Cliburn Concert: ‘Conrad Tao and Caleb Teicher’ @ Tannahill’s (Mule Alley, Stockyards)
Photos courtesy of the Cliburn Concerts
—Wayne Lee Gay
Conrad Tao plays the piano (classical style).
Caleb Teicher dances (tap style).
Performing together as the ensemble Counterpoint, the duo brought a vigorous and unfailingly engaging performance Tuesday night to Tannahill's Tavern and Music Hall in Fort Worth's Stockyards (in the lineup along the renovated Mule Alley, to be precise), presented as part of the “Cliburn Concerts” series.
Tap dance reached its heyday as popular entertainment in vaudeville and early sound cinema; Teicher and a few other artists have revived and expanded that particular choreographic art into a genre as complex and demanding as ballet. Blending this athletic form of dance with the intense passion and intellect of the classical piano repertoire—provided in this case by pianist Tao—makes for an intoxicating experience for the listener/viewer.
Gershwin's ever-popular Rhapsody in Blue, in a slightly revised version for solo piano, served as the heart and climax of the evening performance. Probably every listener in the room was familiar with Gershwin's masterpiece; here, they witnessed Teicher, through a complex tap dance routine, became for the moment the visual personification of the music. In this case, the percussive sound of Teicher's shoes became an integral part of that music: i.e., a part of the arrangement. Together with Tao, Teicher captured the energy, longing, and irresistible momentum of Gershwin's vision of American urban culture.
Rhapsody in Blue was the main event, certainly, but Tao and Teicher led up to it with alternating collaborations and solo performances: piano works by J.S. Bach, Ravel, Brahms and Arnold Schoenberg served as bridges between the spiritual world of classical music and the highly physical world of Teicher's breathtaking dancing. (Notably, Tao sweetened the spiky atonality of Schoenberg's Waltz from Opus 23 with jazzy, moody improvisations before and after.)
Classic popular tunes from Art Tatum and Irving Berlin also turned up seamlessly in the widely varied programming. Teicher coaxed the audience into singing along (with some hilarity) as he interpreted Berlin's "Blue Skies"—and made a strong case for the artistic value of tap by re-creating choreography by tap greats Charles "Honi" Coles and Brenda Bufalino. Along with impeccable technique and musicality, both performers presented an appealingly relaxed, conversational stage experience.
The Aria and Variation from Bach's "Goldberg" Variations bookended the evening. I'll admit to being a little taken aback by the sound of tap dance intruding into the serene beauty of Bach's music at the beginning—but by the end of the performance, the blending of sounds and ideas felt totally natural.
WHEN: February 10, 2026
WHERE: Tannahill's Tavern and Music Hall, 122 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth
WEB: for upcoming concerts, cliburn.org
