Buckets and Tap Shoes dance up a storm

The sports stadiums may be just down the street, but on Friday night Minneapolis' Cowles Center was the site for spectators doing the wave -- at a dance concert, no less. Buckets and Tap Shoes, created by brothers Andy and Rick Ausland, seem to inspire this kind of enthusiasm from audiences wherever they go. Fleet feet, fast wit and funky rhythms combine for an evening of good vibes.

The Auslands got their start as street performers, and they lug their banged-up 5-gallon paint buckets onto the refined Goodale Theater stage just as if they were setting up to busk on a busy corner. After a boisterous jam session pounding out beats on these makeshift instruments, the duo get down to the seriously fun business of dancing, backed by a lively band featuring Lightnin' Joe Peterson (keyboard), Matt Stevens (bass), Varun Kataria (percussion) and CJ Vanderpoll (drums).

Don't let the Auslands' loose manner fool you -- these guys are hoofers extraordinaire. Each approaches the act with the classic tap-dancing stance of a relaxed upper body, but there are key differences in their styles. Andy is wicked fast, changing up his footwork with a hummingbird's pace, spinning his body like a top, rising high onto his toes. Rick is quick, too, but he has a smooth aspect to his performance, throwing in the occasional effortless glide. He is also the source of the occasional pratfall, sight gag and magic trick.

Some of the evening's best moments are the simplest. For example, each Ausland dances in the dark, chasing a flashlight's beam. Rick takes his turn out in the audience, testing out the sounds of different surfaces, from the concrete floor to the carpeted aisles, finding the resonance in the structure of the space. And at the top of the second act, Vanderpoll (now in tap shoes) joins the Auslands for an unembellished but altogether polished dance propelled by Preservation Hall-style jazz music. It's a swell moment seemingly imported from the streets of New Orleans.