The following is a review from Auburn Reporter’s Rhonda Madison

Good things do come in small packages, as evidenced when pint-sized, tap dancing, dynamo Barbara Duffy and Company exploded onto the stage of the Auburn Performing Arts Center in the latest segment of the BRAVO series last Friday night.

With stylish syncopation and stomps, the all-woman troupe of performers showcased their talents, told their stories and shared the joy they’ve discovered in the soulful cadences of tap dance.

The performance of “Stages” was about much more than spotlights and backdrops, but about the stages, emotions and seasons of life. The dancers were an interesting blend of ages, shapes, and sizes and backgrounds with some falling in love with tap as toddlers and others discovering their talents in making music with their feet later in adulthood. One performer said she tapped as a tribute to her mother, while another said tapping is a “gift from God.”

A highly sought after master teacher, Duffy has taught at numerous workshops and festivals in 20 countries around the world, and Auburn was privileged to experience her artful instruction at workshops on Saturday at the YMCA and the Auburn Senior Activity Center.

“We do this to teach, share and pass it on,” Duffy said.

After returning to their home base in New York, Duffy was heading for Europe to tour as a soloist.

To learn more about the BRAVO Performing Arts Series, go to www.auburnwa.gov/arts or call 253-931-3043. The next performances will be March 26: A Couple of Blaguards; April 24: The Cabiri Carpathian Dawn.