Publication: The List (Issue 582)

Date: 9 August 2007

Tap dance with a Latin twist

Tap Olé’s simple coupling of lively, rhythmic hoofing to classical guitar and hand clapping injects tap dance with a sexy, contemporary, feel.

In this Spanish dance, the click of the castanets is replaced by a percussive whirr created by the dancers’ intricate steps. The dancers flap, shuffle and buffalo their way through a variety of moods – melancholic, sensual, dramatic – while throwing the iconic shapes normally associated with flamenco. Guillem Alonso’s sand dance alone conjures up a rattlesnake’s tail, a steam train, a beat boxing set.

There’s a lovely, playful rapport between Alonso and fellow dancer, Roser Font, and all four performers are given the opportunity to demonstrate their solo virtuosity at various stages in the show. But the best moments arrive when the quartet performs as one precision unit in this enchanting, exuberant show. (Allan Radcliffe)

C Chambers Street, 0845 260 1234, until 27 Aug (not 15, 22), 5.15pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£7.50–£9.50).