Tap Dogs History 

It all started with six guys from a steel town north of Sydney, Australia.

 

Australian DEIN PERRY, creator, and choreographer of TAP DOGS has come a long way from the garage behind his dance teacher's house in Newcastle, Australia, where, as young boys, he and the "Dogs" learned how to tap. At the age of seventeen, he earned his union papers as an industrial machinist before moving to Sydney where he tried to break into show business. Small chorus parts in Broadway-style musicals led to Dein's big break when he was cast in the long-running Sydney production of 42nd Street.

 

When it closed, Dein decided to create a contemporary show around his industrial work experience with his tap-dancing mates. With a small government grant, they formed 'Tap Brothers,' a very early incarnation of TAP DOGS.

 

In 1995 TAP DOGS was an instant hit of the Sydney Theatre Festival where it had its world premiere and where Back Row's founders Peter Holmes à Court and Liz Koops first witnessed the magic of Dein Perry's revolutionary show. The success was infectious. 

 

From this, Dein choreographed the West End musical Hot Shoe Shuffle.  Bringing the group to London he earned his first Olivier Award in 1995.  A subsequent offer from Sydney Theatre Company led to the collaboration with designer and director Nigel Triffit, resulting in the creation of TAP DOGS.

 

The Dogs were catapulted to international acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival and London's Saddler's Wells. Since then, the show has toured the world, appearing in 330 cities on six continents  TAP DOGS has been seen by over 12 million people.

 

TAP DOGS has chalked up some memorable milestones: an Olivier Award-winning six-month run in the West End, conquering New York, winning over 11 international awards for the show's creators Dein Perry, Nigel Triffitt, and Andrew Wilkie including a Pegasus Award at the Spoleto Festival in Italy and an Obie in New York. A worldwide television audience of 3.4 billion saw a thousand Tap Dog's performers appear in the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

 

The TAP DOGS story has gone on to be immortalised in the movie BOOTMEN, directed by Dein Perry and inspired by his TAP DOGS experiences.

 

And today - 25 years on, TAP DOGS on tour return for an international tour! The story continues!