As soon as we arrived at Santa Ana College, we knew by our company in the audience that our driving adventure to Orange County, California, was well worth it. Tap fans young and old were taking their seats as comfortably as sitting down to what felt more like a family reunion.

Tap Overload artistic director Mindy Millard introduced her program, “Sophisticated Syncopations,” by featuring young performers who exemplified the joy of a new generation of tap dancers—a theme that would serve the program well throughout the evening. A Latin-flavored piece, “Caravan,” choreographed by Erin Lee and Lia Spirka, featured some sexy rhythm variations and nice use of thefloor.

Chance Taylor, with brother Zane on horn, entered their “zones,” giving us the feeling that we were allowed a peek into what their personal world of rhythms felt like. They completed each other’s sentences, in phrases and nonphrases alike.

Hiroshi Hamanishi’s playful “Hide and Seek” concluded the first act. Clever use of the dancers sneaking up on each other was woven seamlessly into fun and entertaining transitions.

With an audience of venerable tap luminaries seated side-by-side with some of the newest members of this family we call tap, opening the second act with Gabe Copeland’s “Comedy in Blue” was a brilliant move and the perfect number to gather the tap family together.

It served as a reminder to young and old alike that our art form is about passing down a history, a heritage, and that tonight we were about to delve into the legacy of tap maestro Leon Collins.

As we’d learn from tonight’s guest star, Collins’ protégé Dianne Walker, Collins choreographed and tirelessly taught a series of dances to his students, who would then go on to pass them down to theirs. Hamanishi and Spirka perfectly recreated Collins’ Routine #1, followed by perhaps the quintessential tribute to Collins, “Dianne’s Medley.” What a treat! Syncopation at its best—perfection in rhythm.

Walker began by taking us to her first lesson with Leon Collins (“Hi, dumplin’!”), the teacher and mentor who changed her life, and reminded us that everyone starts someplace. And then she brought it all home, as only our tap family’s “auntie” could, reminding us of how tonight’s show began, with Millard’s youngest students, and paving the way for new possibilities in tap dance.

Sealing the idea of the familial, generational flavor of tap dancing, Walker was joined onstage by Tap Overload company members, one by one, in a sweet jazz waltz, jamming with silky camaraderie.

A dramatic finale of a well-rehearsed blend of live music, color, and sound afforded the company members the chance to prove they are as adept with their hands on drums as they are with feet on wood. This was a strong finish for an equally impressive evening. Tap Overload is an Orange County-based company whose work is worth the trip wherever they may be performing.