Legendary tap dancer Sarah Petronio is joined by her daughter Leela for a special evening of dance at The New Morning (Oct. 8th). Discussing the upcoming show over a panache in the 19th arrondissement Leela said “It’s taken on a little bit more of a theatrical aspect recently; we do it sometimes in real theaters and include text and images… with places like The New Morning, it stays in the jazz club ambiance.”
Sarah Petroino, whose career has taken her from New York to Paris to Perth, has been performing at The New Morning for 25 years. “They call it the ‘temple of jazz”, says her daughter Leela, who is a renowned tap dancer in her own right “It’s much bigger than the other clubs… You walk in and feel there’s a lot of soul. So many people have been through there…”
The Jazz in Motion musicians vary between a trio and quartet with Sarah and Leela on taps and special guests. For the upcoming concert, the trio will be Philppe Milanta on piano, Bruno Rousselet on double bass and John Betsch on drums with special guests Sharon Lavi (Barcelona) and Ayako (Japan) plus other surprise guests from NYC.
“It’s a concert show. There’s a set list; it goes through different aspects of jazz,” says Leela who also likes to open up the art form of tap into the wider forms of dance and music. In the past, the concerts have included guest hip hop dancers and Leela often throws in a solo to funk or Latin jazz.
“The guests will come in and make it more of a jam session but it’s a show. It’s really swing,’ says Leela. “We do some choreography and some improv(isation). It’s about sharing.”
Jazz in Motion, Oct 8th, 9pm, 7-9 Rue des Petites Ecuries 75010 Paris Metro Chateau d’Eau Tickets: 20 Euro Reservations: http://www.newmorning.com (till 4th Oct) or Fnac, Virgin, Auchan, Carrefour.