About THE TAPSATIONS
July 2010
The Tapsations! are a senior women’s tap dancing troupe established in 2002. These 3 enthusiastic ladies share a true passion for tap dancing, skillfully performing over 150 original tap routines with precision and style. Rich Foti performs as the shows’ soloist and Master of Ceremonies.
This dynamic team, based in Lewes, Delaware, entertains audiences at Service Organizations, Local Events and Retirement Communities as well as at charitable benefit appearances, performing in over 50 shows each year.
They practice 4 -5 hours each week, rehearsing at local senior centers and in a dance studio.
Their upbeat 60-minute programs consist of 5 - 6 exciting tap dances, colorful costumes, original choreography, humor, and favorite songs including audience participation.
They have a variety of program themes which include a “Country Western Show”
, “50’s Sock Hop”
, “Love Songs”
, “Favorites From The Decades”
, “Happy Days Are Here Again”
, “Summer at the Beach”
, “Patriotic - Stars & Stripes”
, “St. Patrick’s”
, “Halloween”
and “Christmas Holiday”
shows.
Josie, Joyce, Sharon and Rich dedicate their time and energy to entertain and inspire others and their enthusiasm shines brighter than the sequins on their costumes. The ladies have adopted the motto, “You don’t stop Tap Dancing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop Tap Dancing”.
As we enter the entertainment area, some of the residents have finished their lunch and they have already made their way into the room. Some of their eyes are closed, some seem unaware of our presence and a few watch us set up.
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During the time we are setting up, Rich plays pre-show music, usually pertaining to our show’s theme. On one particular occasion, we had just received some CD’s of John Sidney’s and Rich decided to play the Sing-Along CD instead of our usual pre-show material. He immediately noticed that the residents seemed to “come alive”. They began to sing with the music, others were clapping their hands, others were toe-tapping, and others were keeping time with their canes. As we were performing the show, we all noticed the transformation in the residents – they seemed more alert, jovial and upbeat. From that show on, the John Sidney “Sing-Along CD” became our standard pre-show CD and his music works every time.
This experience encouraged Rich to use many of John Sidney’s piano songs for his background arrangements. He now sings a combination of Big Band songs, Rat Pack standards, and John Sidney’s beloved songs from the past.
While Rich is setting up the sound system, the girls are busy organising and changing into their costumes:
Some of the resident’s favorites include John Sidney’s piano arrangements of:
"Cruising Down The River", "Baby Face", "Shine On Harvest Moon", "I'm In The Mood For Love" and "April Showers". Often the facility staff stands in the back of the room to watch the show and some even sing and dance to the music. The residents especially love when Rich walks around to the ladies using his cordless microphone and sings to John Sidney's "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "Love Letters In The Sand".
During our “Patriotic Stars & Stripes” Program, a crowd favorite is always when the Tapsations dance with skimmer hats to John Sidney’s rendition of “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.”
Another favorite is John’s version of “The Entertainer” where the ladies wear costumes of black and white, complete with piano key designed top hats and suspenders.
Before every song and dance, Rich keeps the audience involved by asking trivia questions pertaining to the next song.
During our “Summer at the Beach” program, Rich announced “Here’s an old song written in England in 1907 – it’s called “Beside the Seaside”.
After he finished singing to John Sidney’s arrangement, a resident exclaimed that she was from London and she hadn’t heard that song since she was a little girl.
One day while we were setting up for the show, Sharon stopped to speak to a lady sitting in the hallway. I asked her if she was coming to our show. She kept her head down and just shook her head "no". I knelt down to speak with her and asked her how long she had lived in this beautiful home. She sadly stated "I just moved in yesterday". I said, "We are going to sing and dance for you and all of the people who live here in your home at 2:00 PM today. Maybe you’d like to come and see us." She didn’t answer me. After the show started and we were dancing our first dance, I looked out and saw her sitting in the front row, smiling from ear to ear. After the show, I took her hand and she said to me, "I am so happy you asked me to come to the show. I really enjoyed it and I feel a lot better now".
We always conclude our shows
with everyone singing and swaying to “Let There Be Peace On Earth” and then before we tear down the equipment and change our costumes, we walk out into the group of residents and hold their hands and speak with them one-on-one.
It is this time that is the most rewarding for us. The residents really open up and talk to us and are so appreciative. We visit a lot of the facilities 5 or 6 times a year and we know a lot of them by name. Some tell us how wonderful we are and some have tears in their eyes and ask us if we can come back again tomorrow. Of all the shows we perform, the shows at the retirement communities are the most gratifying.
