About the time everyone else was mashing avocados for guacamole or heating up chicken wings in the run up to the Super Bowl, I was scurrying to The Ringling to catch the last performance of “Counterpoint,” the latest in the museum’s terrific Art of Performance series at the Historic Asolo Theater.

“Counterpoint” is a collaboration between the classical pianist and composer Conrad Tao, and Caleb Teicher, who began his career as a founding member of Michelle Dorrance’s critically acclaimed tap dance company, Dorrance Dance, before branching out to comedic music theater, swing dance and a host of other out-of-the-box creative endeavors. On a stage with nothing more than a grand piano, a wooden platform and a chair, this perhaps unlikely pairing held the audience spellbound for 70 minutes with a musical/movement dialogue that drew its brilliance and novelty from each artist’s personality, style and mastery.

Tao appears regularly as a soloist with leading orchestras, as well as a classical recitalist, but his repertoire is hardly limited to the traditional. In “Counterpoint,” he veers from Bach to Brahms, stride piano to a delicate minuet and his own composition to improv. Teicher’s movement range is equally diverse; to call them simply a tap dancer is a massive understatement. Teicher has a body that articulates like a quivering leaf, bends like Gumby and at times seems possessed by an entirely external force.

Put the two together and you’re in for a wild and exhilarating ride.

The conversation begins with an aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, during which Teicher — in hard shoes with wooden toes akin to those used for Irish dancing — begins simply with soft circular scrapes of the toe along the tap platform. But the gentle susurration doesn’t last for long; by the second song, an improvisation in which Teicher takes the lead, there’s such a crescendo of rhythm and speed in the footwork that makes his collapsing into the chair at the end seem well-warranted.

That gives Tao the opportunity to show off his solo chops with a rendition of Arnold Schoenberg’s ironic take on the Viennese waltz while Teicher changes to a pair of soft leather shoes without metal taps. Then they’re both off to the races again with a jazzy Art Tatum number in which Teicher lets loose with a plethora of playful, comedic body twitches — a hip wiggle, a shrug, a head nod — that seem utterly natural and are equally irresistible.

Without musical accompaniment, Teicher then launches into a soft shoe number that alternates between suave and savage, then grabs a mic to explain its derivation as a choreographic collaboration between two iconic hoofers — the late Honi Coles (“the cool character”) and the now 88-year-old Brenda Bufalino (“the feisty diva”), who taught them the dance. As is often the case when I see a dance that fascinates me, I wished I could see it again immediately … and this time I could after Teicher called it “So nice, I’ll dance it twice,” and performed it a second time.

Though it wasn’t the finale of the program— that was reserved for another piano solo (this time a Ravel minuet) and a reprise of the Bach aria — the showstopper was George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” for which Teicher once again donned the hard shoes. It just may have been the best rendition I’ve ever heard of this famed and familiar work on piano, enhanced by the best percussion accompaniment ever supplied by Teicher’s flying feet.

Here Teicher’s comedic personality and physical prowess could really shine: They held on to one foot and tapped out a rhythm with the other. They slid (after making the sign of the cross) from a straddle stance into full splits as if their legs simply would not come back together, then popped up with arms flung wide like a triumphant gymnast. And Teicher finished with a barrage of about 30 seconds of continuous tapping escalating in speed to rival the fleetest flamenco dancer …. before falling to the floor in mock exhaustion.

By the time I headed home, traffic was thin. No doubt most people were glued to the television, anticipating the Bad Bunny halftime show. But I had no need for more. “Counterpoint” was a fully engrossing, completely satisfying exchange and better yet, no one had to go home the loser.

Next up in the “Art of Performance” series (Feb. 28-March 6) is “The Things Around Us,” a new work from the multi-disciplinary artist Ahamefule J. Oluo, that combines trumpet, electronic music and storytelling to create a narrative about the things that connect us all.

“Counterpoint: Caleb Teicher and Conrad Tao” was presented Feb. 7-8 at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater. Tickets for upcoming Art of Performance series at www.ringling.org/explore/art-of-performance; 941-360-7399.

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