The Vancouver Tap Dance Society

The TapCo Story

TapCo gets hot by keeping the flame and passing the torch.

Visiting the Vancouver Tap Dance Society demonstrates how the future of a beloved art form is in the safe hands and award-winning feet of local youth.

To see them perform is to be truly inspired. Not only by the sheer excitement of very good tap dancing. But also because of what they have acquired directly from masters of the art form and the passion they have for passing that on.

TapCo is a youth performance ensemble of the Vancouver Tap Dance Society and an outreach program that stages show-stopping performances and in-demand classes to hundreds of enthusiastic and highly attentive young people every year at schools, Children’s Festivals and other venues.

It’s a big success and a bit of a phenomenon, that’s growing in leaps and bounds.

To really understand why, all you have to do is hang out with the young dancers where they hang out and work out, at the headquarters of the Vancouver Tap Dance Society – one of the premiere organizations of its kind - on East Hastings Street, a place that has always been a dance studio, but a mere shadow of what it has grown into.

Parents chat in the waiting room over the unmistakable sound of tap dancing by every level of dancer, from those who recently learned to walk, to the elderly, rediscovering the joy of years gone by.

The air is also punctuated by the shouts of encouragement from instructor Mika Komatsu, friendly but demanding, a cheerleader, mentor and a dancer on a mission.

Inside one of two brightly lit, mirror-lined rooms, wood floors worn by generations, she kept an eye on her charges, while reporting: “I think of modern tap as a movement which includes a responsibility for passing on the greatest work from the past, as well as developing its unlimited future.”

A visit to the stripped down but comfy VTDS studio is special when TapCo is in the house, working up a sweat. When a brief time out is called for an interview it becomes immediately obvious that the commitment and dedication are non-stop. The young, talented members of the troupe consider themselves to be like family and a very privileged one at that.

“Alright!” said Amanda Buckingham “I'm 19 and I've been tap dancing for 12 years, after watching a class and saying to my mom: ‘I want to do that!’”

“I’ve never stopped. Tap is great because you can do it whenever, and wherever you are. I guess I'm always practicing different steps, waiting for the bus, or all through school under my desk. I'm at the studio at least five days a week, working and practicing.

“I feel so blessed to be able to perform with Tap Co,” Buckingham continued. “We go through ups and downs together and being onstage with some of your best friends is fabulous, the best thing in the world.”

“I wanted to dance so bad that I used to hammer bottle caps to the bottom of shoes,” said 12 year-old Sophie Warren. “In comparison other things like soccer and karate didn't interest me.”

“Being able to dance here definitely makes me feel lucky,” said 14 year-old Alexandra Clancy, who has been strapping on dance shoes, 15 hours a week for six years now.

“I started after a show in Disneyland, when I was called up as a volunteer from the audience and experienced how it felt to be on stage,” she recalled. “I began to take classes and eventually found a home here at VTDS.

“The teachers are amazing and so is learning about the different masters of tap, especially from them directly. The history of tap is sooo important, knowledge is shared freely with lots of opportunities to pass some of it on,” Clancy added.

Sixteen year-old Sasha Hodgson is a senior in TapCo. She has been dancing for 12 years, following in the footsteps of her older sister.

“I joined TapCo the first year it was formed, in 2001, and can’t really imagine my life without it right now,” she said. “I’m at the studio about 10 hours a week, and even though it’s hard work and I may sometimes not be in the mood, I know as soon as I get here the fun will begin.

“We are a close knit group, having a blast, especially performing and every one of us knows that we are privileged to have so many opportunities,” Hodgson continued. “The butterflies I used to get in my stomach have been replaced by confidence and a rush of adrenalin.

“The feeling is unexplainable; we’re sharing secrets we have learned from the masters,” she added. “Very few dance studios have routines laid down to perform and I’m grateful for learning to communicate with the others on stage and to grow as a group.”

Clancy said: “Although its fun and going on the road is like being on holiday with friends, we all know when it is time to work, to concentrate and be focused.

Dario Stewart-Imbert remembered: “Ten years ago my mom kinda just threw me into tap because I loved moving my feet all the time and I was a very energetic kid.

”I get the odd snicker about being a tap dancer and some people want me to break out into some jig of some sort,” he continued. “They kinda’ blow it off because they think tap dancing is just moving your feet around really quickly. But the truth is, it's a lot harder than it looks.”

“Most people don’t know there are so many styles or that you can tap to all kinds of music,” said Clancy. “Everyone is different and shows their own personality by learning to actually speak with their feet.

“That may be why it is always fun to watch tap, because it is so unique on an individual and group level,” she continued. “When you are performing with other people and interacting with them and the audience, it’s great to see the surprised looks on all the faces, especially young people your own age.”

”I practice daily, including in the halls, when I’m playing on the computer at my desk or doing homework,” added Warren. “Tap is sort of addictive, once you start you don’t want to stop, especially when you are constantly being shown new tricks and old traditions.

“It's really important to make sure that tap and the story of how it came to be are never lost,” she said.

Clea Arrieta started at age three. “I was a very emotional child who threw many tantrums and my parents thought the only way to fix that was to take a break from all my swimming, piano, skating, and dance classes.

“Once I got hold of my crying fits, I picked my priorities and dance was my first choice, ballet, jazz, and hip hop,” Arriet reported. “Then in grade one I enrolled in a one-week tap camp and I was hooked.

“I love being able to create different sounds with my feet, just by brushing or stamping in a different way,” she continued. “I think I especially enjoy tap because it is something I can do day to day, while walking, or sitting in the classroom.

“The first few classes were probably the scariest I’ve ever had, being separated and divided into ‘seniors’ and the ‘newbies,’ but as the weeks went by, we got to know each other.

“My favorite part is performing with the group and the big, loud applause puts smiles on our faces,” said Arrieta. “That’s when you know you have changed peoples’ stereotypes, shown them that tap is much more than a man such as Fred Astaire, wearing a suit and tap dancing as if he were a butterfly.

“Most of the masters I work with know how to dance gracefully, but there are many that also know how to ‘get down,’” she added. “We are so lucky to be inspired by people who have lived their lives through tap dancing. They’ve shown me there is so much more I can learn and achieve.”

Buckingham quoted one of the many masters that TapCo has worked with: Boston based Dianne "Lady Di" Walker, who says there is a difference between a person who tap dances and a ‘Tap Dancer.’

“Through working with the greats, we are not only learning their routines and studying their history, but also earning the right to call ourselves ‘Tap Dancers’,” she explained

”Tap could become a lost art form, but by doing all of this we can help preserve it,” Bucking ham added. “We are part of a small community of really amazing people who are helping tap dancing continue to grow.”

Back to work, Mika Komatsu ordered. Then she turned and added another dimension to the wide appeal and success of TapCo. “This is about much more than showing off. You have to take responsibility for yourself and the group, to be respectful and supportive while learning with others who share a mutual interest and passion.

“At VDTS in general, and in TapCo, in particular, we encourage people to give their best while also acquiring tools for living and for growing as human beings,” she concluded.