The Future is Vintage: Postmodern Jukebox dancer Demi Remick on dance, performance, and going viral

A dancer since a young age, Demi Remick is an accomplished tap dancer, choreographer, and burlesque performer, currently on tour with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. At 17 years old, she was named one of Dance Magazine’s ‘Top 25 To Watch’, and in 2024 even had a commemorative tap shoe made in her honour – the LaDuca 2024 LaSale ‘The Retro’.

Demi has been touring the world with Postmodern Jukebox for more than 8 years, performing to sold-out audiences at some of the world’s most iconic venues, and has also taught tap internationally, with a focus on youth ensembles. Demi took time from her hectic schedule to answer a few questions from us ahead of the New Zealand leg of the tour.

A lot of people think of tap as dance, but you’ve described it almost like being another musician on stage. When did you first start thinking of your feet as an instrument rather than just movement?

Demi: At 9 years old I met my first rhythm tap dance teacher at my hometown studio in New Hampshire. He mentored me and had me begin improvising, which means making it up on the spot, immediately. We discussed tap dance as music and movement— both equally important. You are representing a historic American art form that brought movement and rhythms of different cultures together… so it is important to represent both while performing.

Yes, the tap dancer is at the front of the stage taking a solo, but I consider every band member playing in my tap solos equally important. We are creating something together. Particularly in PMJ shows, I am communicating with the other band members as I perform musically. The band members hear when I add new rhythmic licks or take a musical risk. It is so fun— I can see the reactions on their faces or hear it in their playing! All the while, I’m ensuring I am performing and entertaining the audience with my physicality, joy, and athleticism.

When you perform with Postmodern Jukebox, you’re not simply adding choreography — you’re interacting with the band. How much of your performance is planned, and how much is about listening and improvising in the moment?

Demi: Whenever I receive a new PMJ arrangement from Scott I first memorize the entire piece of music. I make sure I know it inside and out. Then I roughly choreograph the entire solo aiming to highlight musical hits, feel changes, and arcs in energy. Now this is where it gets weird… after I choreograph the entire solo, I begin to improvise instead of perform the choreography. Naturally, my body remembers 60% of the choreography. Generally the important “landmarks” that highlight the energy shifts or exciting moments that I had made. I like this process because it gives my brain something to lean on. I’m aiming to create a structure I can improvise in rather than go on stage with no plan at all.

I would say about 75% of my PMJ solos are improvisation and 25% are choreography. But the structure always stays the same. This method allows me to respond live to the band, the audience, and be really present.

Postmodern Jukebox takes songs audiences already know and places them into completely different eras. From your perspective as a dancer, what does a great PMJ arrangement give you that a traditional dance piece might not?

Demi: A PMJ arrangement allows me to be more authentically myself. By modernizing old musical feels, I am able to perform in the vintage style I love while adding tap dance techniques I am diving into today. A PMJ piece also gives me an epic framework to be featured within. Because of the nature of Scott’s arrangements, tap dancers are featured in a way that hasn’t happened in years. He builds a playground for tap dancers to solo in featuring our personal style, technique, athleticism, humor, and artistry.

You’ve performed with PMJ for years and across thousands of shows. What keeps the experience exciting when you’re performing material that you know so well?

Demi: There are a couple of factors that keep the PMJ shows fresh for me. For one, I am constantly working with different musicians. Since PMJ functions as a rotating roster cast, I am always meeting, collaborating, and performing with new musicians and vocalists. For example, I have performed PMJ’s iconic, “Bad Romance,” with nearly 5 different singers! It is fun to develop a different way of performing that duet whenever I’m partnered with a new vocalist.

Also the improvisational nature of the tap dancer’s role in PMJ keeps it thrilling every night. Whether the band is hyping me up or the audience is participating… the theatre feels alive! PMJ is a live experience for both the audience and the band.

Is there a particular moment in the PMJ show — whether it’s a solo, a reaction from the crowd, or a musical exchange with the band — where you still get that “this is why I do this” feeling?

Demi: When I tap dance for the first time in a show on the PMJ stage, I always get that feeling. I know for a fact it’s the first time a lot of people in any audience have seen tap dance live. That carries great weight. I want this first encounter with a live tap dancer to leave them wanting more. In this show, the first time I tap dance is in the Super Mario Medley. I walk on stage and jump on the board in silence. I can hear and see the visible excitement in the audience as I begin to tap dance. Just the other night I heard someone say, “Ahhh I can’t wait!” Whether the audience is looking forward to seeing the PMJ tap dancer again or it’s their first time ever seeing someone tap dance— I am always grateful and feel “this is why I do this.”

You’ve been recognised as one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” and have worked across theatre, cabaret and concert stages. How has moving between different performance worlds shaped the artist you are today?

Demi: Yes! Having had the opportunity to perform tap dance in all these different performance arenas has made me an even better performer and artist. For example, PMJ fans are happy to be there. They bought the ticket to see us… you can feel that buzz in the crowd. Whereas, I have performed in circuses within casinos. Oftentimes, those audiences just walked in on a whim. In that circumstance you have to “win them over.” Earn the applause. In cabarets and burlesque shows, you only have 3-5 minutes to completely captivate an audience. In concert dance performances or when I guest perform with ballet companies, the audiences are formal and well behaved. There is an exactitude to those performances that is challenging for me, and I love it! All of these experiences and opportunities have fueled my knowledge as a performer. It’s so “showbiz” to have done it all in your career!

Your viral performances, such as your Super Mario tap medley, have introduced tap to a whole new audience. What’s been the most surprising reaction you’ve received from someone discovering tap through your work?

Demi: A fun fact about that Super Mario tap medley, (that has nearly 6 million views), is we did it in one take!!! It was insane.

Something I’ve loved hearing from viewers is that they’ve taken up local adult beginner tap classes after seeing my video or live performance. I’ve also received a handful of videos of children watching me tap dance and dancing alongside the tv screen to one of my videos. Tap dancers across the world have recreated their own versions of the Super Mario video and sent them to me. Some go as far as learning all of the steps I did in that improvised video. Crazy!

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to continue to create videos and perform live rhythm tap dance with PMJ — tap dance is a magical art form that is far from dead. It is alive and well and in every corner of the world.