Tapestry Dance Company to Debut April Fools Show on April Fools' Weekend

By Rob Faubion, Austin On Stage

In the midst of Asian travels and consulting for the People’s Republic of China’s new nation-wide tap dance training system, Tapestry Dance Company’s Artistic Director Acia Gray has crafted a new and classic tap dance piece celebrating the American art form as seen on stage and screen.  

The vaudeville-style work April Fools –with special guest Datri Bean and The Butter Bean Band - will debut on March 30th through April 1st at Rollins Studio Theatre at The Long Center.

Gray said the new show "runs the gamut of tongue in cheek relevance to current events to breath taking tap dance choreography."  Following several years of rapid expansion - and funding support by the Texas Commission on the Arts and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts Tapestry Dance Company is now home to seven resident artists, an annual tap dance festival, educational outreach programs and a pre-professional and adult training facility sharing the unique training syllabus of co-founders Gray and Deirdre Strand.

Tapestry Dance Company toured their National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpiece production of The Souls of Our Feet - A Celebration of American Tap Dance in China for five weeks this past fall.  The organization is now working on developing new works and restaged classics for a return to China in October 2012.

“We just haven’t slowed down in the last couple of seasons,” said Gray of the busy schedule. “To keep our work relative and fresh in the local as well as international dance community, maintaining our organization and training facility here in Austin as well as ‘spreadin’ rhythm around’ China – it’s been non-stop.”

In addition, Ms. Gray has also been asked to help develop a Chinese training system and syllabus of American tap dance for use in China’s dance training system. Meetings have been underway during the last two years and the beginning stages of development began this past fall.

Performances of April Fools will run Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.  Tickets are $35 for general admission and $17.50 for students.

Rollins Studio Theatre is located on the ground floor of The Long Center at 701 West Riverside Drive, at the corner of Riverside and South 1st Street.  For tickets and more information, call (512) 474-LONG (5664) or visit TheLongCenter.org.

(Image courtesy Tapestry Dance Company)
Tapestry Dance Company to Debut April Fools Show on April Fools' Weekend