Tap Dogs stomp into town

Photo provided to Shanghai Star

The Tap Dogs show will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. It has changed and evolved through the past two decades, says Sheldon, the lead dancer on the China tour. "We have tried different things, and whatever technology becomes available, we integrate it into the show," he says.

Over time, Tap Dogs has grown from a simple cabaret-style dance show to a dance theater spectacle seen by 12 million people. It has been performed in 330 cities in 37 countries around the world.

Tap Dogs features six male dancers and two female musicians on stage, a relatively humble lineup compared to the spectacle of other dance phenomena such as Riverdance from Ireland.

But Tap Dogs impresses audiences with the masculine charm of their performers, their workmen's strength and power, and of course, the superb dancing.

Although it takes years and even decades of disciplined training to become a good tap dancer, these performers make the dancing look effortless, with a natural flow of movements.

Six dancers each feature a distinctive personality. The team is lead by the Foreman, who is accompanied by rat, the "funky" one, the enforcer and the apprentice.