By Tribune Staff
NASHVILLE, TN — Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies brings tap to Nashville’s TPAC for one night only this Friday, March 17.
Arnold started the Syncopated Ladies when she moved to Los Angeles in 2003. She saw a lack of platforms for young, Black, women in tap. While some viewed tap as an outdated art form, Arnold saw something more. She noted that current tap was one way, she saw a way to make it relevant to a new generation. A desire to bring hip-hop, R&B, and salsa to tap led her to speak with her mentor Debbie Allen, a former member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Allen’s sage advice to Arnold was “if it doesn’t exist, make it. With this seed, the Syncopated Ladies was born.
The group name, derived from musical concept of syncopation, or as Arnold says, “rhythms that make you feel good.” And the music and dance the group has created since their founding appeals to a broad swath of musical interests. Dancing to some of the top hits of artists as diverse as Bad Bunny and Beyonce has brought the Syncopated Ladies widespread praise in the dance world and beyond.
The group has blossomed since it’s founding, with the Syncopated ladies appearing regularly with James Corden, and receiving rave attention from artists like Beyonce and Hillary Swank. “The world is a stage, and there is a stage for everyone.” Arnold told the Tribune when asked what message she had for girls that might be interested in dancing and tap. She encourages all people interested in a career in the performing arts to avoid trying to do what’s popular, just because it’s popular. Instead, do what feels right to you, because the right people will be attracted to what you are doing.
When the Syncopated Ladies tap in to TPAC Friday, the audience can expect a 360-degree dance experience while enjoying the music of Beyonce, Adele, Ciera and other artists. “Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies: Live!” weaves the stories of the dancers into the rhythms of modern music and dance. She expects the audience to laugh, sing along, and at moments cry. Arnold wants every audience member to be up and dancing by the time the show closes.
Tickets are available at tpac.org starting at $45. The show starts at 7:30 pm at TPAC’s James K. Polk Theater. If you want to learn more about Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies, you can check out their moves at syncopatedladies.com.