O V E R C O A T S A M
Genesis of an image.
The abstract and brief chronicles of a work born from obsession, shaped by a single haunting question: how do you carry the weight of your magic in a world where you have no power?
Mythic ReMix
The Red Tap Shoes draws from a collide-o-scope of folk tales, myths, and literary fragments from both the African diaspora and the Western canon.
The landscape is built from the ruins of the Oedipus myth and the legend of the Flying Africans; the Faustian bargain and the poetry of T.S. Eliot and Paul Laurence Dunbar; and the deep-well tradition of spirituals and the Blues.
These sources are employed in the spirit of transformation, homage, and theatrical signifying.
STANDING AT THE CROSSROAD
This jazz odyssey lives in the "twoness" described by W. E. B. Du Bois. It dwells in a space between performance and survival, between the iron-breath of old Pittsburgh and the ancestral thunder of the spirit. In the liminal space of Brick Alley, blessing and burden wear the same face. A homeless shingle dancer chases fame through the rhythms of the street, only to find himself pulled toward myth, sacrifice, and redemption. Beneath his mountain of overcoats and the steady rain of the steely city, Overcoat Sam searches for a place to belong and for a rhythm strong enough to carry him home.
A Celebration of Syncopation
The Red Tap Shoes is a salute to the rich evolution of African American musical traditions, where the sacred and the secular dance side by side. From the sorrow songs and spirituals that carried hope through hardship, to the playful strut of ragtime and the cakewalk; from the deep cry of the blues, Delta-born and boogie-driven, to the rise of R & B, soul, and the urban contemporary sound. The journey moves through gospel’s fire and the thunder of jazz in its many forms - Dixieland, swing, bebop and beyond. Each rhythm a story. Each step a legacy that still keeps time.
VANCE HOLMES
Vance Holmes
Vance Holmes is a playwright, composer, director, and jazz pianist whose work moves at the crossroads of music, myth, and theatrical storytelling. A self-described song-and-dance man and lifelong tap dancer, he creates original works that weave jazz, folklore, and literary tradition into richly stylized performance.
Originally from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Holmes holds a B.F.A. in Music Theater from West Virginia University, an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Minnesota, and a Master’s in Urban Education from Metropolitan State University. His work is grounded in both practice and study - an ongoing pursuit of craft that informs his writing for the stage. He is based in the Twin Cities, where he continues to write, compose, and develop new work.