REVIEW: Rhythmic Circus at the New Victory (through December 1)

Got a chance to see Rhythmic Circus, a rock and roll tap dance show from Minneapolis at the New Victory. They’ll be here through December 1, and this show is of the don’t miss variety.  In a word, the show was sensational.

The show, which was the hit of the Edinburgh Fringe in 2012, features a 7 piece rock band with brass players, 4 dancers who ooze effortless virtuosity, and a human beatbox, whose foley routines are amazing.  Every cast member is a virtuoso.

The show starts with high energy– the leader of the group enters on stage with frenetic energy, asking us if we are excited.  He clearly is.  From there, he tells a funny story about the day he lost the spring in his step, and how he tried to find it.  The rest of the show is full of the spring, and while it doesn’t really follow that storyline, the end of the show brings it back nicely.

One really nice thing is that although the show is high energy, it has a great pace, and is full of rhythmic changes, and tempo.  It’s easy when you are high energy to just go faster and faster and faster, and they avoid this trap, changing the tempo from fast to slow while keeping their energy high.

The band is great, and really rocks.  The band members also get into the dancing as well.  the keyboard player does a very funny high school chair routine with a couple of the other dancers that is breathtaking both in speed and complexity.

While the music and the musicians are wonderful (many of them work together in various bands in Minneapolis) , the real treat, of course are the dancers, who have collectively been choreographing and performing together since 2000 (although Rhythmic Circus didn’t officially start until 2007)  In the meantime they’ve opened for Savion Glover, toured throughout China and many other places, and have been consistently named Minneapolis’s best dance company.

Each of the dancers brings a different energy to the stage, but they all dance with such verve, commitment, and out and out fun that you’d have to not have a pulse to smile and have a great time.

You can check out a number of their videos on their website:

http://www.rhythmiccircus.com/sights_sounds.php

(or look below for a taste)

Don’t miss this show.  It’s a real treat!

Tickets for FEET DON’T FAIL ME NOW! at The New Victory Theater (209 West 42nd  Street) cost between $9 and $45.

Purchase tickets by phone at 646-223-3010. or online at  http://www.newvictory.org