Point Park University dance student Caitlin Gudat has just been named the winner of Chicago Tap Theatre's nationwide "Innovation in Tap Choreography Competition." In addition to having the honor of setting her original work, "Wade," on one of the nation's most exciting and accomplished professional tap companies, Caitlin wins a round-trip ticket to and accommodations in Chicago, as well as a $1,500 choreography fee.

Late in 2007, Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) announced that it was sponsoring a nationwide choreography competition to encourage and support those who were working in new modes of tap choreography. Mark Yonally, the Artistic Director of CTT, is a big supporter of young talent and wanted to provide emerging choreographers with the opportunity to work with a large professional company. Out of all the applicants, Caitlin Gudat, a 22 year old senior BFA jazz/modern major at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, caught the competition committee's eye and won first prize. Caitlin, who hails from Indianapolis, Indiana, will be moving to Chicago after graduation to pursue a dance career. Caitlin answered a few questions about "Wade," the choreography process and tap in general.

SS: So what drew you to the "Innovation in Tap Choreography" competition?
CG: Last summer, I was living in Chicago, trying to get into the dance scene. The first week I was there, I happened upon a class that Mark Yonally (Artistic Director of Chicago Tap Theatre) was teaching at Giordano Dance Studio (in Evanston, just north of Chicago) and loved it. I made it my weekly treat to trek up to Evanston for his class (and a smoothie from next door!). One week he mentioned that CTT was putting on its summer show, so I thought it would be fun to go. On one of the pages of the program, there was mention of the competition. When October rolled around, somehow I remembered, checked their website (www.chicagotaptheatre.com) and sent in my application.

SS: So you had seen CTT in performance before you applied for the competition.
CG: Yeah, I love them. The first thing I saw them do was The Hourglass in the Stop-Time Chronicles at the Athenaeum Theatre. It was crazy creative -- a superhero/comic book tap opera. Who knew anyone could tap in giant yellow gogo boots like that? Then I got to see Mark Yonally improv with his jazz band, The Rhythm Four, at Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville, which was definitely a cool scene. I also got to see the company at the Jazz Dance World Festival show at the Harris Theater -- it was quite a busy summer for them!

SS: How is CTT similar (or different) to what you want to do as a choreographer?
CG: I love CTT's range of styles, which is great for anyone! Tap is always changing, but there is still such a connection to its history at the same time. From everything I have seen, Chicago Tap Theatre is constantly playing with both ends of that spectrum. I had very classical training growing up, and as I have gotten older, my range of styles has varied. I like the clarity as a base that classical training provides for contemporary tap choreography. This project, especially, is something I'm very excited about!

SS: What's your dance background?
CG: I have been dancing since I was tiny. My mom, Diane Gudat, owned the studio where I grew up, so I was introduced to many different things as a young dancer. I took tap, jazz, modern, ballet and acrobatics. My mom, a tapper herself, loved to take me along to classes in New York. That started my love for class, and I started going to conventions and a few competitions here and there for performance opportunities. My senior year of high school, I worked out a program to exchange my third and forth period classes to take class with Dance Kaleidoscope, Indianapolis' modern company. There I alternated ballet and Graham classes every day. My favorite training, though, came from the summer programs I was fortunate enough to attend at studios across the country. Not only were the classes great, but some of my best friends came from those summers. In college I have taken a lot of contemporary, jazz, modern, ballet, Pilates, choreography and tap, as well as scores of other awesome classes. I have many opportunities to work closely with guest choreographers, for which I am very grateful. I have also had the chance to do some choreographed and improv tap work for The Pillow Project, a company in Pittsburgh. Through that I have been able to improv with live jazz bands, with partners and with vocalists, incorporating a lot of innovative ideas.

SS: Is tap your favorite type of dance?
CG: I tap for fun on Sundays, so I would say so! Tap always makes people happy, me included.

SS: Several CTT dancers (including rehearsal director Kendra Jorstad and founding company member Laura Chiuve) also attended Point Park University. How do the tap classes measure up there? Are they good training for an aspiring tap professional?
CG: Point Park has some wonderful tap teachers, but I think it's just a well-rounded program that makes it able to produce professional dancers, either in tap or in other disciplines. Jodi Welch, the advanced tap teacher there, is one of the most articulate teachers I've ever met. She can make up a combo that I will still be trying to figure out days later, and I think that's a good class! Since it is nearly impossible to fit tap into a college semester more than once or twice, my freshman year a friend and I started the "tap club." We try to meet once a week and just jam, make up tricks, try to out-tap the other... anything fun we can think of. It has seen some major interest, and I think it's this love of tap that keeps us always aspiring to be better.

SS: What was your thinking behind your submission "Wade?" What were you trying to do with this piece?
CG: "Wade" is my attempt to blend tap with contemporary dance. I wanted a piece that, if for some reason you saw it from the knees up, you wouldn't realize was tap. I also wanted it to be very layered and interesting acoustically. I really wanted to explore where tap could go and try to reach maybe a different crowd of people than the usual hoofer or classical tap audiences.

SS: How do you think working with CTT is going to help you as a dancer/choreographer?
CG: Any chance to choreograph is a learning experience. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to work with professionals on this one! The process is definitely making me work organizationally, and I'm really excited to teach it!

SS: Is there anything else you want to tell our readers?
CG: I would love to mention both the artist of my music and the artist of my set. My music was composed for me by a school friend and vocal artist, Phil Rizzo. We took some time a few summers ago and rearranged the classic spiritual, "Wade in the Water." We put it into 6/8 time to make it interesting, and he did all the hard work and produced this song. My set was constructed by my boyfriend, architect Philip Haywood. He designed and built the multiple platforms used by the dancers and carted them to Pittsburgh for the first run of the piece. I am very thankful to both for their artistic input, and I think it's collaboration like this that keeps the arts so fun!
"Wade" will be premiered by Chicago Tap Theatre sometime during the company's 2008-2009 season. Keep your eyes open for this exciting new piece, and for future news of this promising new choreographer!

Interview by CTT board member and tap enthusiast, Stacie Strong.

CTT's Choreography Competition is made possible by a grant from The Saints.