A man loses himself on a quest for an idea.
It leads him to question what is important to his happiness.
The man’s story is told through tap dancing, jazz music, comedy and athleticism during the upcoming show Love.Be.Best.Free created by tap dancer and choreographer Danny Nielsen.
“It’s more he kind of falls in love with an idea. He falls in love with a lifestyle other than his own,” said Nielsen, adding that the story is about what the man goes through to attain that ideal lifestyle and what he loses in his quest to capture it.
Nielsen said he took inspiration from his friends and his own personal experiences. He said sometimes in life there are temptations. People wonder what it would be like to have an easier time in life financially or in other ways.
The show features tap artists Connor Denison, Tosh Sutherland, Johnathan Morin and Ryan Foley. A jazz ensemble also accompanies the show consisting of vocalist Andrea Superstein, pianist Dean Thiessen, bassist Michael Rush and trumpet player Bonnie James Dio.
Nielsen said the singer takes on the role of the “temptress of greed.”
The temptress spurs on the man to continue his quest even as he starts to give up pieces of himself.
The show also has some quirky, funny moments, said Nielsen.
Nielsen is a founding member of MADD Rhythms Canada and has performed across Canada, in Germany, Switzerland, Brazile, Mexico and the United States.
What drew Neilsen to tap dancing was the ability to communicate through the art form.
“It’s such an individual art form,” said Nielsen. “It was what you were speaking with your tap shoes and what your tone was. What your style was.”
He said it didn’t matter what your body shape was, every tap dancer he saw had their own individual story to tell and style.
Nielsen started learning tap when he was about eight years old. His first instructor was Gail Scott. When he got older he studied with Greg Farkas, who told him to watch some of the older tap dancers.
“I watched them and knew that is what I wanted to do,” said Nielsen.
Nielsen is currently working on the show Telemetry created by Shay Kuebler, which will be performed in Vancouver and Montreal in the spring.
Love.Be.Best.Free, presented in Nanaimo by Crimson Coast Dance Society, shows Sunday (Feb. 19) at 7:30 p.m. at the Port Theatre.
Tickets are $27 available in advance by calling 250-754-8550 or visit www.porttheatre.com.
For more information about Nielsen, please visit https://danonielsen.wordpress.com.
arts@nanaimobulletin.com
