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Monday, 8/25/97 Creator Perry unleashes Australia's eclectic Tap Dogs on Wadsworth stage DANCE: Australian group returns to Los Angeles with popular tap show

By Cheryl Klein Daily Bruin Senior Staff Think of them as STOMP down under. Or don't. Dein Perry, creator of the Australian dance group Tap Dogs seems pretty cool with it either way. You'd expect most artists to get defensive, proclaiming the originality of their work, annoyed at being compared to another group. But perhaps Perry realizes that the stark sets, addictive percussion and industrial feel that made Americans love STOMP is also what makes those same non-Gene Kelly fans scramble to see Tap Dogs, returning to Los Angeles at the Wadsworth Theater Sept. 2. So what's the difference? "We're tap dancers," Perry says. Simplicity is big with Perry - in speech, in artistic inspiration. Though he's been tapping since he was 4 and did his time in traditional theater, Perry has at times distanced himself from show biz - most notably for the six years he was an industrial mechanic. He started getting parts, but his brush with the blue-collar world remained with him. "In Australia, you get these imported musicals. They sort of go in big slushes," Perry explains. "For a while there'll be a lot and then there will be nothing. ... That's when we started thinking about putting together our own group." First came "Tap Brothers," part of a show called "Hot Shoe Shuffle." "It was very different (from Tap Dogs) - a top-hat-and-tails number," Perry says. The funding for the project came from a small government grant. "It's a small system, but it's good. It gave my career a kick start." Indeed. From there, the man who starred in the long-running Sydney production of "42nd Street" gave tradition the boot, exchanging formal wear for work clothes and show tunes for hip hop, heavy metal and grunge. Maybe their logo says it all. The two sketchy footprints adorning banners throughout Westwood let people know that this is a show you see for the footwork - the tapping, the rhythm, the noise. "It can get quite loud," Perry says quietly. "It's a bit like a rock concert that way." Perry typically choreographs routines in a studio with his fellow dancers, trying out new steps and working with Andrew Wilkie, who creates the group's eclectic mix of music. And Perry prides the group on being eclectic itself. "We're not just a lineup of guys who all look the same, all the same height. We try to get that across on the stage," Perry says. As for the stage, "It's almost like a huge prop. It's got different surfaces we tap on ... it has a lot of metal," Perry says. "You can't paint it and make it pretty. It would just get all scratched up again. But the uglier it is, the better." Audiences seem to agree, especially American ones. "American audiences are more responsive," Perry says. "They've seen a lot of shows and they know how to show their appreciation. The audience reaction plays a huge part. It's a physically demanding show and the applause helps give energy back to the dancers." In the past few years, Americans have embraced Tap Dogs, STOMP and "Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk," Savion Glover's Broadway show that conveys African American history through noisy, funky tap dancing. All three shows are a far cry from Fred Astaire. "All those things are a part of the new generation of tap dancers. They're younger and they're doing it their own way," Perry says. So has this trend reached other dance forms? Perry doesn't have a lot to say on the subject. He's almost sheepish as he says, "I don't know about other kinds of dance. I don't get a chance to see that many shows. I'm just sort of tap crazy, I guess." But thanks to him, so is his home country. Though Australia doesn't have an official tap company, Perry says that he's been seeing more and more tap shows on visits between tours. Tap Dogs has played no small part in tap's popularity. So how does it make him feel? "Good." DANCE: Tap Dogs performs Sept. 2 through Oct. 5 at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater. On Sept. 9, proceeds from the performance will benefit the Kevin Jeske Memorial Fund, honoring the UCLA box office manager who was killed last year during the run of Tap Dogs. Tickets cost $19 to $39. For more information, call 825-2101. Previous Daily Bruin Story Jamming 'Jelly' pushes tapping, non-stop fun to hilt