Feel the power of tap dance in hit show heading to Northampton
French company bring cinematic feel to artform
A bold and energetic take on tap dance comes to Northampton this autumn, promising to immerse audiences in a cinematic world.
The show, called Stories, tells the story of a character named Icarus, a successful young actor trapped under the control of a powerful film director. After a fierce confrontation, Icarus finds himself unable to break free from the director’s stranglehold.
Conceived by tap dance star, choreographer and producer Romain Rachline Borgeaud and presented by RB Dance Company, the story is brought to life by a cast of ten dancers performing a fusion of tap dance and urban jazz to an original score composed by Romain himself. A dynamic set by Federica Mugnai transports audiences through a cinematic world of film sets, hotels, and gambling clubs with atmospheric lighting by Alex Hardellet and costumes by Margaux Ponsard and Janie Loriault.
RB Dance Company was founded in 2018 by Borgeaud, and was initially created to revitalise tap dance and reintroduce it to contemporary audiences through ambitious large-scale narrative productions. In France, RB Dance Company rose to national prominence as finalists on France’s Got Talent in both 2018 and 2024. The company’s first stage production, Stories premiered to critical acclaim, winning three awards at Les Trophées De La Comédie Musicale – France’s equivalent of the Olivier Awards – and has since been seen by over 300,000 people. With Stories, the company aims to modernise the artform while celebrating its theatrical roots.
Borgeaud began tap dancing at an early age before training in jazz and continuing his training in New York. He went on to perform in multiple musicals on Broadway, and after returning to France performed in Dance of the Vampires, and Stephen Mear’s Singin’ in the Rain and 42nd Street. Recently, Romain created the choreography for Molière, Le Spectacle Musical and the revival of Les Misérables at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris. He also choreographed the opening ceremony for the 2016 Champs Elysées Film Festival before founding RB Dance Company in 2018.
Borgeaud said: “After a remarkable response to the UK Premiere of Stories, I’m delighted to be bringing this production on tour nationwide. The work explores themes of duality, using a contemporary dance language to express Icarus’s intense inner journey. I hope audiences enjoy being immersed in this cinematic world and sharing in the energy, emotion and joy of tap dance.”
Stories comes to the Royal & Derngate on Tuesday November 3. Visit royalandderngate.co.uk or call 01604 624811 to book.