A Click, here…and a clack, there…
It’s like baroque with a hint of percussion. Yet the percussive elements are hardly distracting. Rather, they’re enticing. It’s almost as if J.S. Bach could have written his iconic Goldberg Variations in this way.
“Counterpoint” is pianist Conrad Tao and tap dancer Caleb Teicher’s debut as a duo show. The hour-long program premiered on October 23, pre-recorded and presented on YouTube as a recital for the Library of Congress. Through a compilation of composed and improvised pieces, ranging from Bach to Schoenberg, impressionism and jazz, the tap dancer and pianist joined forces as an opportunity to share ideas through music and dance, and ultimately find the space, “in between.”
From the beginning, Tao and Teicher are interconnected and present, feeling one line of energy across opposite sides of the room.
Teicher is dressed like the classic image of a “Broadway boy,” wearing overalls, a white short sleeved shirt, and red crew socks. He matches the energy of the music adding quirky twists, flailing arms, sometimes purposefully hobbling over, while at other times acting a little too carefully as if tip-toeing through a quiet room he’s not supposed to be in.
Tao, on the other hand, hovers over his instrument like a circling hawk. He closes his eyes, allowing the vibrations of the sound to resonate through his body, and navigates the keys with bold confidence. He matches the sophisticated elegance of Bach brilliantly. Then, during an improvisation, he stands up and plucks the strings of the piano, alternating the detached sounds with magical ripples of the black and white keys. He creates a musical atmosphere for Teicher, providing him the space for rhythmic experimentation.
During “Cherokee,” a piece by Ray Noble in the style of Art Tatum, Tao’s hands fly across the keyboard with rapid jazzy runs. Teicher adds some hand clapping to the texture, while grooving along to the beat. He swings his hands up and down, side to side, he executes a turn, the music builds then—
Silence.
Tao sits back, while Teicher continues to tap, in solitude.
As soon as Teicher finishes, he explains—it’s a dance created by two tap dancers, Charles “Honi” Coles and Brenda Bufalino. Teicher continues to talk as he taps and snaps to his own beat.
“Tap dance is relatively limited tonally,” he says. Ra-tat-tat. “But in that limitation, in that space in between, I hear a song, and I hear my imagination, and I fill in the blanks.”
Then he dances the piece again. But this time, asking the audience to imagine what fills the space in between—the music.
The second time is a completely different experience. Teicher is no longer tapping in silence, but to the song you’re singing inside your head.
“I’ll be singing a song in my head and maybe, you’ll be singing one in yours.”
When Tao plays the piano by himself, it’s the same effect. When he begins Brahms “Intermezzo” Op.116 No.4, it’s haunting and beautiful. And enough. But when they come together, the synergy makes even more sense. They’re both filling in the blanks for each other.
The performance culminates in an intimate rendition of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Teicher faces the piano and responds to Tao as if they’re speaking to one another. They project the intensity of big city life, with sounds of the rushing metro and honking cars in traffic jams. But above all, the beauty of striving for big dreams, through Teicher’s openness of motion and Tao’s noble gestures. The number is theatrical and grand, but at the same time, it’s powerfully intimate.
The performance ends just like it began, coming in full circle back to the heavenly Aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Teicher and Tao allow each other’s art to breathe in one space. They don’t overdo it, or become the star of the show, they simply complement. They simply listen to one another, using silence as an opportunity for the birth of an idea to emerge. And throughout, they’re always innovating.
Experiencing a performance through YouTube is hardly ideal, but Tao and Teicher made this experience as intimate, visually, and sound enriched as it could be, even when the only thing separating them from the audience is a screen.
I hope to see the performance in a live space someday. Until then, my mind will just have to fill in the blanks.
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You can watch the full performance on the Library of Congress YouTube channel.
Follow Conrad Tao and Caleb Teicher to keep up with both artists on Instagram.