A feat of feet and heart as tap dancers of all ages find community in annual show

A whirlwind of energetic tapping feet and the chords of a spunky live band brought the O'Shaughnessy Center to life last weekend as Whitefish’s youth tap ensemble put on their summer show for the 20th year. 

While the center’s stage is no stranger to exceptional talent, Feat x Feet’s one-night-only “Tap Live” is special because since 2005, it has connected old and new students alike.  

Every year, some of the choreography remains the same, allowing first-timers and alumni to come together in the summer and slip back into familiar moves and memories.  

This year’s show included 32 dancers ranging in age from 7 to 25. 

Whitefish High School sophomore Vivian Trieweiler, 15, has been dancing since she was 4 1/2, and said that every year, she dances with new people. 

Owen Meador, 22, is a fifth-year music student at the University of Montana and returning alum who’s been along for the ride since nearly the beginning.  

“The kids change,” Meador reflected. “People graduate and leave and come back, but there’s always a tap community that is created. I never danced with Vivian before, but now I can come and do the same dances that she does.” 

In addition to dancing since he was 5, Meador has directed the band for the last three years, helping to reinstate live music to the show after a brief Covid hiatus.  

The five-piece jazz band is called “Connor Racicot and His Little Guys” and includes fellow UM music majors, graduates and even a professor, all good friends of Meador’s.  

For Meador, music is his niche, and it is the element of the show that truly makes it live. Personally, “Tap Live” puts everything together for him.  

“So many things that I practiced for dance help me with music, and now vice versa. It all connects,” he said. 

ONE OF the show’s tried-and-true numbers is “Tape Down Under,” an a capella piece taught to Feat x Feet students back in 1999 by guest instructor Tim Awl from Australia. 

“It remains a challenging piece of our repertoire that includes advanced dancers and alumni,” said Ashley Smith, who founded Feat x Feet in 1997.  

There are new dances that are choreographed each year as well.  

One of the fresh dances the ensemble learned during rehearsals last week - which won’t see a live performance until January - is a fascinating optical illusion, the students said. 

“Bold black suits, in black light – with white gloves – you only see certain things,” Trieweiler said. “I’m looking forward to it.”  

Another newer number is a “playground vibe,” she said. “Everyone’s wearing kid's clothes... It’s fun. Each number tells a story.”  

Leading the way for the week-long intensive camp and festival is Smith and tap professional Derick K. Grant, who has flown in from New York City every year since 2007 to teach, inspire, and tell stories in the numbers.  

“It’s really cool to work with him [Grant] because he has so much knowledge, about everything from tap dancing to the arts and the industry,” Trieweiler said.  

Meador agreed that he is an exceptional educator and dancer.  

“He keeps everyone engaged and excited to learn about tap dance – it’s a skill in of itself. But then when you watch him dance, it’s an experience. There’s very few people in the world that can do what he does.  

“I met him when I was 6 years old, and now I get to play behind him. It’s special.”  

The show would not go on without sponsors. Smith extends thanks to Glacier Medical Associates, Sandry Construction, North Valley Construction, Glacier Bank, Whitefish Credit Union, Robert Evans, and Missy and Pat Carloss.