The Rhythm Project

media release: Southern Spain, Africa, Ireland, and the antebellum American South – what do all these regions have in common?

They’re all places that gave birth to unique forms of percussive dance – dances where the dancers make sounds as well as shapes with their bodies.

See and hear all these forms in action with The Rhythm Project, a new interdisciplinary production featuring Irish dance, body percussion, Flamenco, and rhythm tap – plus live music.

A production of TNW Ensemble Theater, The Rhythm Project will run for three performances only in Promenade Hall in Madison’s Overture Center for the Arts on Friday, November 7 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, November 8, at 3 pm, and Sunday, November 9 at 3 pm.

The Rhythm Project features a diverse array of Madison’s finest percussive dancers and musicians, with a recorded narration providing historical context and wry observations about these dance forms.

The performers are Katherine Kramer, tap dancer and choreographer; Sean Frenzel, tap dancer; Tania Tandias, Flamenco dancer; Omari Carter, body percussion; James Zavos, Irish dancer; Leah Reinardy, melodica, piano, and percussion; and Laurie Lang, upright bass.

With each of these artists showcasing their forms, The Rhythm Project highlights the surprising similarities and intriguing differences between different styles of percussive dance. Combinations are key in dance of all kinds, and in The Rhythm Project, they show how keeping the beat brings people together.

Tickets are $30, plus Overture’s fees, and can be purchased online, in person, or by phone through the Overture Center Box Office, at 608.258.4141. Contact TNW Ensemble Theater at info@tnwensembletheater.org or 608.770.0826 for more information.

The Rhythm Project is made possible, in part, by support from the Great Performance Fund of the Madison Community Foundation; the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts; the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation; the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation; the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board; the Neil Allen Peckett Memorial Fund; and RoseDot.