Had a great evening last night with the Ottawa Rhythm Initiative whose mandate is to develop tap dancers musically, through focus on improv, form, rhythm and working with live musicians. We’ve been talking for a while about collaborating, and last night I gave a workshop to their members, in the drumming and dancing of Kpanlogo. They have so much musicality and what they do with their feet is truly awesome so it was fun to see them apply those skills to hand drumming and African dance choreography, and really get their groove grounded. We ended the evening with a jam, some tapping and some playing instruments with me. They have been inspired by the wonderful Heather Cornell whose innovative work in music and tap is truly extraordinary. I had the pleasure of seeing her perform in Montreal last spring, and even took a tap workshop with her the next day, using a pair of borrowed shoes. I could hear and feel all the rhythms, but getting my feet to express them was a different story….planning to try again. Very lucky to have ORI here in Ottawa and I look forward to future collaborations.
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