The Art of Tap Dance Perfectly Synchronizes with Denim

With a philosophy based on Hardcore Denim, Dutch clothing brand G-Star RAW keeps on manifesting the passion it has for denim by tapping into creativity. Last year, the company collaborated with famous rapper Snoop Dogg — who, just like denim, needs no introduction — for a custom-made soundtrack, “Say it Witcha Booty,” in which G-Star fuses its ideology with the artist’s sense of humor to champion denim booties.

The brand moves forward, continuing to express its Hardcore Denim campaign via a rhythmic, non-verbal dialogue. Drawing inspiration from the urban tap movement that is making waves at a global level, G-Star asked two world-class tap dancers to express without using any words, “with dance as a dialogue and denim as their uniform.”

As part of the latest initiative, the audience is able to witness an extraordinary symbiosis between music, dance, and denim, which concludes into “The Rhythm of Denim,” an outstanding performance that can be admired on TV screens and online. Overseen by independent agency The Family Amsterdam and directed by Paul Geusebroek from HALAL Amsterdam, the spot presents World Tap Champion, Kamira Samuel, and leading Broadway performer, Lee Howard, synchronizing their talent with the rhythm of denim.

Split into three “acts,” the video opens up with the two dancing in separate places. Soon, they become aware of each other after discovering that their tap moves find their “echoes” somewhere else. As they continue tapping, the dance evolves, and the storyline becomes more exciting with each move they make. The intense choreography, behind which stands Jack Evans (a London-based choreographer who worked with famous artists such as Billie Eilish and Stormzy), is adapted to the 21st century, combining conventional tap with body claps. When put into the context of the contemporary styling of the G-Star RAW Hardcore Denim collection, one can almost see the passion with which the company designs its clothes.

Commenting on the ad, Joris Kuijpers, Executive Creative Director, The Family Amsterdam, says: “We’ve fused tap dance with G-Star RAW Hardcore Denim to create an unexpected combination that flies in the face of convention and creates something new — which we think looks and sounds quite magical. This contemporary and cinematic take on tap dance was only made possible by (as always) working closely together — like a family — with the team at G-Star, the director Paul Geusebroek and his crew at HALAL, alongside Jack Evans, the stellar choreographer, the world-class dancers, and the team at Sizzer — whose music took the final film to a new level. It’s been a meeting of minds and a true team effort.”

Paul Geusebroek, Director, HALAL, adds: “Tap dance has a bit of a classical and stuffy image, so I saw it as a great challenge to portray it as something contemporary and unpolished. What inspired me in the initial talks with Joris at The Family is that Tap is the only auditive dance that we could think of. We came up with the idea that tap sounds could form a conversation, a calling between two people that don’t have to physically see each other.”

According to Gwenda van Vliet, Chief Marketing Officer, G-Star, the clothing company likes to show all sides of denim, noting that the film amplifies the brand’s artistic side. “Denim, dance, rhythm, it all comes together in a great storyline around a dialogue between two people. You feel the passion and energy of all the people who worked on it,” says van Vliet.

In enabling the film to manifest like a cinematic piece, the team combined the dance with the G-Star RAW collection, the minimalist interiors, and dramatic music developed by Sizzer. Camera tricks were added to further enhance the dance that almost feels like being magical. The post-production was handled by Ambassadors.

The campaign launched globally on the brand’s website as well as on TV, digital, and social platforms. The US, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, and South Africa are given a specific media focus.