Tap Dogs | 3.5/5

SINGAPORE — “Tap” probably suggests a lighter dance routine — but creator and choreographer Dein Perry’s Tap Dogs is definitely a show about just how tough male dancers can be.

Australia’s award-winning heavy-footed hit sees a crew of six t-shirt-and-jeans clad tap dancers performing high-energy dance numbers with a construction set as backdrop. The crew danced upside down, on ladders, 45 degree angled ramps and in a water-filled trough. You name it, they did it, and the audience lapped it all up.

As if dancing upside down was not dangerous enough, steel grinders were unleashed on the stage as part of the sparks effects that go with the dance routine. The use of everyday items as props was rather impressive — basketballs, construction gear and ropes — and helped display the performers’ athletic prowess.

Apart from all the testosterone-laden stamping and sweating, you’ve also got a bit of the feminine touch here — musician Lyndsay Evans played the drums, amplifying the music alongside the blinding spotlights as everything came together in the finale.

Speaking of which, the culmination of dancers splashing water with their feet was electrifying but slightly soggy for those sitting in the front row, particularly this writer. Be warned.

Ultimately, Tap Dogs strikes the right notes for those looking for something more, erm, virile in their dance shows. Or those who simply would like to see muscle-bound men stamping their feet.

Tap Dogs runs until June 1, various times, MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands. Tickets from S$65 at SISTIC.