Michelle Dorrance reveals the truth behind her artistry and her critically-acclaimed work ETM: Double Down.
Dorrance describes it as: “experimental, emotional, and exhilarating. . . . When you are in the midst of it, it’s totally mind-blowing.” “It’s always exciting when an artist moves into new territory in such a groundbreaking way,” comments Brown.
By Jamie McCrary
It’s been a long road for Dorrance, who was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2015, from her childhood in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to the toast of the tap world.
Michelle Dorrance (center) and her company of dancers in ETM: Double Down
Movement isn’t what defines Michelle Dorrance’s artistry. Music is. Music’s pulse and emotional pull is what inspires her. It’s the foundation of her choreography—the fuel that propels her work. “Music is truly at the root of everything I create,” she says. Dorrance, founder of Dorrance Dance, a company dedicated to advancing modern tap dance, cultivates the same passion in her dancers. She empowers them to be dancers and musicians at the same time. “They’re architects of an artistic experience,” she says, “that’s just as much about music as it is about tap dance.” This belief is at the core of her most ambitious projects, including 2013’s The Blues Project featuring musicians Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely, and her newest work, ETM: Double Down. The name ETM, which stands for “electronic tap music,” is a nod to electronic dance music
(EDM). The piece, which Dorrance Dance performs at Strathmore on Friday, March 2, explores music and dance’s interdependent relationship. Audiences embark on a journey through what Dorrance calls “emotional narratives,” unraveled through layered choreography and musical composition.
She toured with Medler’s Youth Tap Ensemble for a decade, performing throughout North Carolina, the United States, and internationally. She credits Medler with giving her the foundation she needed to launch her career. “I am the dancer I am today because of him,” she says. As her life as a dancer developed, so did her passion for choreography. For Dorrance, it was a natural progression—a love that emerged from her life as a performer. “Tap dance is rooted in improvisation, so there’s an element of on-the-spot choreography that’s constantly happening when you’re dancing,” she explains.
Dorrance hopes to help shape and educate the next generation of tap dancers, empowering them to produce fresh, innovative work. “I want to be the best dancer-musician I can be, so I can honor this art form and inspire others,” she says. Dorrance’s ultimate goal is to encourage young dancers and musicians. “Watching others grow is an incredibly rewarding experience,” she says, one that inspires her to keep dancing. “There is nothing more exhilarating than seeing someone push themselves past what they thought was possible. . . . The future of tap dance is incredibly bright—the form is so dynamic. As long as we continue to educate and share generously, the possibilities are endless.”
DORRANCE DANCE ETM: DOUBLE DOWN Fri, March 2, 8pm MUSIC CENTER TICKETS $35–$80
Matthew Murphy
Matthew Murphy
Dorrance started dancing as soon as she could walk, studying at her mother’s dance school in Chapel Hill. It was there that she met and studied with Gene Medler, tap dancing guru and founder of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble, whom Dorrance describes as a “master educator.”
Needing an outlet to generate new work, Dorrance Dance was founded in 2011 to “honor tap dance’s history by upholding traditional form while pushing its boundaries.” In addition to teaching people about tap dance’s history and about all the possibilities it holds as an art form, Dorrance’s plan is to continue shaping the role of dancer-musician through future works. Dorrance endeavors to synthesize both art forms into one, offering audiences a resonant experience that pushes the boundaries of artistry.
Christopher Duggan
RHYTHM & SOLE
and percussionists, determining the music’s rhythm and flow. A touch of a foot on the tap boards triggers a sound or switches a recorded sample on or off. The composition is looped and mixed with hip-hop, adding an additional creative edge.
“Strathmore was conceived as a space for music, so one of our goals is presenting dance that incorporates a live music component,” says Joi Brown, Strathmore’s artistic director. “Dorrance Dance does all this and more.” For ETM: Double Down, Dorrance collaborated with her longtime friend, company member, and lead member of STOMP for nine years, Nicholas Van Young. Using original electronic tap boards created by Van Young, the score is not danced to, but rather danced by the company. With the electronic tap boards, similar to drum pads, spread across the stage for dancers’ feet, the performers become both dancers
A dancer’s foot taps on Van Young’s electronic tap boards.
By using electronic tap boards, dancers don’t just dance to, but create the score for ETM: Double Down.
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