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Edinburgh Festivals Magazine, UK - Summer 2006
TIP FOR TAP
James Devine is shaking off the Vegas element of his Irish dance past and bringing a raw, passionate show to Edinburgh. Prepare to be dazzled.
By Kelly Apter

He has danced throughout the world, performed at the Oscars and is the current Guinnes World Record holder for the most taps per second. But now it's time for James Devine to go back to basics. Having ridden the wave that brought Irish dance to prominence in recent years, the 29 year-old Clareman wants to swap spectacle for substance.

On the day we meet, Devine is hard at work rehearsing Tapeire. Jumping on stage he starts to move - slowly at first, then building to a crescendo that will have jaws dropping.

Dance, you see, is quite literally in Devine's blood. Chatting to a scientist after his successful world record attempt in 1998, Devine discovered that 38 taps per second isn't humanly possible. Except, of course, he did it. The answer lies in his feet. Although the central nervous system can't send a message that fast, his muscles know the drill so well, they do the job for him. "It's my subconscious mind that's working," he explains. "The human eye or ear can't see or hear it, but science has the measure of it."

For Devine the world record has been a blessing and a curse. It's great publicity - dancing faster than Michael Flatley never hurt anyone. But for Devine, it goes much deeper than how quickly you can pound a floor. "That's the first thing that some people are attracted to," he says. "And while I'm glad I have it, sometimes it detracts from what I am trying to say. They want speed, but that's only one facet of my dance style. There has to be more otherwise you're just a gimmick rather than an artist."

Which is where Tapeire comes in. A three-man show "driven by rhythm", Devine's Fringe debut is a far cry from his early performance days. Having toured the world with Lord of the Dance and Gaelforce - two big-budget Irish dance shows - he is keen to prove his mettle in more intimate surroundings. Joing Devine on stage will be Cape Breton Fiddler Ashley MacIsaac and Edinburgh-based percussionist Dave Boyd. "Ashley is an amazing musician," says Devine. "I've performed with many fiddle players but I've never heard anybody play with such a rhythmic, attacking style. And Dave is a very talented multi-percussionist who plays about 20 instruments. So I'm taking out the vegas style which is in Irish dance at the moment - I don't want clutter on stage; just sheer, raw talent.

Although Devine's background is in Irish dance - he had won three world championships three times by the age of 16 - tap dancing entered the frame in his early 20s. Performing in New York with Lord of the Dance, he was wandering through Broadway on his night off looking for a show. "I saw one called Noise/Funk and it blew me away," he explains. "Up until then my perception of tap dancing was pretty old schoo, that it was still in the jazz era with no street edge."

Making friends with a dancer from the show, the two men were soon "trading rhythms" and Devine found his aptitude for Irish dance was easily transportable to tap.

Tapeire takes the twin worlds of Irish dance and tap and blends them into one dynamic form. Exploring the history of Irish dance from a modern perspective, it travels from the early sean-nos culture, through Ireland's 17th-century "dancing masters" to 1980s compettitions and modern shows with a "freestyle" ending during which the men see where their hands and feet take them. "The show is a fusion of the improviational skills of tap with percussive Irish dance rhythms," says Devine. "I don't like putting labels on things - for me making rhythm is making rhythm, whether you're being a percussionist with your hands or using your feet."

A trained web designer, Devine is also incorporating a video element to the show. Tiny cameras dotted around the stag, including one trained on his hurricane feet, will relay images in real time to a large screen. For Devine, the term "live" really means live - unlike most of the large-scale Irish dance shows, which are performed to pre-recorded taps. "I got very frustrated with Lord of the Dancebecause it didn't really matter what I did with my feet because it was all recorded.," he says.

"So everything in Tapeire is live, and I'll have mics placed under the arch of my shoes, next to the heel to pick up the tap sounds. I would never dance to tape because because part of being an artist is being consistent - to be able to go out there every night and hit those beats."

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