featured music by the Dire Straits, Pitbull and Mel & Kim. The performers seemed to have low energy in this dance, but as the night progressed, the tapping became better, more rhythmic and higher energy.
RTC alumni, Chaeli Ashby, stunned the audience with her solo tap routine to the song “I Need You.” Ashby studied tap and jazz in New York after performing at UVU. Although there was just one person on a large stage, she used all the space to her advantage. She had high energy and told a story through her rhythm, tapping and acting.
This performance also featured the use of other rhythmic tools besides the tapping. A few songs featured drumsticks, wooden benches and clapping. But this was best shown through the piece titled “The Category is…Rhythm.” No music was played for this piece; it was just the dancers clapping, snapping, stomping and tapping. You could feel the rhythm reverberate in the Ragen Theater.
A dancer who stood out in every performance was Lillian Sampson. She dances with RTC, choreographed a few dances, and helped with the costumes of the performance. Her stage presence was outstanding, and you could spot her every time she came on stage.
The performance ended how every tap showcase ends, with the “Shim Sham.” It’s a dance that everyone in the tap world knows. The entire audience was invited on the stage to dance, and nearly the whole audience went to perform with them.
RTC has more performances upcoming this semester and next semester. It would be a fun outing to go and see the RTC perform.
