Ad of the Day | G-Star's Contemporary Take On Tap Dance Is A Sublime Synergy Of Dance

Jan. 14, 2022

Following on from G-Star's recent collaboration and campaign with Snoop Dogg, the denim brand is building on its Hardcore Denim campaign with an artistic and aspirational new brand film by creative agency, The Family Amsterdam. The campaign captures an artistic interpretation between two world class tap dancers - expressing themselves without the use of language, with dance as a dialogue and denim as their uniform. 

The film sees world-class tap dancers in a dance-off shot in architecturally stunning surroundings. The high production values and epic performance create a bold, immersive experience.

The new campaign is made by G-Star's lead creative agency, The Family Amsterdam, an independent agency founded in Amsterdam that has been working with G-Star since 2019. The film is directed by one of Amsterdam's leading directors, Paul Geusebroek from HALAL Amsterdam and it effortlessly fuses exquisite cinematography, sharp direction and contemporary choreography with the talents of dancers Kamira Samuel and Lee Howard, resulting in a mesmerising TV commercial and online video.

Beautifully crafted, with a magical fusion of dance, cinematography, soundtrack and camera tricks on a par with Hollywood movies, the film is made up of three "acts".  The story opens on the two lead dancers performing separately but echoing each other in a balletic call and response, as they tap a sort of morse code before meeting and dancing together, then later merging with a troupe of tap dancers - who on closer inspection are doubles of the dancers themselves. The edgy choreography subverts traditional tap dance, incorporating body claps with conventional tap, which combined with the contemporary styling of the G-Star RAW Hardcore Denim collection, perfectly showcases the craft and tailoring of the clothes.

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."

 

Gwenda van Vliet, Chief Marketing Officer, G-Star, comments:

"We love to show all sides of denim at G-Star. This film emphasises the artistic side of the brand. 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."

 

Paul Geusebroek, Director, HALAL, says:

"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."

 

The compelling dance routine combined with the G-Star RAW collection worn by the dancers, the minimalist interiors, and sparse but powerful and dramatic music composed by Sizzer, is further heightened by the flawless camerawork and the use of a high-speed Bolt camera, with post-production by Ambassadors.

World Champion Tap Dancers

The full denim styles were brought to life by two world-class tap dancers - World Tap Champion, Kamira Samuel and leading Broadway performer, Lee Howard. Each dance movement showcases the premium, multi-functional looks from G-Star’s latest Hardcore Denim collection. Tap dance is brought firmly into the 21st century by choreographer Jack Evans, who has created a perfect synergy of dance, music and denim. Evans is a London-based choreographer who has worked with musicians such as Billie Eilish and Stormzy.

Jack Evans, choreographer, says: 

"The simple premise of two characters in separate locations communicating transcendently through rhythm gives a contemporary lens for us to view tap dance in its rawest, most authentic form."

 

The campaign launches globally today on G-star.com as well as on TV, digital and social platforms, with a specific media focus on the US, Germany, Netherlands, Japan & South Africa.