Chicago Tap Theatre is taking the stage on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 28-29, at 8 p.m. at Hope College at the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland.
Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) has been described as "inventive, family friendly and rhythmic" by the "Chicago Tribune." The company's mission is to preserve the quintessentially American dance form of tap and to take tap to the next level of creativity and innovation. CTT works to bridge the gap between tap and other forms of concert dance (such as jazz, ballet and modern) by adopting a conceptual, story-based and more emotional approach to its work.
Chicago Tap Theatre was founded in 2002 by Artistic Director Mark Yonally, an internationally acclaimed dancer with experience with the Bill Evans Dance Company and E.T.C. Yonally believed that the time was right for tap dance to expand its artistic horizons and formed a company with a mission to innovate tap dance while simultaneously helping preserve its rich history.
Chicago Tap Theatre performed as a guest in numerous Chicagoland productions while also self-producing five full-length shows during its first three years, and produced its first three-show season in 2004. Since then, CTT has toured cities in the south of France, worked with Bill Evans, told the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, performed numerous secular holiday shows and appeared at events including Lollapalooza, the Jazz Dance World Congress and the Ravinia Festival. The company's works have included "Changes," a science fiction tap dance opera set entirely to the music of David Bowie; "Mixology," which incorporates a mixture of tap dance to live music; and a collaboration with comic book artist Andrew Pepoy ("Superman," "X-Men," "Fables") for "The Hourglass in the Stop-Time Chronicles," a tap opera with a comic book/superhero theme.
Tickets for Chicago Tap Theatre are $10 for regular admission, $7 for senior citizens, and $5 for students and children. Tickets are on sale at the ticket office in the main lobby of the DeVos Fieldhouse. The ticket office is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890. Tickets will also be available at the Knickerbocker Theatre one hour before the performance.
The DeVos Fieldhouse is located facing Fairbanks Avenue between Ninth and 11th streets. The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. Eighth St.