Dance Review by Sarah Osterman Myers

Published on Chicago Stage and Screen

ShoeStrings- performed by Chicago Tap Theatre

It only took eight dancers and five musicians to fill Athenaeum Theatre’s Studio 3 with thousands of vibrations. Using their every last ounce of charisma and showmanship, Chicago Tap Theatre produced a cornucopia of heavy-duty tapping and intricate sounds throughout their debut of ShoeStrings, which proved to be as technically and rhythmically rigorous as it was entertaining.

During an unusually solemn but empowered pause between tap numbers, featured guest Zach Uttich read a poem by Mike Fletcher: “Strong vibrations change us… strings are our humanity.” And throughout the evening, Rich Ashworth’s choreography explored that very notion, using an hour and ten minutes to define and demonstrate the many usages of string. After all, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary says it can be a noun— material such as thread, cord, yarn, even a musical instrument— or a verb— to hang something so it stretches in a long line.

The noun was everywhere— the most obvious representation being the on-stage musicians who accompanied the tapping with various string instruments, including a bass, cello, guitar, violin, ukulele and, most impressive of all, a Brazilian, single-stringed berimbau, which Music Director Kurt Schweitz learned how to play a week before the show after discovering a shortage of Chicago berimbau players. Other times, the dancers used string as an object and played with yo-yos, ate string cheese, squirted silly string and tied shoelaces. At least once, the literal became more abstract, and string became an invisible impetus for marionette movement, allowing the dancers to temporarily let go of their coordination and flop around with loosened limbs.

But when string was embodied as a verb, the show became unstoppable. The performance was stretched into a long line of fourteen segments, each introducing new music, choreography and relationships to the audience. Sometimes breaking up a show into small fragments can result in disorientation, but momentum stayed true throughout ShoeStrings, possibly due to strong choreographic choices and the successful stringing together of technique, personalities, humor, text and thematically constructed moments.

Some highlights included Stay, the funky, lighthearted opener danced to Wasting Time by Dave Matthews Band, which set the mood perfectly and showcased the company’s rapport and group ability. Despite strong group numbers, some of the most resonant moments were the solos and trios, especially Ashworth’s improvisation to Bella Luna by Jason Mraz. He tapped as though in a trance around a single, dangling light bulb as Mraz’s lyrics— “A supernatural nightlight, so full but often right”— backdropped his percussive footwork. An all-male trio to Berimbau Blues by Dinho Nascimento was a true artistic treat and departure from the evening’s general joviality, allowing Ashworth, alongside Artistic Director Mark Yonally and Dancer Matt Pospeshil to free their collective mad genius in t-shirts and jeans under simple blue lighting.

Chicago Tap Theatre’s ShoeStrings is a collision of unparalleled footwork, live music and storytelling that dares the rest of the tap world to elevate its game. Don’t miss the next two performances at the Athenaeum Theatre located at 2936 N. Southport on September 6th at 8pm and September 7th at 3pm. The cost of admission is $35 for adults, $27 for seniors, and $22 for students and dancers. Tickets are available at the Athenaeum box office, by phone at 773-935-6875, or online at http://athenaeumtheatre.org.

Tags: Chicago Tap Theatre, Athenaeum Theatre, Mark Yonally, Rich Ashworth, Jennifer Pfaff Yonally, Kirsten Uttich, Sioned Papparotto, Matt Pospeshil, Jessica Williams, Hannah Wilson, Kurt Schweitz, Tristan Bruns, Anna Gillan, Anna Rhoads, Javier Villamil, Sarah Osterman Myers