The acclaimed Chicago Tap Theatre will bring the Chicago Jazz Club experience to East Central University’s Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015, by recreating the sights and sounds of a smoke-filled Chicago supper club with internationally-acclaimed dance works and music.
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.
A celebration of tap dance and live music from the 1920s to the future, Chicago Tap Theatre presents the best in tap dance, from historical pieces from the past to the innovative and compelling original work for which the company is known. High production values and dynamic performances are the hallmark of this family-friendly, accessible show.
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.
While on ECU’s campus, Chicago Tap Theatre will conduct a master class for local students.
Tickets are $25 and may be purchased online at tickets.ecok.edu or at the box office the night of the show. For more information about the performance, contact the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center Box Office, 580-559-5751 or visit ecok.edu/FineArts. This event is sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council.
Group discounts are available. Groups of 10-25 will get a discount of $6 per ticket ($19). Groups of 26-50 will get a discount of $7.50 per ticket ($17.50) and groups of more than 50 will get a discount of $10 per ticket ($15).
“This is a great opportunity for dance studios and companies to attend as a group and get the discount rate,” said Dr. Brad Jessop, professor and chair of the ECU School of Fine Arts.
Any dance student that pays the $30 master class fee, will appear on stage with the company in the closing number. That student will receive free admission to the performance for themselves and an accompanying adult, according to Jessop.
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