Michelle Dorrance is revolutionizing tap dance, and the world is watching. Dorrance stomps and slides across the floor with movements that are experimental, loose, romantic and everything in between. She breaks the rules of what many expect tap dance to look like, and reinforces that tap dancing is first and foremost about making music.
But despite being an innovator, Dorrance grounds her work in a deep history of the art form: from African-derived dances to the enduring styles of tap dance greats like Gregory Hines and Savion Glover.
Dorrance joins host Frank Stasio for a conversation about her training and dance company Dorrance Dance. She performs with her company at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill on Monday, Nov. 12 and Tuesday, Nov. 13. They will be Asheville's Diana Wortham Theatre for performances on Thursday, Nov. 15 and Friday, Nov. 16.