International Dancers Mix Their Traditions Into American Tap
by CLAUDIA LA ROCCO for the New York Times

So is European tap — in festivals, arts centers like Barcelona and, more humbly, in eastern cities like Prague, where for decades Communist pressure hindered access to Western culture. Like tap itself — born in early America of many disparate traditions — the art of 21st-century European tap dancers reflects a world in which old and new are constantly blending, and fracturing. Whether it is a young Finnish dancer like Jussi Lindroos experimenting with Nordic folk culture, or a Russian dancer using tap to push the boundaries of circus acts, international artists are aggressively mixing their own traditions into an American form.

published: July 7, 2006