Community And Her New Show ⁘The Remix'

Part of what Casel wants to transform is the expectation that tap dance should only entertain or only move "fast and funky." She wants more people to understand that the genre has always been sophisticated, with a depth of expression. "Historically, we have seen that in the beauty of a soft shoe. We have seen that in the showmanship of the Nicholas Brothers and the cool, classy style of Sammy Davis, Jr., and the funky authenticity of Gregory Hines."

The Remix , which Casel co-created with her wife and creative collaborator, Torya Beard , is rooted in history, but in a more recent period. It remixes highlights from Casel's two-decade repertoire while paying tribute to the music, movement and cultural spirit of the 1990s. The nineties are significant for Casel for two reasons: it was the time of the major tap renaissance in the U.S., brought on in large part by Savion Glover 's hit musical Bring in ⁘da Noise, Bring in ⁘da Funk (1995), and the beginning of her career as a tap dancer.

While attending NYU Tisch School of the Arts to study drama, Casel took her first tap class and experienced "the sheer joy of pretending that I was Ginger for a year." But it was when she met classmate Baakari Wilder ("a real tap dancer") that Casel saw what tap could do and be. She realized that tap was more than show tunes and movie musicals, that it had vast expressive possibilities. And it was when she first saw Bring in ⁘da Noise, Bring in ⁘da Funk at The Public Theater in 1995, that she understood that the history of tap came from her ancestors, rooted "in the souls and the feet of Black people," that this was something she, too, could do.

Casel devoted herself to this percussive art form that was rapidly changing before her eyes. She "showed up to everything and practiced like a maniac." She begged a construction worker for an extra 4⁘4 piece of wood and dragged it through Union Square and onto the 5 train so she could practice at home. She danced to the music she was listening to then, "as a young Black and Puerto Rican human woman in the Bronx"⁘mostly Hip Hop and R⁘B.

More details: See here