Sampling the 'Full Cycle' of global street rhythms

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Herbin "Tamango" Van Cayseele will bring his Urban Tap dance troupe to Paliku Theatre for a streetwise concert on Sunday. Photos by Jack Vartoogian

Urban Tap samples global dance styles and music, from tap and break-dancing to Brazilian capoeira.

Urban Tap "Full Cycle" dance concert 2 p.m. Sunday Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College $25 general, $20 students, military, seniors, UH faculty and staff 956-6878, 956-3836, www.outreach.hawaii.edu

"I was attracted to tap by the sound," said Tamango, the force behind the innovative dance troupe Urban Tap.

"Tap-dancing, hip-hop ... they've been around for a while," he said in a phone interview from his New York home. "When I first heard tap, I was 15 — but I started dancing much later. Frankly, I never thought about it as a career. It just happened."

His full name is Herbin "Tamango" Van Cayseele, a mouthful to be sure, and he's in Hawai'i for two performances of Urban Tap's "Full Cycle" — a concert last night at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theatre and a matinee performance Sunday at Windward Community College's Paliku Theatre.

"I do think what I do is very much part of my culture; I grew up in French Guiana and was familiar with the Amazon forests, a world that most (people) don't know exists," he said of his origins. "But where you're from influences what you do."

Tamango also lived in Paris in his formative years, with a father he didn't particularly like. He later was adopted by Baron Van Cayseele, and his mother provided emotional support. Thus, the dancer's perspective fuses personal and emotional asides with global influences and styles, coupled with his from-the-streets urban sensibilities.

He journeyed to New York, not because it was a wellspring for the arts or even the tap-tap-tap capital of the world, but because the group he was part of — the Over Excited — simply wanted new opportunities outside Europe. America being the land of opportunity, the combo arrived, though disbanded after six months — challenging Tamango to sustain a budding career. Jane Goldberg, an important figure in tap, provided him with valuable support — a place to sleep, a place to practice, and a slot in a group called Manhattan Tap.

In New York, he did a bit of busking in the streets and on the Staten Island ferry, sharing his tap, breakdancing and hip-hop with the curious. He preferred to tap the jazz club scene as his primary outlet to get work, get recognition.

And he persevered.

"What I do is not just having fun," Tamango said of his emergence on the arts scene. "Tap is something I've mastered. It's an art form you learn, you teach. It's like any art form; it's not necessarily easy or fun."

Urban Tap, formed in 1993, is highly improvisational. It's a mixed palate of emotions and movements from a rich explosion of dance forms, ranging from Brazilian capoeira to jazz, from street-smart hip-hop to breakdancing. Tamango's style injects African elements, Cuban influences, blues and swing rhythms — a virtual stew of dance.

Thus, Urban Tap thumps, bumps and romps to percussive rhythms fueled by such instruments as drums, cello, trumpet and even didjeridoo, reflecting its international sources.

It is an amalgamation of tapping feet, flouncing legs, swiveling hips and bouncing torsos, seemingly a montage of free-fall motion. Yet there's decisive virtuosity and raw artistry in what Tamango does.

It's culture of the pavements, transported into a theatrical realm, complete with add-ons like music and video. It plays somewhat like a nocturnal club rave, with freestyle riffs and seductive tempos, drawing in audiences in innovative exchanges.

"Urban Tap represents my vision of the world, and it's connected to one voice — mine. This art has no color, but it does speak a language. Some of us who work together don't speak the same language, but dance goes beyond words, so there's communication through the action. The challenge is to create this message."

Tamango declines to explain the origins or meaning of his chosen name but admits he had it as a child and resurrected it when Urban Tap started its evolution. Today, he continues to evolve as an artist.

His dances are personal and express his take on life but they are not purely defined, nor straightforward in presentation. In fact, since Urban Tap is highly spontaneous, "I can do 10 shows and no two will be alike," he said.

There are 10 to 12 members from diverse cultures in his company.

Earlier in his dance career, Tamango was an ensemble member in the Celtic sensation "Riverdance."

"It was an experience — a chapter in my journey," he said. "We all have to go through other shows to grow. It was a good experience, though I don't think 'Riverdance' shaped my opinion about dance. I also was in 'Cool Heat Urban Beat' (a percussion show not unlike 'Stomp') and toured Hawai'i. It was fun — hip-hopping around for four years."

He doesn't divulge or dwell on age — a matter of choice. "Age has no meaning in my understanding of life," he said. "The number always misleads; it's what we do and what we're able to do that's relevant."

While he continually strives to reach new audiences and share his artistry, he frowns on letting Urban Tap get overly commercial.

" 'Stomp' is a commercial success," he said. "I don't look at myself as commercial; that is not my philosophy of life. Sure, I play rooms that attract 2,000, 3,000 people. But I like to keep it simple. I don't like to follow someone's orders, and I have nothing against anyone who does a commercial show. Often, there is too much suffering when you become commercial; there are too many things involved, all political. So for me, I keep to what I truly believe. If I please myself, I feel I'm successful."

Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 525-8055.