DANCE REVIEW : Jazz Group Rewards Tap Fans at Ford

The substantial number of bundled-up tap lovers who braved a cool evening and the threat of rain to attend Saturday night’s performance of Lynn Dally’s Los Angeles-based Jazz Tap Ensemble at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre were rewarded by clearing skies and an eclectic, ingratiating display of virtuosic tapping.

Accompanied by a quartet of onstage jazz musicians, the four Ensemble dancers--Lynn Dally, Sam Weber, Derick Grant and Lanie Manning--used the somewhat cramped remaining space to present a program that included, among its 11 company pieces, Weber’s elegantly tapped rendition of the third movement of Bach’s “Italian” Concerto, and “Tribute,” a series of film-inspired tap vignettes.

With the exception of Dally, who in contrast to the finesse of her companions sometimes looked cumbersome, the dancers--Grant, with his wide arm swings, Manning lithe and quick, and Weber cool and balletic--were not only superbly skilled, but were able to convey that skill in ways that accentuated the wonderful dichotomy between the percussiveness of the dancers’ feet and the fluidity of their movements.

Despite, however, the dancers’ talents and occasional bursts of exuberance, there was a laconic quality to much of the Ensemble’s work (both dancers and band) that didn’t come into focus until a pre-intermission guest appearance by a lesser-known local troupe, the Steps Ahead Tap Trio.

Dressed identically in blue suits, these three young men--Mark Mendonca, Michael Rainey and Fred “C. B.” Moritel--leaped onto the stage and, unaccompanied, proceeded to hoof up a storm (to choreography by Mendonca) while carrying on boisterous verbal interactions with both the audience and each other. It was fun, and gave the proceedings a blast of energy that made the Jazz Ensemble seem a bit remote and predictable.