What makes a tap dancer fearless? The combination of passionate dedication to the art form, dogged determination to persevere in the face of daunting obstacles, blind faith in the goodness of others, the adaptability of a contortionist, business acumen, an unstoppable imagination, and the energy and talent to transform dreams into reality. Oh, and one more thing—the heart of a saint! Mark Yonally, artistic director of Chicago Tap Theatre, has been such a one!
“We are doing what we are supposed to be doing, which is to surprise and delight,” Yonally said back in May when I interviewed him about how Chicago Tap Theatre was adapting to the restrictions COVID-19 had imposed on the performing arts. Now, nearly nine months since the pandemic arrived in Chicago, Yonally and his company are a model of creativity, resilience, resourcefulness and determination to go above and beyond to meet the needs of both company artists and their audiences.
Not one to let grass grow under his tap shoes, almost as soon as the March stay-at-home orders went into effect, Yonally convened his crew via Zoom to discuss what they could do. “Since we couldn’t produce a show or have our gala,” he said at the time, “we determined we could put up new, exclusive content every day.”
One of CTT’s first COVID response initiatives was an on-line tap dance book club, with published dancer/authors reading excerpts from their books and participating with viewers in group discussion. Another, “Tea On Tap,” is Yonally’s online interview show, to which he invites “the people we love and respect” to discuss their tap dance careers with him. Each interview ends with a two-minute tap lesson. On Tuesday nights, “Story Time” is Yonally’s 15-minute mini-lesson on the history of jazz music and tap. All three of these programs are free and open to the public. Weekly online tap dance classes are the company’s only fee-based educational program.
With a strong business model that has generated ongoing resources to keep the company afloat, CTT is one of the few dance companies in Chicago to continue paying its dancers.
Keeping the dancers actively engaged in choreographing and performing tap dance has been one of Yonally’s biggest challenges during the pandemic. “We knew that finding opportunities for them to continue dancing/learning/improvising/choreographing was critical to their mental health and well-being,” he wrote recently. Undaunted, he pioneered safe, socially distant rehearsal and performance opportunities and has successfully produced and staged three virtual performances.
The first, “30 Feet Together, 6 Feet Apart,” was a mid-summer, performance live-streamed from the Athenaeum Theatre and hosted by musician JC Brooks. With full lights, sound and four cameras, the 60-minute performance exceeded the company’s goals for number of streams purchased/watched.
Last month, Yonally staged “Safe and Sound,” the company’s 18th season opener, intended to be performed live from the intimate “Rooted Space.” When increasing rates of COVID infection threatened a new lock-down, the company quickly pivoted, moved up the date of filming and managed to tape the show just days before new restrictions would have prevented them from accessing the space.
CTT wraps up a busy year this week with a virtual reprise of last year’s annual “Tidings of Tap,” preceded by a brand-new pre-show introduction.
New initiatives include giving the dancers in the company more opportunities to develop and present new work, thereby incubating new choreographic talent. Another has been bringing the musicians into rehearsal more often and giving the dancers more rehearsal time with them.
After George Floyd’s tragic death, CTT became “ever more aware of our responsibility to be respectful of the fact that we are a multicultural company, led by a white artistic director, working within an art form with Black roots,” Yonally said in a recent email. Planned leadership changes have also diversified the upper echelons of the organization. JC Brooks stepped in as music director for several shows when former music director Kurt Schweitz relinquished that role two years ago (Schweitz continues as a musician with CTT). Brooks is now the official music director and company dancer Sterling Harris was promoted to rehearsal director following the departure of Kirsten Uttich.
Another virtual show in a smaller space is planned for March or April, featuring new work by company members along with some favorites from company repertory. And lest you be missing the annual delight of Chicago Tap Theatre’s iconic story-theatre tap dance spectacles, the company is planning an all-new show set in the world of magic for this coming July, with music by Brooks and directed by Mike Weaver. Oh boy! Can’t wait!
Mark Yonally and Chicago Tap Theatre truly set the bar high for Fearlessly Inspired leadership and initiative in these challenging times. Bravo! May you go from strength to strength!!
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Editor's note: This year, See Chicago Dance is highlighting three artists or organizations that epitomize our mission to fearlessly inspire an ever-growing, inclusive community to share in and spread the power of dance in Chicago. As 2020 draws to a close, these are shining examples of resilience, aadaptability and artistry in an extraordinary year. Check out the whole series and, most of all, please continue to support and see Chicago dance. —LW
