This Edgy Ad for G-Star Denim Subverts Traditional Tap Dance

The performance was created by a choreographer who has worked with Billie Eilish and Stormzy

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Tap dance may have an old-fashioned image, but Dutch denim brand G-Star has attempted to bring it into the 21st century by enlisting a choreographer known for working with Billie Eilish and Stormzy.

The ad features two professional tap dancers: World Tap Champion Kamira Samuel and leading Broadway performer Lee Howard. Both performers are dressed in clothes from G-Star’s latest Hardcore Denim collection and communicate entirely through dance.

The dance-off was choreographed by London-based Jack Evans, whose credits include Stormzy’s “Audacity” video and Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend,” as well as other film, TV and theater projects.

G-Star’s film is made up of three acts, beginning with the lead dancers performing separately but echoing each other in a balletic call and response, like a tap version of Morse code.

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