By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on May 25, 2019
FORGET everything you thought you knew about tap dancing.
That’s the main message from creative director and cast member Jordan Pollard, who described his current work, The Tap Pack as full of “percussion, jokes, the greatest swing songs and being ridiculous most of the time”.
The modern twist on a tap dancing show will storm the Albany Entertainment Centre stage on July 2 and promises to keep audiences tapping their toes and singing along the whole night.
“This is old school cool from the new kings of swing,” Pollard said.
“There’s a lot of creativity and joy in this show and it’s really exciting.
“It’s completely different from the tap dancing we used to see in black and white movies.”
The Tap Pack was the brainchild of Pollard and fellow writers Jesse Rasmussen, Thomas J Egan and Nigel Turner Carroll five years ago.
The current cast consists of Pollard, Egan, Sean Mulligan and Tom Struik, who have each made a name for themselves in productions such as Westside Story, Singin’ in the Rain, The Boy From Oz and Jersey Boys.
Pollard’s love for tap started well before his professional career kicked off.
“My mum was a dance teacher, so I got put into tap when I was about five years old,” he said.
“And I stuck with it until the end of school, when I did my first professional production, Guys and Dolls.
“I just fell in love with tap and I have a real passion for it, but I didn’t realise it until I first entered the professional realm.”
It was upon working in professional productions that Pollard met his future The Tap Pack co-stars.
“We really wanted to create something with a lot of tap dancing,” he said.
“We had the idea of tap with music from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, because they were massive icons for us.
“So, we combined a bit of these worlds and realised the glue of it all was us and being Australian, so we bring that larrikinism to the show.”
The Tap Pack has been touring for the past five years and Pollard said it has been going from strength-to-strength.
“It’s great entertainment, first and foremost,” he said.
“We’re forcing our way ahead which is really exciting.
“The show has been evolving over the past five years and we’re always trying new things.”
Pollard revealed the most asked question he and the ensemble often received was related to their fitness.
“People always wonder how we keep so fit,” he laughed.
“Because tap is a weird mix of cardio and short, sharp movements; it’s micro moving.
“It can be really strenuous but I would never say it’s a chore; it’s fantastic.”
Described as a mix of “slick humour, high energy entertainment and world class tap dance”, The Tap Pack will feature music from Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr, to Michael Buble, Ed Sheeran and Beyonce.
Tickets to the family friendly show are on sale now via the entertainment centre’s website and box office.
