Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Stomping Grounds

This week’s performance of Tap Dogs proves that people who land their dream job don’t always forget their climb up the ladder. That’s worked to Australian choreographer Dein Perry’s advantage, though. After attending a makeshift dance school in a steel town north of Sydney, Perry saw no show biz opportunities in sight, so he donned a hard hat to work as an industrial machinist for six years. Once he broke into theater, he used that time as inspiration for this construction-site-themed tap dance show. Six ultra-athletic dancers attired in work boots and flannel shirts create dynamic, syncopated beats while tapping on terrain ranging from wood to metal to water to ... sometimes even ceilings. Touted by Time Out as “the hottest show on legs,” Dogs may make it hard to resist tapping your toes in time.