Conrad Tao and Caleb Teicher: Counterpoint

“When Caleb Teicher tap dances to pianist Conrad Tao’s rendition of “Rhapsody in Blue,” it looks spontaneous as if they are magically linked by the same innovative mindset...Tao plays “Rhapsody” with dynamic precision, rendering the tentative introduction with exquisite technique before the momentum builds into an expressive, march-like melody. Teicher, dressed casually in overalls and a T-shirt, adds a layer of rhythm with shuffles, slides, and spins, a freestyle approach that gives way to an exuberant hailstorm of rapid footwork, punctuating the piano composition with percussive taps.”

San Diego Tribune

Counterpoint is a collaboration between pianist and composer Conrad Tao and choreographer and dancer Caleb Teicher. The duo explore the dichotomy of their different perspectives and artistic practices, expanding their individual expressive capacity through a collective experience.

The harmonic, rhythmic, and theatrical counterpoint between the artists seeks to map constellations linking their disparate traditions, driving the imagination and opening the heart. The stylistically diverse music of Counterpoint includes the Aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Art Tatum’s demented stride piano, Arnold Schoenberg’s ironic take on the Viennese waltz, a delicate miniature from Tao and Teicher's More Forever, and threading it all together, a work that bridges traditions, approaches, and styles—Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue."

Tao and Teicher’s earlier work, More Forever, is a Bessie Award-winning, NewYork Times critic’s pick which was lauded for “constantly extending the sonic aspects of dance.”

Represented by Opus 3 Artists