I've had these tap shoes for about 6 or 7 years. I danced a little in them a while ago along to live drumming. The percussionist was encouraging me to get some sensors to attach to my shoes somehow, to trigger samples from my synthesizers ( I have a keyboard and a Handsonic electronic percussion unit.) I've been visualizing myself tapping in my performances and I recently got my platform out of storage, where it had been since all my studio moves last year.
So it was very synchronistic when my good friend Akiba Abaka invited me to attend a preview performance of 2 shows: Daniel Beaty's Emergency and Maurice Hines' Tappin' Through Life! this past Tuesday. It was amazing! Maurice is STILL tapping at almost 70 years old and he brought out his proteges, the Manzari brothers, WOW!!!! I'm looking forward to seeing the whole show when they come back to Boston in the spring.
So, with all that inspiration within me, I set up my platform in the basement, pulled on my shoes and had myself a tappin' fun time!
P.S. if anyone in the Boston area has a clean (we go shoeless in my house) scrap piece of carpet about
36 inches by 40 inches minimum, for me to put the platform on to protect my beautiful hardwood floors, please let me know, thanks!
