(dramatic upbeat music) - [Announcer] Support for the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival on KVCR, comes from Amazon.

♪ - [Announcer 2] This program from the annual Summer Music Festival at the Redlands Bowl is made possible by support from these Inland Empire civic-minded organizations concerned with the cultural life of our communities.

[low crowd chatter] The citizens of the Inland Em pire that patronize the Bowl, and viewers like you supporting local public television in the Inland Empire.

Thank you.

[crowd applauding] - [House announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, a warm Redlands welcome to The StepCrew.

[audience applauding] (tap shoes clacking a beat) - Go!

(bass guitar/percussion) ♪ (tap shoes clacking quickly) ♪ (bright keyboards/low bass) ♪ ♪ (tap shoes clacking) - Whoooa!

♪ [electric guitar/ drums/keyboards] ♪ (funky percussion/bass) ♪ (bright keyboards/bold guitar) ♪ (funky electric guitar/bass) ♪ (shoes clacking/ cymbals keep beat) (shoes clacking/ cymbals keep beat) (dramatic drums/keyboards) ♪ - Hey!

♪ (Beau Diddley rock'n'roll beat) - Wooo!

(shoes clacking) ♪ - One, two, three, four!

♪ (shoes clacking) (bold rock guitar/ bright keyboards) ♪ (tap shoes clacking quickly) ♪ ♪ (music stops) - Yeah!!

♪ ♪ (keyboard solo/ shoes clacking) ♪ - Ohh!

[audience cheers/applauds] (clack, clack) (soft music/ shoes clacking) ♪ (shoes clacking) ♪ (plucky fiddle) ♪ (dramatic drums/bass) (stops) (bright cheerful fiddle) ♪ ♪ ♪ (rollicking beat/ joyful fiddle) ♪ (bright fiddle) ♪ ♪ (rollicking beat/ joyful fiddle) ♪ (second fiddle leads) (cymbals tapping beat/ second fiddle only) ♪ (quaint quick fiddle) ♪ (harmony fiddle joins) ♪ ♪ (drums/guitar intensify) ♪ (cheerful mood) ♪ ♪ ♪ (fiddles/cymbals tapping beat) ♪ (guitar/keyboards/bass) ♪ (fast fiddles) ♪ (happy-go-lucky music) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (valiant fiddles) (bold drums) ♪ (keyboards/guitar/fiddles) ♪ ♪ [audience applauds/cheers] - [Jon] Our show is called The StepCrew.

I can't tell you what an honor it is to be part of the programming this year celebrating 100 years of Redlands Bowl!

What a beautiful spot!

[audience applauds/cheers] You're gonna see three styles of dance.

Now maybe you've heard of these styles, maybe you haven't.

If you haven't, shame on you.

But, you're gonna know all about them by the end of tonight, mostly through visual.

This is our educational number brought to you by PBS and KVCR.

So, three styles of dance.

The first, you may know well.

It was made very, very, very popular about 25 years ago.

Now, don't get me wrong.

This style of dance is hundreds, if not thousands of years old but it was made popular by a show called "Riverdance"!

[audience applauds/cheers] I'm sure you're all doin' this to and from church here in Redlands.

And, it's called Irish Step Dancing.

You know it?

[audience applauds] [audience laughs] (Jon laughs) Don't let our Irish dancer know I was doin' that!

It's a very vertical style of dance and you'll see that as we demonstrate it.

The second style of dance spawned here in your beautiful country, the United States of America, featured in so many great old movies.

Dancers like Gregory Hines and Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly.

Tap dancing!

Yes?

[audience applauds/cheers] I'll say no more.

My imitations are spot-on!

The third style of dance?

You all know it.

You all love it.

It's a YouTube sensation.

And, all the kids here are doin' this style of dance to and from school every day.

I bet you've done it.

I bet you've taken classes in it or maybe you've done it on the way home from the pub; Ottawa Valley step dancing.

No?

No, no.

Nobody knows about that one.

Boo.

Good one.

Hundred years it took 'em to get that!

[performers laugh] Ottawa Valley step dancing.

Here's the imitation.

[audience chuckles] Okay?

So you got Irish, you got tap, and you got Ottawa Valley.

So, you're gonna wanna pay special attention (he laughs) to the upper bodies, how each style has similarities and differences in the upper body.

You also wanna watch the legs, how they move.

And especially, we always get asked about the shoes.

What do you have on your shoes?

Some of us wear taps, metal, and the Irish dancers have fiberglass tips.

So, big difference there.

