Event details

• Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
• Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive, KU campus, Lawrence
• Cost: $23
• Age limit: 46+

The Lied Center of Kansas and Capitol Federal Savings presents Dein Perry’s TAP DOGS, a Broadway show designed and directed by Nigel Triffit—Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. Created by two-time Olivier Award-winning choreographer Dein Perry, with a construction site-like set by eclectic designer/director Nigel Triffit and a driving score by composer Andrew Wilkie, TAP DOGS is rocking theatrical entertainment. Part theatre, part dance, part rock concert—TAP DOGS reinvents tap. The show’s performers are six athletic dancers who create mesmerizing rhythms, stomping and taping to vibrant music. TAP DOGS features choreography inspired by the sights and sounds of the industrial heartland of Australia. Dressed like factory workers, the dancers wear faded jeans, flannel shirts and Blundstone boots. Dein Perry, creator and choreographer of TAP DOGS, learned how to dance in Newcastle—a steel town north of Sydney, Australia. At the age of 17, with no professional dance opportunities in sight, Perry worked as an industrial machinist for six years. He then moved to Sydney to pursue dance. After performing small chorus parts in Broadway-style musicals, Perry was cast in the long-running Sydney production of 42nd Street. When it closed, Perry decided to create a show inspired by his factory experiences, featuring his dance friends from Newcastle. With a small government grant and Perry’s old friends—who had also taken up various “real” jobs—he formed Tap Brothers, an early incarnation of TAP DOGS. Perry then choreographed the West End musical Hot Shoe Shuffle, which brought the group to London, England and earned Perry an Olivier Award in 1995. TAP DOGS made its world premiere at the Sydney Theatre Festival in January 1995 and was an instant hit. The company played packed houses at Sadler’s Wells in London, return tours of Australia and a West End engagement (that led to Perry’s second consecutive Olivier Award for choreography). TAP DOGS made its North American debut at Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival in August 1996 and then went on a limited North American tour before an off-Broadway engagement in 1997. There Perry earned a Drama Desk nomination for best choreography and an Obie Award. TAP DOGS was featured in the movie Bootmen, directed by Perry, inspired by his TAP DOGS experiences. Since its debut, TAP DOGS has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, Australia, the Far East and South Africa, and participated in the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Adult $46 Children $23 KU Student $23