Soft Ice by Janne Eraker

Soft Ice is a new choreographic work by Janne Eraker, with three tap dancers and a guitar player. In this piece, Eraker works with a very specific tap dance vocabulary; the slides and scrapes. Three scenes of Soft Ice have been recorded for this album. In Dot/Line and The Arctic you can hear various types of scrapes, some are rough, with the edge of the tap, some have a smooth, ASMR-like quality. Dot/Line has strict improvisation rules, where one can only start and stop a line connected to someone else’s dot. The Arctic has a more free approach, but in turn only allows two types of movements; a half drag turn and an even circle with the ball of the foot. In Mosquito Blues the tap dancers are on socks (no taps = unamplified), and the guitar player is unplugged. We zoom in on the tiniest sounds, but in a traditional blues form. The material is a regular Hoofer’s timestep, with emphasis on the slide. There’s some creaking from the floor as well…

The album Soft Ice is released on the same date as the dance piece Soft Ice has its premiere; January 23, 2026.

About Janne Eraker
German/Norwegian tap dancer with a dance education from Oslo, Rotterdam and New York. Eraker is fascinated by the sound of tap dance, and has worked a long time to create all kinds of music with it. Her work spans from improvised concerts to choreographed dance pieces, collaborating with a wide range of artists. As a dancing musician, Eraker investigates the possibilities of amplifying, modifying and recording the sound of tap dance. Much like an acoustic guitar becoming an electric guitar, this results in new sounds and ways of using the instrument.

Janne Eraker has previously released 3 albums:
- Gol Variations (One Small Step, CD, 2022)
https://cleanfeedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gol-variations
- Movements for Listening (various artists, double vinyl, 2023)
https://escrec.bandcamp.com/album/movements-for-listening/
- Live (Øy, vinyl, 2024)
https://oyduo.bandcamp.com/album/live

Eraker's choreographic work consists of the solo's Rhythm is a Dancer and Tap Noir, and the new ensemble piece Soft Ice. In each choreography she deals with tap dance in a new way.

About Juhani Silvola
Finnish/Norwegian composer, musician & producer with a masters in electroacoustic composition from NMH (studied with Natasha Barrett). He is also a virtuosic guitarist playing traditional music & experimental jazz/rock/improv. In addition to solo works, he plays with Sarah-Jane Summers, Susanna Wallumrød, Frode Haltli's Avant Folk, and has played with Nils Petter Molvær, Splashgirl etc.

About Vilma Kananen
Finnish/ Swedish tap dancer. She received her training as a tap dancer at the Escola Luthier in Barcelona, studied music, and sings in successful Swedish bands. In her youth she was a competitive figure skater. She works as a dancer and choreographic assistant in the Sebastian Weber Dance Company.

About Gaëtan Farnier
French tap dancer based in Barcelona. He began tap dancing as a child and graduated from the Professional Tap Dance Program at Escola Luthier in Barcelona. He also participated recently in the professional tap program at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow school in the United States. Today he is a sought-after dancer in numerous projects, such as the Sebastian Weber Dance Company, La Banda Street Groove and Sabor - Life is Rhythm.

About Håkon Sigernes
Norwegian tap dancer, educated at the Millennium Performing Arts and Guildford Conservatoire in London. He is employed by the Actor’s and Dancer’s Alliance, and works in various dance productions, like Rock me Baby by Øystein Elle and Karstein Solli and Stepp Surprise by his own company Steppoetene.

Esc.rec. is a small, critically acclaimed record label for adventurous music, founded in 2004 by Harco Rutgers in Deventer, NL.

escrec.com