Tip Top Tap

When asked to picture a dance company, the first image that comes to mind is most likely pointe shoes and pink tutus, but the world of dance continues to evolve. Pushed forward by dancers and choreographers such as Alvin Ailey and Alonzo King and companies such as MOMIX, dance is on the cusp of becoming mainstream. Dorrance Dance will surely help propel the art form into the 21^st century. Their performance  of ETM: Double Down in Omaha this week was nothing less than spectacular. With a unique style supported by not only instruments but vocals as well, Dorrance Dance is irresistible.

Founded in 2011 by Michelle Dorrance, Dorrance Dance is a tap dance company based out of New York. With casual, non-matching dress, drums, piano and a stand up bass, Dorrance Dance is unlike any other dance company. Tap is the most percussive of dance styles so their use of drums is natural. They also utilize original tap “instruments” designed by Nicholas Van Young. These instruments are hard to describe. Programming allows the sounds emitted to range from melodic to percussive so that when a foot hits the board you never know what sounds might come out. Sort of a modern day piano pad. Robert Loggia and Tom Hanks would have fit right in.

This practically goes without saying, but the dancers are incredibly talented. Their legs have got to be strong enough to crush cans – and not a soda can but a good, solid can of green beans. There are times when the auditory clues make it clear that the dancers are moving their feet but it is so fast that it is nearly impossible to follow the movements with the eye. The dancers make it look easy but the opposite is true. Even during quieter, slower passages, the choreography pulses with energy. It is hard to fathom the amount of mental and physical effort it must take to recall and perform all of the different steps and combinations.

All this to say, even if you usually find it hard to connect with dance as an art form, Dorrance Dance will change your mind.

Check it out:

The Kitch Lit Series: Sweet and Sour

What a mighty break it has been since our last installment in the Kitch Lit series. Turns out that perhaps absence really does make the heart grow fonder. My first foray back into the genre, Robin Sloan’s Sourdough, took me by surprise, delightfully so. 

Simply stated, Sourdough is the story of robotics programmer Lois Clary who, after moving to San Francisco for a new job, learns the art of baking sourdough bread. 

The city of San Francisco is in for quite a challenge in trying to win over Lois, a Michigan native. Mostly, it doesn't. But how could it? Her job at General Dexterity requires long hours - employees are known to sleep at the office – and, in turn, her social circle is limited to her coworkers who eat together at the Slurry table in the cafeteria. Slurry is the Soylent Green-esque food product meant to sustain life without the hassle – or enjoyment – of cooking and eating. 

When Lois discovers Clement Street Soup and Sourdough, a most likely illegal restaurant operation run by two immigrant brothers, and her world opens up. Her order of spicy soup heals her weary soul and earn her repeated orders earn her the title of Number One Eater. When the brothers face imminent deportation, Lois, not entirely understanding her own motivation, agrees to keep their sourdough starter alive. As Lois begins to master caring for the often rebellious starter and transforming it into delicious bread she simultaneously begins a journey of self discovery.

That story may sound like, well, not much. And, before reading the first couple of chapters, I would have perhaps thought the same thing. The story lacks almost all of the usual narrative tropes that overrun the bookshelves. No romantic entanglements, family drama or treacly enlightenment. A simple, charming story unfolding enjoyably is in and of itself a treat. In Sloan’s hands, the story is elevated with a simple grace. His prose is superlative: descriptive without being too wordy, expressive without veering into the overly dramatic. Rather delightful. 

Reading Sourdough reminded me of the shear joy of reading J. Ryan Stradal’s Kitchens of the Great Midwest. I went in with no preconceived notions and was rewarded with a story and writing that took me places I did not expect – as simple as those places may be. The kicker here is that I don’t like sourdough. But for a slice of Lois’ bread I would be willing to give it another chance.