A company of young tap-dance talents brings the work of two top choreographers to the stage of Two River Theater this Sunday, with the Syn•Co•Pate production of ‘Sights and Sounds.’
The interval between mainstage seasons at Red Bank’s Two River Theater has seldom been one of rest, and this one’s no exception. Witness the annual occurrence of the Crossing Borders Festival (about which more to come here on redbankgreen), the Summer Jazz Café slate that calls closing time this weekend.
This Sunday evening, Two River continues its industrious ways when choreographers Nick Dinicolangelo and Emily Shoemaker bring ‘Sights and Sounds’ to the Bridge Avenue venue.
Performed by a cast of young tap dancers (and their mentors) from around the country, it’s a shrouded-in-mystery show that promises “its own unique twist, one that will naturally invite curiosity and interest, as well as skepticism.”
The student dancers of Dinicolangelo’s Hands Down Tap Project take the stage for the 7 p.m. event, joined by faculty from the choreographer’s Syn•co•pate summer company, members of Shoemaker’s “Sole Symphony” project, and some hinted-at special guests. Also on tap are a multimedia element to the staging, and “an unconventional narrative approach” that’s been a hallmark of the partnership’s collaborations in past seasons.
The air of mystery doesn’t end there, with the project that until recently was known only by the inscrutable title “To Be Determined.” As the creators acknowledge in their production notes, “we are requesting that you take a leap of faith and trust what we are going to present. Every year is a new creative adventure and this is surely our most adventurous show to date. In some ways, we’re not even entirely sure what it will be yet, but we invite you to come discover it with us.
“Over the past five years, we’ve told stories about long distance relationships and the rippling impact of everyday choices,” the producers continue. “We’ve taken a trip back in time to a bygone era, and shared nostalgic anecdotes about the Jersey Shore, but this year’s show cannot be summed up into a single sentence. It’s literally everything that we couldn’t do before but all at once. What form that ultimately takes is to be determined.”
Tickets for the July 30 performance are $25 each, and can be reserved right here.
