By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Using sounds of small metal plates on a dancer's shoes touching the hard floor, tap dancing has developed into a unique technique gracing various shows and musicals.
But tap can be an independent artistic performance featuring the dance itself, beyond a mere supportive role.
Titled ``Tappers,'' the Korean tap dance performance, the first of its kind created by a Korean artist, will premier at Sangmyung Art Hall in Daehangno on Wednesday.
The show will feature the nation's top tappers. Veteran tap dancer Chung Sung-hwa is in charge of choregraphy and composer Kim Joo-hyun will show off his powerful and rhythmic scores.
Tap performances are gaining popularity as a separate genre around the world as in ``Stomp'' which premiered in Britain in 1991 and ``Tap Dogs'' which premeired in Australia in 1995.
The tap dance performance is nonverbal mixed with hip hop, magic and mime, utilizing strong beats.
``Tap dances have been performed as part of gimmicks used in various performances and films. But this show will feature the tap dance itself leading the context of the show,'' Chung said.
``Its juxtaposition of movement and sound is the attraction of the tap dance performance. I hope the show captures the eyes and ears of Korean audiences first and then debuts on the world stage later,'' Chung said.
The story revolves around an episode involving five workers on the construction site of a clothing shop one day before the shop's opening. This lively, rhythmic tapping makes the performer not just a dancer, but also a percussionist.
The performance will run through June 10. Tickets cost from 15,000 to 20,000 won. For mor information, call (02) 762-9190.