Combining various dance styles such as tap, capoeira and an improvisational group of musicians; the critically acclaimed Urban Tap Company and its star Herbin “Tamango” Van Cayseele thrilled the crowd at the Wexner Center’s Mershon Auditorium last Saturday evening. It was the group’s Columbus debut.
The auditorium, at 1871 N. High St., was darkened as a lone figure appeared on the stage and opened the show by pacing slowly down the aisles playing a drum.
The massive projection screen behind the stage came to life and showed billowing clouds of smoke as the other members of the group crept onto the stage. The band began to quietly filter music in through the silence.
The lights came on as the music stopped. Tamango, a tap prodigy originally from French Guinea, entered the center stage and blew the crowd away with his incredible tap dancing skills.
His unique freelance style with the sound of his shoes filled the vast silence, creating a music of their own. He fed off the increasing cheers from the crowd, before they quieted.
The projection screen showed a close up image of Tamango’s feet moving at an unbelievable speed.
The instrumentalists started to jam, as Tamango approached the microphone.
“Welcome to the belly of the world,” said Tamango after introducing himself to the crowd. He danced up and down the stairs, which led to the stage, instantly wowing the crowd with more cheers from the audience.
The other dancers in Urban Tap’s Caravan came onto the stage, each performing a 10 to 15 minute solo interspersed by more performances from Tamango.
Sheila Anozier, Cabello, and Eiju Kawasaki each brought a radically different style of dance to the show.
The Brazilian known only as Cabello, a capoeira dancer who rivaled Tamango in both skill and flair, was easily the most spectacular of the three. He began the show playing with the band, before surprising everyone by standing up and taking off his jacket.
Performing like a break dancer, Cabello amazed all with his acrobatic leaping and tumbling. He was able to suspend himself by possessing incredible body control at impossible angles, holding his entire body up in the air with one hand. Spinning around in a circles eventually only his head touched the ground.
Kawasaki, originally from Japan, and Anozier were both very good, but they could not match the abilities or performances of Tamango or Cabello.
The other standout performance came from a member of the band. Trumpet player Fabio Morgera delivered a beautiful solo half way through the show.
It was incredible, considering Morgera, born in Italy, lost his left hand in an accident at the age of three.
Even with these performances, the star of the show was still Tamango. Whether he was dancing, playing a digery-do or urging the crowd to sing along with him. Tamango showed a variety of musical and artistic skills, few can match.
He seemed to give everyone some of the vast energy he commanded. He celebrated his desire for unity through his joy of dance.
Tamango summed up these feelings with his final words to the audience.
“We are one, from the same planet, from the same universe,” he said while receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
The whole ensemble gathered on the stage and danced as the crowd clapped to the beat of the music.
This collaboration of incredible and exotic talents has been together since 1999. Urban Tap’s Caravan is currently on tour and will be performing all over America until next May.
