Kadansé Part of the American Express Movers and Shakers Series and See Hear Series
March 16, 2005
Urban Tap's Tamango
The Kadansé performance is the fourth in the American Express Movers and Shakers series. The remaining performance in the series features Philadanco from May 5-8. The family matinee performance is part of the See Hear series, which features the integration of technology and traditional performance art.
Tickets for Tamango’s Urban Tap Kadansé April 7-9 are $30 and $45. Tickets for Tamango’s Urban Tap family matinee on April 9 are $15 and $20. Tickets for all Tamango’s Urban Tap performances can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.kimmelcenter.org.
Tamango is a French Guiana-born dancer, musician and painter whose revolutionary approach to tap transforms his dance into music with a sharpened sense of style and awe-inspiring fluidity. He began tap dancing at the American Center in Paris before moving to New York City and creating Urban Tap in 1993. The original concept behind the group was to join together like-minded and free-style performers who share a unique vision and deep passion for rhythm at the heart of dance and music. The show made its theatrical debut in 1999, earning a New York Dance and Performance Award before beginning a mostly sold-out U.S. tour that earned them rave reviews. Between 1997 and 2000, Tamango and Urban Tap performed internationally as part of Cool Urban Beat, which Tamango choreographed and co-directed with Rennie Harris. Following hugely successful international tours from 2002-2004, this year marks the beginning of Urban Tap’s latest evolution, Kadansé. With staggering Vodou rhythms and the explosive sounds of Haitian drums piercing through the air, Kadansé represents Urban Tap’s continued experimentation with tap and world dance, music, video and art in a show that demystifies the world of Vodou. The translation of this Haitian kreyol (creole) word, "Kadansé," is "can dance," and is the latest collaborative work of Tamango, and Gaston Jean-Baptiste, also known as Bonga.
Kadansé features some of the most dynamic performers from around the world intermingling cultures and creative styles under Tamango’s direction. West African, Haitian, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban dancer Belinda Becker has been performing professionally for fifteen years, including stints in "Roots of Brazil" and "(Under) Cover Girls" before joining Urban Tap in 2000. "Naj" Jean De Boysson received a grant from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs before coming to New York City in 1986, and has made a variety of video works as a director, cameraman and editor while also collaborating with Tamango on Urban Tap projects since 1998. Jay Collins is an in-demand jazz musician who fronts his own group, The Jay Collins Band, and whose resume includes work with a diverse array of accomplished artists. Vado Diomande, a member of several dance companies, is a master of the regional dances and drumming traditions of the Ivory Coast and West Africa, and was a dancer, performer and choreographer for the National Ballet of the Ivory Coast for fifteen years. "Bonga" Gaston Jean-Baptiste has been at the forefront of Racine (roots) music since its beginnings in the late 1970s, and is a ceremonial drummer, studio musician, accompanist and educator. "Tiga" James Jean-Baptiste has mastered the Haitian drum through training with his father, Bonga, and attends the New York City Public Repertory Company and studies trumpet with Harlem’s Jazzmobile. Klod Kiavue is a Guadeloupean native and appears on saxophonist David Murray’s album of collaborations of a gwo-ka ensemble, featuring Kiavue playing the ka drum as a lead instrument. David Overcamp is a lighting designer for experimental dance, and recently participated in two Philadelphia projects: Merian Soto’s Duets at the Wilma Theater’s Danceboom Festival, and Soto’s La Maquina del Tiempo at Temple University’s Conwell Dance Theater.
The Dance Insider says that Tamango’s Urban Tap is "original and decidedly uncategorizable... a moment to be indelibly remembered." The New York Times describes Tamango as having "astonishing elegance and virtuosity, a blend of swaying curved form, lightning speed and skimming floor rhythms... one is tempted too call him the best dancer of any kind around."
Tickets for Tamango’s Urban Tap Kadansé range from $30 to $45, and tickets for Tamango’s Urban Tap family matinee range from $15 to $20. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30pm for evening performances and 11:30am for matinees.
Sponsors of the 2004-2005 Kimmel Center Presents season include Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Bank of America, Sovereign Bank, Wachovia Foundation, The American Express Company, Verizon Foundation, Bucks County Coffee, and SEPTA, the Commuter’s Choice. Special Student Matinees at the Kimmel Center are generously supported by Merck & Co., Inc. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte and Southern Wine and Spirit.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS
American Express Movers and Shakers Series/See Hear Series
Thursday-Saturday, April 7-9, 7:30pm
Family Beat Series
Saturday, April 9, 11am
Perelman Theater
Tamango, artistic director, tap, didjeridoo, drums, vocals
Belinda Becker, African and Freestyle Dance
"Naj" Jean De Boysson, Visual Design, VJ
Jay Collins, saxophone, flute, vocals
Vado Diomande, West African Dance
"Bonga" Gaston Jean-Baptiste, Haitian percussion, vocals, dance
"Tiga" James Jean-Baptiste, Haitian percussion, woodwinds, dance
Klod Kiavue, percussions and chant
David Overcamp, Lighting and Production Supervisor
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