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Edinburgh Evening News,
UK - Aug 23, 2006
STUNNING PIECE, SPECTACULAR
DANCE!
Warp-speed tap is a top-notch
spectacle.
By Martin Lenon
SPEED isn't everything. Not in this
show. It was all about maintaining levels of artistry
regardless of speed. Then again, James Devine
doesn't half dance at a ferocious rate of knots.
Measured at a record-breaking 38
taps per second, Devine could probably give Clark
Kent a run for his money at going super speed,
but that wasn't the point. Or at least it was
only part of it.
The lights in the venue went down
and the tap, tap, tap of Devine could be heard
approaching the stage. Once there, tiny cameras
dotted around the venue focused on his feet and
fed a large video monitor behind him. Unaccompanied,
he performed a brief stunning piece, lit only
from above, a greeting to the audience.
For the next hour, the Tapeire trio
treated the audience to some of the most spectacular
dance and musical performance they're likely to
have witnessed.
The show was segmented, punctuated
with brief video documentaries examining the history
of Irish dance, introducing the themes for each
section. In response to one of the videos, Devine,
obeying the rules to the letter, danced flawlessly
on a 12-inch square platform, to the delight of
the roaring crowd.
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