This has been brought to you by PBS, ladies and gentlemen.

This song is called "Evolution", featuring the three styles.

To get us started, she is the six-time North American Irish dancing champion.

We spared no expense.

[drum roll] Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the stage, Miss Cara Butler!

[audience applauds] (bright fiddle music) ♪ - [Cara] Point, pull back and point, pull back.

Those were the first steps for me.

My teacher Donnie always said, "Shoulders back, arms straight."

As time went on I won many competitions and made my mom proud.

I'll always remember the first time I let my arms loose, how free I felt.

I felt like I was really dancing.

And as much as I respected it, I still have the urge to break tradition and let loose a little.

But, at the end of the day, I always am and always will be an Irish dancer.

(bright fiddle/ dainty keyboards) ♪ (soft percussive shoe tapping) ♪ [audience cheers/applauds] [low jazzy bass] ♪ - Growing up, watching old Hollywood musicals we'd try to imitate the rhythm and style of the great tappers like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire.

Although we danced in competitions for many years it was taking workshops in the big cities where we would learn new time steps on the Shim Sham.

We took these jazzy rhythms and made them our own.

We love tap.

♪ (metallic sound shoe tapping) ♪ (low cool jazzy bass) ♪ (scrape/shuffle tap) ♪ (slapping percussion) (fast frenzied bass plucking) ♪ (metallic sound/ classic tap) ♪ [audience cheers] ♪ [audience cheers/applauds] (bright fiddle music) ♪ - [Nathan] When we were growing up, every weekend my brother and I would go camping in the Ottawa Valley during dance competitions.

The best part of those nights wasn't winning the awards or being on stage, it was dancing with everyone in the park until the early morning.

I am an Ottawa Valley step dancer.

(country fiddle sound) ♪ (snappy shoe tapping sound) ♪ - Hah!

(faster tempo) (rapid tap) ♪ ♪ (snappy shoe tapping sound) ♪ (fiddle fades slowly) (stops) [audience applauds/cheers] (easy-going happy music) ♪ ♪ ♪ (quaint tapping) ♪ ♪ (faster pleasant music) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (easy-going happy music) ♪ (faster tempo) ♪ (metallic sound shoe tapping) ♪ ♪ - Wooo!

(frenzied happy music) ♪ (rapid tap) ♪ ♪ (last note) [audience applauds/cheers] (slow dark brooding fiddle) ♪ ♪ (frenzied fiddle) ♪ (slower mournful fiddle) ♪ (light dramatic drums) ♪ (thoughtful fiddle) (moody electric guitar) ♪ (brighter spunkier mood) ♪ ♪ (harmony fiddle joins) ♪ (dramatic drums/bass) ♪ (bass/bolder music) ♪ ♪ (daring mood music) ♪ (jaunty fiddle music) ♪ (heavier music/bass/drums) ♪ (bright bolder fiddles) ♪ ♪ (bass/drums tapping) ♪ (fiddles chiming in harmony) ♪ (bold adventurous music) ♪ ♪ (dramatic drums/heavy bass) ♪ (slower quaint fiddles) ♪ ♪ (slower music) ♪ (slow dramatic buildup) (drums intensify/ plucky fast playing) ♪ ♪ (last note) [audience applauds/cheers] - My name is Nathan Pilatzke and I got into dancing... Well, my parents got me into dancing.

I guess they saw an ad in the paper.

I was five years old.

Grew up in a small town in Canada called Eganville, and that's in the Ottawa Valley.

And, there was an ad in the newspaper for dance lessons.

And so, it was either that or hockey, really, for me!

And, I thought hockey looked dangerous so I decided to dance.

- My name is Jon Pilatzke, and I'm this guy's brother.

We're both Ottawa Valley step dancers.

That's what we do in the show, and in our lives!

And, I got into it because this guy was doing it and I wanted to do everything he was doing.

So, I was maybe around three years old.

Mom made me wait till I was four to start lessons, but-?

- You decided to play the fiddle though, as well.

- Oh, yes.

I'm also a fiddle player in StepCrew.

And, got into fiddle playing at an early age, around nine years old.

We got involved in a dance group together; that got us into professional work.

After high school, it continued into some theater shows.

And then, we met a group called the Chieftains and toured with them for upwards of 20 years.

And, maybe I'll throw it over to Cara to continue that story.

- Hi, I'm Cara Butler.

Met Jon and Nathan Pilatzke touring with the Chieftains.

I am from New York.

My mother is from County Mayo in Ireland.

And like Jon, my older sibling also danced.

