Tapping the dance market

After River Dance first performed in Beijing, in 2003, Chinese audiences fell in love with Irish tap dance and many more similar shows toured the country, culminating in 2009's CCTV New Year Gala.

Dancers in Caution: Men at Work-Tap are firefighters and sanitation engineers, among other jobs. Provided to China Daily

Caution: Men at Work-Tap is based out of Los Angeles and was directed and choreographed by Alfred Desio, in 1999, and will appear in the capital after a nationwide tour.

The troupe combines tap routines, live music and percussion, and features 11 tap dancers and musicians from the United States.

Unlike their Irish counterparts the dancers set the lives of ordinary people to music, portraying people doing their jobs, from firefighters to sanitation engineers.

When the firefighters perform they do so with fire extinguishers, while garbage bins become percussion instruments.

The show was lauded after its premiere at the California Theater of the Performing Arts, for being so energetic and entertaining.

Desio, who passed away in 2007, was the inventor of an electronic system of tap dancing, called Tap-Tronics. Caution: Men at Work-Tap also sees an array of innovative lighting techniques and settings.

In another first a small band provides live music - drums, keyboards, guitar and violin - for the dance show. The music ranges from rock and jazz to country music.

Beijing is the final stop of the show's tour in China, having visited 14 mainland cities.