'Diary of a Tap Dancer' brims with remarkable rhythm and storytelling

You could hear her before you could see her. Splintered beams of blue light and fog hovered over the audience as Ayodele Casel and her talented ensemble —  a rumble of rhythm — entered the darkened stage with the clickety-clack of tap shoes.

It was an appropriately dramatic beginning to Casel’s “Diary of a Tap Dancer,” a rich theatrical memoir told with heart and grounded in movement that honors and amplifies many of the Black women tap dancers who came before her and sheds light on the intersectionality of her identity. The show, which Casel wrote, choreographed and stars in, is in its world premiere at American Repertory Theater through Jan. 4.

Hailing from the boogie-down Bronx, the Black and Puerto Rican performer grew up at the height of hip-hop, spent her formative years in Puerto Rico with her grandparents, and later returned to New York where she was introduced to tap.

Onstage, she interweaves her journey with the history of tap and immerses audiences deep into her life. Dancers Naomi Funaki, Afra Hines, Quynn L. Johnson, Funmi Sofola, Liberty Styles, Annaliese Wilbur, and Ki’Leigh Williams portray her mother, father, grandparents and peers. A trio directed by Nick Wilders accompanied the cast onstage. Musician Keisel Jiménez Levya was a particularly vibrant performer, singing and playing the congas and other percussion instruments.

Constellations and the silhouettes of moving bodies were projected onto the set as Casel and the multicultural and multigenerational troupe dug into her barrier-breaking journey. Casel’s candor while describing her experiences, particularly the uncomfortable ones, offer insight into what has propelled her forward and shaped how she navigates the world. The story, smartly directed by creative consultant/strategist, choreographer and producer Torya Beard (Casel’s wife), is a generous tribute to tap and pays homage to trailblazers like Lois Bright, Jeni Le Gon and Juanita Pitts, who battled racism and sexism and carved a path for Casel to tap on.

The pacing of the narrative felt spot on in the first act, missed a beat at the start of Act 2 with a few long pauses but recovered beautifully as Casel and the talented cast took some time to express more of the story through dance. Throughout the show, the scenic design by Tatiana Kahvegian with lighting and projections by Brandon Stirling Baker and Katherine Freer paint a lush portrait of Casel’s life and her research into the craft. Mountain vistas and mango trees, apartment buildings with a sky that mimics the dynamism of graffiti and photos and video of female dancers from the past are elegantly displayed. Also put on view are diary entries from Casel’s time in Puerto Rico, where she became a fluent Spanish speaker, a life-changing meeting on Pelham Parkway South and Cruger Ave. with her father Tayari Casel, a master martial artist and photos of signage from the Apollo and the Cotton Club.

The award-winning Casel, who was a 2019-2020 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and artist-in-residence at Harvard, is no stranger to storytelling. Some of her projects include her Bessie Award-winning film “Chasing Magic” and her one-woman show “While I Have the Floor.”

This well-developed iteration of “Diary of a Tap Dancer” was preceded by Casel and Beard’s collaboration “Diary of a Tap Dancer V.6: Us,” a series of seven video performances of solos and duets featuring diverse artists. New York City Center commissioned that virtual version in 2020.

Casel’s diary is full of remarkable dancing  — her feet move at an unreal speed — and brimming with honesty and resilience. In the show, Casel talked about wasting too much time on things, including pondering how and if time will erase her. “Who will remember a tap dancer?” she asked.

The soul’s yearning to be remembered is likely why Casel is keen to do all that she can to uplift the stories of the women before her. She wants us all to remember them and to remember her.

And, if history tries to forget, she hopes someone will discover her one day and write her back in.

Ayodele Casel’s “Diary of a Tap Dancer” runs through Jan. 4 at American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Drama Center. To further uplift dancers of the past, the A.R.T. is hosting “Tap in Film,” a movie series featuring dance-centered classics, and “Legacy of Women in Tap,” a conversation with three generations of tap dancers.