By Mark Ambrogi
Tamara Lowenthal has long been using her feet to express herself.
The percussion dancer, who uses clogging, is half of the Bloomington-based duo of Fiddle ’n’ Feet. Her husband, Jamie Gans, plays the fiddle.
As part of the Peanut Butter & Jam series, Fiddle ’n’ Feet will perform at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 19 in the Robert Adam Room at the Palladium in Carmel. Erik Peterson will join the duo on banjo, mandolin and guitar.
The music ranges from Old Time Appalachia to Irish to French Canadian.
“We will invite kids to dance with us,” Lowenthal said. “I’ll do a little clogging demonstration and teach them some basics. Depending on how the event is staged, we might invite parents and children to participate in some kind of square circle dance.”
Lowenthal said they will sing some traditional songs such as “Turkey in the Straw.”
“The kids can help us sing it,” Lowenthal said. “It’s very participatory as we share music that had its roots in the late 1800s and early 1900s but still thrives today because it’s so accessible. The music is infectious. You can’t sit there silently. The kids love it. The adults usually love it as well.”
Lowenthal said she wants the younger audience to react to the rhythm.
“When I dance, I’m constantly responding to the rhythm of the music,” said Lowenthal, who also is a square dance caller.
Lowenthal and Gans have performed together for 20 years.
“I started in the early ‘80s and he started in the late ‘70s,” said Lowenthal, who also has a group called the Foot Squad. “We each performed separately before we met. Then we joined forces.”
Tickets are $10 per child. Two free adult tickets are given with each child ticket purchased. For more, visit thecenterpresents.org. For more on the group, visit fiddlenfeet.com.
