I improvised alone with the bandвЂ“something I have loved to do for 30 yearsвЂ“everyone shim-shammed on the hour, a cabaret troupe animated the afternoon and a real highlight was Steph and four colleagues together for the first time with her bossвЂ™ generous permission as вЂthe AndrГ© Rieu All-Stars.вЂ™

With Gregoire and Sharon showing up for an impromptu Astaire and Rogers dance, we managed to initiate our floor with a good portion of highly entertaining tap history. We chose two of our вЂgreatest hitsвЂ™ and two tap dances of historical significance to open our space: Pete NugentвЂ™s classic 1950вЂ™s вЂ BreezinвЂ™ Along with the Breeze,вЂ™ a gift of a tap dance pulled from the memory banks of Nancy Howell and Carnell LyonвЂ™s Paddle and Roll, the genre-defining piece. After only two or three lessons, random and spirited ensembles of our true beginners performed StephanieвЂ™s first choreography three times over the course of the afternoon, 30 seconds set to вЂ the Entertainer.вЂ™ Celebrated Belgian jazz pianist Charles Loos donated his time for the afternoon, as did a very fine local bass player. Nearly 150 folks came through our opening partyвЂ“the space overflowing with flowers, champagne, and delicious snacks made by StephвЂ™s sister and the wife of one of our tap junkies (who herself couldnвЂ™t stand it anymore and came to class afterwards!). Thank god for his grandparents here and extended family, who love him, take care of him, play with him, and fill in more than capably while we are killing ourselves to get the space open and running smoothly. Occasionally we even see our son, nearly 23-month old FГ©lix, whose pronunciation of вЂClaquettes ClubвЂ™ conjures a serious drinking problem. We head into month 2 with a schedule of 8 weekly adult tap classes, a spirited seniors class on Thursday mornings, a parents and small kids class on Wednesdays, and the beginnings of a childrenвЂ™s program on Saturdays taught by our friend Joachim. The first month has been incredible: Between 70 and 80 people each week passed through our doors to begin or to continue their tap dance journeys. We borrowed shoes for the beginners from a supportive colleague in Liege, we ordered shoes from Victor CunoвЂ™s Swingtap store in Paris, we checked every screw in every tap going on to our new floor, we shuffled, heeled, and toed, and nightly we collapsed. We opened the doors with a one-month promotion, a gift to our 30 students making the move to the new space, and an enticement for the community to come check out some classes. People kept coming, all month, for our 5 euro classes. WE DID IT! With a skillful carpenter, stealthy plumber, and wry electrician, friends helping with light demolition and small construction details, and hundreds of hours put in by me, Steph, our students, and friends, we took possession of the keys at the end of May, and opened on Sept. An old fresh-water cistern that was slowly leaking into the basement was emptied by a large man needing a hip transplant into a tanker truck, and within days the basement was no longer wet.

The new roof above the studio has allowed the permanently humid walls to dry, and the gorgeous floor and the grand piano are no longer threatened. And still: the Club is fantastic.ДЄfter months of observation, unblocking various sediment-filled pipes, copious use of silicone sealant and construction mousse, as of 2 weeks, our building is dry. Progress: at least the stuff wasnвЂ™t rotting in the basement anymoreвЂ¦Д¬ompromise is everywhere in our Claquettes Club: an unexpected roof replacement that killed the budget for a spectacular lighting plan, leaving us in a fluorescent haze for the indefinite future the doors needing replacement simply freshened with paint and given new, cheap hardware spaces in need of further transformation.

Street tap dancing claquette