And so, I fell in love with it even before I started.

And, I used to have to stay in the class and wait for my sister to finish.

So, by the time I was old enough to begin lessons I kind of already had-- it was already in my bones.

It was already in me.

So, I went on to dance competitively during which that time my teacher, Donnie Golden, had already started putting me in different shows.

Like, we danced competitively and then there was also a performance element to how we grew up in Irish dance.

But my teacher, Donnie, was very, very influential in creating dances to accompany musicians and music in general, not just for the competitive scene.

So, I was really lucky in that aspect.

And my teacher, Donnie also, he toured with the Chieftains before my sister toured with the Chieftains, before I toured with the Chieftains.

So, like the steps, the kind of role was also passed down to me.

And, they were six-time Grammy Award winners and I hit the jackpot, and I met Jon and Nathan in 2002.

- Then, you really hit the jackpot!

And then, I really hit the jackpot!

(laughs) I ended up marrying this guy!

(laughs) So, we are all family.

(drum roll) - [Jon] You might know him as "Rubber Legs!"

I know him as my brother Nathan Pilatzke!

(bright fiddle music) ♪ (rapid joyful tapping) ♪ - Whoa!!

(waltz beat/ bold keyboards) ♪ (joyful mood/ jaunty shoes clacking) ♪ ♪ ♪ (keyboard leads) ♪ ♪ (shoes clacking merrily) ♪ ♪ ♪ (last note) [audience cheers/applauds] (clack!)

[audience cheers/applauds] - [Drummer] One, two, three, (drumsticks clacking) four!

♪ funky beat/ jaunty fiddle) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (dramatic high fiddle) ♪ funky beat/ jaunty fiddle) ♪ ♪ (bold brash fiddle lead) ♪ ♪ (bold drums/fiddle) ♪ ♪ funky beat/ jaunty fiddle) ♪ (frenzied fiddle) ♪ ♪ (high-pitched frenzy fiddle) ♪ (high-pitched fiddle) ♪ (intense high fiddle) ♪ (dramatic drums/ bold fiddle) ♪ ♪ [audience applauds/cheers] - [Jon] Please welcome our lovely violinist, Emily Yarascavitch.

We're gonna play a tune called "The Marquis of Huntly's Snuff Mill".

[audience applauds/cheers] [gentle electric guitar] ♪ (gentle thoughtful fiddle) ♪ ♪ (soft quaint fiddle/ slow electric guitar) ♪ ♪ [cymbals crash softly] (thoughtful piano/ harmony fiddle joins) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (keyboard solo) ♪ (stately elegant playing) ♪ (bright slow keyboard/ soft percussion) ♪ (elegant fiddle playing) ♪ ♪ ♪ (soft bass/ slow thoughtful fiddle) ♪ (comforting musical sound) ♪ ♪ ♪ (thoughtful keyboards/ stately fiddles) ♪ (relaxing fiddle) ♪ (slow quiet coda) ♪ [audience applauds] (slow ominous fiddle) ♪ (light slow fiddle plucking) ♪ (keyboard hums low tones) (light slow fiddle plucking) (percussive shoe tapping) (light soft music) ♪ (light fiddle plucking/ shoes clacking) ♪ (light guitar plucking/ shoes clacking) ♪ (light fiddle plucking/ shoes tapping softly) ♪ (music stops) (shoes clacking a beat) - Go!

(shoes clacking a beat/ hand clapping) [audience clapping a beat] (performers clapping/ tapping beats) - Alright, what do ya got?

- Two to start.

- [Performer] Anyone?

(performer shouting) (percussive tapping and clapping) [audience shouts] (percussive tapping and clapping) - [Performer] There we go!

- [Performer] Get it, girl!

(percussive tapping and clapping) (groups tapping tradeoff) - Yeah!

(performers exclaim) [audience cheers/applauds] (performers calling off mic) [audience cheers louder] [audience laughing/cheering/ applauding] - One left.

- Three, four!

(percussive tapping and clapping) - [Jon and Nathan] Clap!

(percussive tapping and clapping) - [Jon and Nathan] Clap!

- [Cara] Those with me-- - [Jon and Nathan] Clap!

- [Cara] are you ready!

- [Jon and Nathan] Clap!

- Here we go!

(percussive tapping and clapping) - Go!

(percussive tapping and clapping) - [Performer] Don't listen to them!

(percussive tapping and clapping) - Keep goin'!

(faster tapping) (both groups tapping) - Go!

(shoes clacking/ percussive tapping) - [Cara] Woo!

