Rosie Radiator’s Xtremetap Revolutionizes the Tap Dance Experience
The taps on tap shoes are responsible for amplifying sounds, but at Rosie Radiator’s new Soundancing Xtremetap Workshop held at the Royce Gallery in the Mission district of San Francisco, you don’t need tap shoes. The Royce Gallery, owned by Peter Royce, hosts art exhibits, performing arts, musical groups, private parties and Xtremetap Workshops.
Upon entering the Royce Gallery, visitors see a stage and 30 16 in. circles placed around the gallery. The circles are called Miditap musical sound sensors, and each can be programmed to play a variety of sounds. A sensor can activate the sound of drums, strings, brass or any other part of an orchestra. Non-musical sounds can also be programmed into the sensors, such as water, birds, nature and the percussion sound of different woods like maple, oak and cherry. New sounds are constantly being added. The entire magical Miditap stage is wired for the sensors.
“Vibration pick-up is different from a microphone,” Radiator explains. “Metal, masonite, Plexiglas and Formica are better conductors than wood and produce crisp sounds. Wood is dense and not a good surface to do this with, as it absorbs and mutes the vibration. The Miditap vibrations travel over the entire stage and in the 30 individual circles. Most dancers enjoy making new sounds as an effortless, musical experience; the music becomes almost accidental. You don’t have to say any words.”
All ages enjoy the experience. “Small children just go crazy and roll around while older people enjoy the natural production of sound,” Radiator says. “They may be barefoot or wear socks or shoes. Bare feet are so exciting and people break through to discover their inner music and discover a new relationship with their feet.”
For trained dancers, using the Miditap stage lets them explore their musicality and takes them beyond anything they have ever done before. For the untrained person, the stage is a natural, easy door to open for a new experience. Students tend to be more adventurous and believe in themselves. “They are not doing routines. Some of them are so proud they sometimes cry from the joy of the experience,” Radiator exclaims. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Radiator believes that the effect of the stage on most dancers unlocks their passion for improvisation. “Either trained or untrained dancers are amazed by the sounds and they lose any sense of self-consciousness,” Radiator says. “They go into their own world of music. I have to tell them to stop or take a break. Often they don’t realize how tired they are getting. Recently, a grandmother and daughter were soon trading eights. It has nothing to do with steps or combinations.”
This is Radiator’s seventh Miditap dance floor installation. Her interest in electronics began in the ‘70s when her dance act, Rosie and the Radiators, was often performed during halftime at basketball games. She had to figure out a way to produce sound in a gym. She purchased metal stop signs that were about 4 sq.ft. and installed a pickup on the edge and sometimes slightly underneath. The performers in her act danced with tap shoes. They glued carpet squares underneath the signs so there was no damage to the gym floors. A small wire lead connected to the amplifier, helping them produce great sound with metal hitting metal. The development of electronic MIDI music has allowed Radiator to extend the range of all tap dancers and now to even non-dancers.
Rosie and members of the Rad Tap Team
“My only interest is sharing,” Radiator states. “If anyone wants this technology, I will share if they call (415) 621-8277.” Her studio, The San Francisco Tap Dance Center, located at 540 Alabama in the Mission district of San Francisco, sits just above the Royce Gallery. You have to phone to pre-schedule an appointment, as Radiator does not take walk-in clients. Parties are held at times listed on the website, www.Xtremetap.com, where people can simply enjoy the experience or schedule groups themselves. The Royce Gallery, which is located at 2901 Mariposa Street, can seat about 100 people. It opened May 25, 2006, on National Tap Dance Day with one of America’s greatest living tap dance treasures, the amazing Arthur Duncan, as the headliner.
Dance schools often bring their entire classes to a workshop, so that instead of memorizing a routine, the students can explore their own musicality and improvisational skills. Dance schools love this; it does not compete with what they are doing and helps students discover their own style. The kids often call it “tap candy.”
The Miditap floor will also be featured in a new musical called “Last Night at Playland” by Bob Lisone and will include the sounds of bumper cars triggered by the dancers on stage.
Radiator became known in San Francisco for her long distance tap dancing, which occurred on the Golden Gate Bridge on Labor Day in 1976. She proclaimed it the first ever “Tap Dance Day.” Her long distance tap dance soon became a Guinness world record, and Radiator and her tap teams have continued setting numerous records since. Currently, they hold the world record for long distance unison tap dancing, traveling a total of 9.6 miles. The rules require a minimum of 10 dancers who perform a choreographed dance in unison. The event often occurs along different routes throughout San Francisco to celebrate National Tap Dance Day.
Radiator created Rad Tap, a unique approach to teaching and learning tap dancing based on deep relaxation. She also offers her Rad Tap program at the innovative Next Step Dance Studio in Dannville, CA, located east of San Francisco. For more information, visit the website at www.radtap.com.
All tap dancers should make a call to Radiator before visiting San Francisco, and dance teachers should plan a class project from their dancing schools. Xtremetap is a new, important and exciting tap experience for all to enjoy.