On International Jazz Day, tap dancers pay tribute to jazz

For the past five years now International Jazz Day has been celebrated in Mumbai by TR Dance Company, touted to be among India's first tap dance and jazz repertories. The programme is curated by Louis Banks, and this year will be no exception. Among the artists that will be performing are Samantha Noella, Rajeev Raja, Vasundhra Vee and Karl Peters, to name a few.

The dance company team will be performing a classical jazz piece with influences of modern jazz. It's based on the 1959 hit, Take Five, a Jazz Standard composed by Paul Desmond. Co-founder, TRDC, Rahul D'Lima will be combining classical jazz dance with more contemporary lines and patterns in this routine that will be performed by seven dancers. "We chose classical jazz as our forte because we feel it needs to be brought to the fore of the Indian dance scene," says Tanushree Dhaundiyal , aritistic director TRDC.

The opening act is from the very popular American musical, 42nd Street. "Tap dance is where dance and music collide the best. Dancers become musicians and make the whole experience of watching them extremely engaging and exciting," says D'Lima.

Another highlight of the show will be the "Shim Sham" routine, performed by TRDCâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088members. "It's the go-to piece for all tap dancers - the anthem of tap dancing, if you will. Elaborating on the connection between tap dance and jazz, D'Lima says, "Jazz is an umbrella term that covers several dance forms. To begin with, jazz dance was nothing but tap dance on jazz music."

When: April 30, 7 PM
Where: Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point
Entry: Rs 300 to Rs 1,280
Log on to: www.bookmyshow.com

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