Faster!

(shoes clacking/ percussive tapping) (rapid tap) [audience shouts encouragement] (rapid tap) - Hey!

- Oh!!

[audience applauds/cheers] (performer giggles/laughs) [flute playing] - [Performer] Three, four.

(shoes clacking a beat) (flute playing briskly) ♪ (quick merry shoe tapping) (cheerful flute/ shoes tapping percussion) ♪ - [Performer] Okay, here we go!

- Hey, hey, hey, hey!

(drums pounding) (funky electronic rock music) ♪ ♪ (performers exclaim) [audience applauds/cheers] - In 2002, when Jon and Nathan joined the Chieftains I had never seen Ottawa Valley step dancing before.

I don't know how much Irish dancing that the boys had seen, but very little.

Yeah!

So when Paddy Moloney kind of said, "Okay, we got a show tonight.

These are the Pilatzke brothers; figure it out."

We kinda had to...figure it out!

And so the boys danced, I danced.

We kind of saw and felt the same kind of rhythms with the music even though it was a different style.

And, we put together some really great routines and we had a lot of fun doing it.

And then, kind of flash forward to a couple years later, and we're with other friends who are Ottawa Valley step dancers who happen to tap dance, as well.

And, we were like, "I think we got a show here, guys."

Like, "This is really cool stuff and let's do--" 'Cause we were all very much used to being dancers who joined a band, and it was like let's create a dance show that has a band; like, a live band.

And so, that was pretty much the-- kind of the concept behind The StepCrew.

And, that was in 2008, we had our first show.

- [Jon] So, fast forward to today and the show has certainly evolved over the 14, 15 years?

- [Cara] Oh, yeah.

- [Jon] That we've been doing it.

And, you know?

Three styles of dance.

The whole idea here is Irish dance comes over from Ireland to North America and splinters off into several different forms of dance.

But, we feature Ottawa Valley and tap.

- [Jon] You've seen some crazy things tonight, some wild things tonight, some off-the-wall things tonight.

But, you ain't seen nothin' like this!

Ladies and gentlemen, once again, she comes from just outside Toronto, a place called Oshawa.

I'm not sure how she does it but she's gonna play something we call "Fiddle Feud".

- [Drummer] One, two, three.

(drumsticks clacking) (upbeat guitar/keyboards) ♪ ♪ (bright fiddle) ♪ ♪ (upbeat fiddle/drums/guitar) ♪ ♪ (high-pitched musical broomstick) ♪ (high-pitched flag stick) ♪ (conventional upbeat fiddle) ♪ ♪ (higher pitch/ upbeat fiddle) ♪ (clothes hanger plays musically) ♪ (conventional upbeat fiddle) ♪ [Jon indiscernible with loud fiddle] ♪ ♪ (bright cheerful fiddle) ♪ ♪ (two bows, high-pitched fiddle playing) ♪ ♪ (music stops) (percussive tapping) [audience cheering/shouting] (cheerful music) (music stops) (percussive tapping) (cheerful music) (music stops) (percussive tapping) - [Jon] Nahhh!

(cheerful music) (music stops) (percussive tapping) (cheerful music) (music stops) (percussive tapping) - What?!

(cheerful music) (music stops) (percussive tapping) (cheerful music) (drum roll) - [Jon] Eins, zwei, drei!

(cheerful fiddle/ bold drums/guitar) ♪ (shoes clacking merrily) ♪ (music stops) (percussive tapping) (cheerful music) (music stops) (percussive tapping) (cheerful music) ♪ (dramatic high-pitched fiddle) ♪ ♪ (last note) [audience cheers/applauds] (dramatic low tone) [audience cheers/applauds] - [Cara] Well, wasn't that somethin'?

We have shown you three styles of dance, right?

Irish, tap, Ottawa Valley.

Well, we've got another style for you.

I have no joke.

And, guess what?

It's also from Canada.

And, guess what?

You guys can do it with us, 'cause you all have chairs!

[audience laughs] So, this number is our "French Canadian" number and... we really hope you enjoy it.

(percussive tapping/no music) (metallic shoe tapping sounds) - [Cara] Woo!

(metallic shoe tapping sounds) (bright country fiddle) - [Cara] Woo!

♪ (Jon playing fiddle and shoes tapping rhythm) ♪ ♪ ♪ (Jon playing fiddle and shoes tapping rhythm) ♪ - [Cara] Woo!

(all shoe tapping/ clacking rhythm) ♪ - Hey-o!

♪ - Hey!

- [Jon] One, two, three, four!

