30 years of IDO World Tap dance Championships
Fabrice Martin / Lausanne - Switzerland Dancer | Teacher | Choreographer | Trend setter
Because Fabrice is so unique we did not ask him for his cv but I made a text and asked some of his fellow tap dancers from Switzerland to write about him Text by Michael Wendt I met Fabrice Martin first at the “Karstadt Dresden Dance Cup” - the IDO World Tap dance Championships 1994 in the Culture Palace Dresden Germany. He wore a baseball cap turned backwards and a yellow costume - and danced and danced and danced. I normally have a rather good feeling about the length of a performance because I often have to turn away to fulfil other duties and always turn back in time
before the show ends. I still remember as today that I came back on the Dresden-stage more than once following my internal clock and Fabrice was still competing. The audience went crazy and he performed. I don’t remember how we stopped him finally. We als o were a bit anxious because he looked so young and the IDO Executive Secretary, Mr. Moreno Polidori, might complain he is too young. But then Fabrice told my wife Christa, about his birthday that same day where he became 25…….. Later when the DVD-Cassettes (today the videos) were sent out by Mr. Detlef Kruse somebody called me and requested to disqualify Fabrice because he danced about 7 minutes - much too long. I answered “Do you really want to disqualify this great and dedicated dancer? Forget it! But I make sure it will not happen again”. So I learned to observe the time limits much better from now to avoid such a problem - and secondly that my inner-clock was working well. I also remember like today when Fabrice competed the first year in Riesa 1997. The STERN-City hall was much too small. But anyway, and anyhow we had to live with it and ran the IDO World Tap dance Championships. The competition on stage was outstanding. It was a great mood. The non-competing competitors were sitting on the floor between stage and first row, very close together and truly enthusiastic. And with his last music-tone Fabrice ended his stunning performance jumping from the stage into the arms of the screaming and enthusiastic US-American formation-girls of Gloria Jean Cuming. An uproar of laughter and fun followed . My immediate thought was “ Fabrice has defended his World Tap dance Title from Dresden last year now also in Riesa in 1997!” And truly this was the start of an extraordinary tap career in the IDO World Tap dance Championships until today. Fabrice was and is an excellent tap dancer - no doubt about it - among others of the same calibre. What made him so special was his total different and very special style, totally different to the dancers from the mother-land of tap dance, North America. Also Fabrice - and this is why I call him THE trend setter - brought humour in his performances, telling stories, making the audience laugh and follow his story to enjoy what comes next. He has become such a brilliant choreographer - especially in the Small Groups - each year with a new smashing story, 2004 Western Tap, 2005 “I am the Boss” with the stairs onstage 2006 «Les Vieux» (the Oldies) (for me one of the best pieces in Riesa ever!), 2007 the Legionnaires, 2008 was “Daniel Borak’s year - 2009 was also Daniel Bora k’s year - with that most beautiful routine from Liba Boraks Studio in green costumes 2010 Fabrice again - now with the girls 2011 the most entertaining “fat ones” 2012 the Beauties and the Geeks
His trios were also stunning and he won most of them with Dorel and Costel Surbeck, many of his girls and later with Daniel Leveillé.
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