(bold drums/keyboard/guitar) ♪ (country fiddle/ joyful music) ♪ ♪ ♪ (ragtime keyboard/ cheerful fiddle) ♪ - [Cara] Woo!

♪ ♪ (shoes clacking merrily) ♪ ♪ - [Cara] Woo!

(cheery fiddle/shoes clacking ragtime keyboard) ♪ (fiddle solo) (shoes clacking/bold drums) ♪ (joyful fiddle/shoes clacking) ♪ (fiddle solo) - [Cara] Oh!

Everybody!

[audience cheers/shouts/claps] (shoes tapping merrily/no music) - Hey!

(shoes clacking) - Oh!

(shoes clacking) [audience clapping rhythm] (shoes clacking) - [All] Ooo-wah!

(shoes clacking) - [All] Ooo-wah!

(shoes clacking) - [All] Ooo-wah!

(shoes clacking) - Oh, here we go!

(fast percussive tapping) - Hey, hey, hey, hey!

(very fast percussive tapping) - Ho!

[audience applauds/cheers] - [Jon] Ready!

- One, two!

(joyful fiddle/shoes clacking) ♪ (ragtime keyboard/bold drums) ♪ (joyful fiddle/shoes clacking) ♪ ♪ ♪ - [Cara] Woo!

(bright joyful music) ♪ ♪ ♪ (music stops) - [Cara] Woo!

[audience applauds/cheers] (percussive tapping/no music) (synchronized percussive tapping) (synchronized percussive tapping) (synchronized percussive tapping) (synchronized percussive tapping) - Ho!

(synchronized percussive tapping) (synchronized percussive tapping) - Hey!

(fast synchronized percussive tapping) [audience cheers/shouts] (fast synchronized percussive tapping) [audience shouts] (frenzied synchronized percussive tapping) (fast synchronized percussive tapping) - [Jon] I'm done.

No more!

[audience laughs] (fast percussive tapping) [audience cheers/shouts] (fast percussive tapping) (fast percussive tapping) (clack!)

[audience cheers/applauds] (clack, clack) (percussive tapping) (furious percussive tapping) - Whooa!

(percussive tapping) (clack!)

[audience cheers/applauds] (slide tapping) (gentle guitar licks) (synchronized percussive tapping) (synchronized percussive tapping) - Hey!

- Oh!

[audience cheers/applauds] (bold drums/guitar music) - [Jon] We are The StepCrew!

♪ (synchronized percussive tapping) (light percussion/keyboards) (synchronized percussive tapping) (drums/bass) (synchronized percussive tapping) (soulful keyboards) (performer calls out off mic) (soulful keyboards/ bold drums/guitar) ♪ (percussive tapping/ soulful rock music) ♪ ♪ (bold guitar/keyboards) (percussive tapping/ soulful rock music) ♪ ♪ (performer calls out off mic) ♪ ♪ - [Nathan] One more time!

On the bass, Rob Becker!

[audience cheers] ♪ Guitars, Will MacMorran!

(funky guitar music) ♪ Piano, pipes and whistle, Arlo Quilley!

(upbeat rock music) ♪ That man on the drums, Angelo Christian Miceli!

(furious drums/ low funky bass) ♪ (funky bass/ soulful drums) ♪ Your tap dancers, Mika McCairley-Greenwell and Emily Yarascavitch!

[audience cheers/shouts] (funky bass/ soulful drums) ♪ (drums/fiddle) ♪ (dramatic keyboards/ bright fiddle) ♪ Irish dancer, Cara Butler!

(bold rock guitar/ spirited fiddle) ♪ (shoes clacking/ bold keyboards) ♪ (upbeat fiddle/guitar/bass) ♪ ♪ - [Cara] Give it up for Jon and Nathan Pilatzke...!

♪ (bold upbeat music) ♪ (joyful fiddle/plucky bass/ bold drums) ♪ ♪ (percussive tapping/no music) (drums) - Yeah!

(percussive tapping/no music) (drums) - Wow!

♪ (joyful music/ shoes clacking rhythm) ♪ ♪ ♪ (last note) [audience applauds/cheers] (clack!)

[audience applauds/cheers] [applause fades] - [Announcer 2] This program is made possible by support from these Inland Empire civic-minded organizations concerned with the cultural life of our communities.

The citizens that patronize the Bowl and viewers like you, supporting local public te levision in the Inland Empire.

Thank you.

(dramatic upbeat music) - [Announcer] Support for the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival on KVCR, comes from Amazon.

♪