Against All Odds

Stacie Strong | May 11, 2008 | 4

Laura Chiuve performing with Chicago Tap Theatre. Photo by Josh Hawkins.

Dance is competitive, we all know that.  Anyone who wants to become a professional has to have a thick skin to survive all the corrections given by teachers and choreographers.  But what do you do if you are told time and time again that you'll never live your dream?  What if your problem is not your attitude, your work ethic or your training, but is instead the one thing you can't change - your body?  Read on to hear how one professional tap dancer - Laura Chiuve - overcame both the odds and the limitations of her own anatomy to succeed not only in tap, but in other forms of dance as well.

There are many who would say that Laura Chiuve is one of the lucky few.  In a profession where many try but few succeed, she is in the midst of an exciting career as a professional performer, working with choreographers from some of Chicago's top companies, including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Giordano Jazz Dance, the Joffrey Ballet and Thodos Dance Chicago.

Laura does more than that.  She is also helping to make history as a founding member of one of the tap world's most innovative full-time companies, Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT).  In addition to performing in CTT's three-show Chicago season (which allows her to be on stage as many as nine weeks out of the year), Laura has traveled in the U.S. and France, bringing CTT's unique style of tap to new audiences.  With all these accomplishments under her belt, it's hard to believe that she was told time and time again when she was younger that she would never become a professional dancer.  

Laura spoke to us about her career and her training in a story that is truly inspirational.

SS: So you're one of the founding members of Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT).  What's it like, dancing in an all-tap company?
LC:  It's great!

SS: You must have taken a lot of tap when you were younger.
LC: Well, yes and no.  One of the things that I think sets CTT apart from other all-tap companies is that most of the dancers have extensive training in all forms of dance. So even though we are "all-tap," our training in other genres gives our pieces another dimension, especially when we do a number with a story shaped around it. I love being able to incorporate and blend multiple dance genres together.

SS: Did you know what you were getting into when you first got involved with the company?
LC:  Not at all! Mark Yonally was my tap teacher while I was on scholarship at Giordano Dance Center. At the time, I was really focusing on my jazz training, but really enjoyed learning Mark's style of tap, even though it was very new and awkward for me at first (I cried after my first tap class with him, not because he was anything but wonderful, but because I felt so out of my depth!).

SS: What was so different about his style?
LC: Before studying with Mark, I had very classical tap training. I had never even heard of tapping with loose ankles! [Mark, and all CTT dancers, use the "loose ankle" approach taught by Sam Weber] Mark's class was a definite challenge for me. Still, after doing a few pieces for him for various shows, including Dance Chicago [a showcase production of professional dance put on annually in Chicago], Mark asked me if I would be interested in performing in a show he would be producing and choreographing for a small group of tappers. I was hungry for time on the stage, so I jumped at the opportunity. That show was the premiere of Chicago Tap Theatre. I thought that it was going to be a one-time thing at first, but as rehearsals progressed, and after a successful first show, I realized that it was only the beginning.

SS: What was it like being in a start-up company, and how have things changed over time?
LC: I love being able to say that I am a founding member of the company. Seeing where we started from really makes me appreciate the opportunities and recognition we are getting now. Things have definitely changed over time. For one thing, we are much busier, rehearsing more days a week, and performing multiple weekends for almost all our shows. And when people ask me who I dance with, and I answer Chicago Tap Theatre, the reaction I get is different from even a few years ago, because people now know the name and usually have really nice things to say.

SS: How is CTT different from other tap groups?
LC: One of the main things that sets us apart from other companies is that our shows always have a theme. Whether we are doing our holiday show, or performing with a live band, there is always a central idea to our productions.

Also, one of the main missions of CTT is the idea of using tap as a narrative art form to tell full-length tap operas, which we refer to as our "story shows." I cannot tell you how much I love it when I people ask me what show we are working on and I get to use phrases such as "a science-fiction tap dance opera set to the music of David Bowie."  It really intrigues all types of people, both dancers and people from the general population who may have no interest in dance. I think that is why we have grown so fast. Our work appeals to people inside and outside the dance population. It also helps that we have a great group of people who volunteer their time and connections to help develop the company. Without our support group, and their various insights and talents, I don't think we would have grown as fast as we have.

SS: Did you always want to be a tap specialist?
LC: Honestly, no. My goal has always been and still is to be the most versatile dancer I can be. The more styles you can train and immerse yourself in, the better dancer you will become in each genre.  For example, I do think that my training in other dance forms really helps me excel with CTT. Likewise, my tap training makes me stand out in other dance genres, since it reinforces my ability to really hear and understand beats and accents and move rhythmically.

SS:  What other kinds of dance do you do/did you train in when you were younger?
LC: I trained in ballet, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, musical theater and even a little pointe (which was definitely not my forte - little bit of dance humor!).  I also did a bit of theater in my local community and enjoyed performing in musicals. I still try to get to as many classes a week as I can to keep up my training, but sometimes it is difficult with my schedule!

SS: So what other groups have you performed with?
LC:  Starting in college [Point Park University], I danced in a production of "12 Dancing Princesses," choreographed by Pattie Obey, an international master jazz teacher. After I moved to Chicago and started training at Giordano's, I got to work with many of the teachers and company dancers there, including Jon Lehrer, former associate director of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, and founder of his own company LehrerDance. I was selected by Jay Franke, former Hubbard Street dancer, to work with him in a studio workshop piece called "Bach Hits Back." I got to perform choreography by Eddy Ocampo at multiple benefits for the Howard Brown Health Center. For two years, I was selected by dancers from Thodos Dance Chicago to perform their choreography at their annual New Dances concerts. Both of those pieces, one by Anthony Peyla and one by Hiliary Murphy, were nicely reviewed in the Chicago Sun-Times. The most recent non-tap performance I had was a benefit called "Art for Heart's Sake," produced and choreographed by Paul Christiano. I danced the piece "Miracle, Interrupted," which was a piece originally set on the Joffrey Ballet. Being able to learn and perform such a critically acclaimed and difficult piece has definitely been a highlight my in dance career (outside of tap, of course!)

SS: Wow!  That's an amazingly diverse resume.  How did that experience help (or hurt) what you were doing with CTT?
LC: There, of course, were some conflicts when doing work outside of CTT, with rehearsals and performances, and I had to balance the two. I think overall, though, working in the dance community with different sets of dancers helped me to promote the work I was doing with CTT.  In a way, I was able to get non-tappers interested in what we were doing and get them to come to see our performances.

SS: What do you do besides perform?
LC: When not working on my own dance career, I spend a lot of my time teaching dance in the Chicago suburbs. I currently teach tap, jazz, ballet, modern and lyrical five days a week, at two private studios and at the School of Dance at the Des Plaines Park District. The majority of my time is spent at the park district, where I also started a youth dance company called Artistry in Motion. Now in its fourth season, the girls dance throughout the community as well as in a two-show season at the Park District theatre. This past year, I expanded and added a second dance company for younger dancers called AiM2. These girls also attend dance conventions and are starting to compete. Last year I took over the position of School of Dance Coordinator for the park district. So now, besides teaching, I am involved in the basic day-to-day operations of the program, including developing a dance syllabus and curriculum for the students. It is a great opportunity for me, since someday I want to open my own dance studio (when my body is too old to perform!).

SS: So you're one of the lucky few who can support herself entirely through dance.  When you were growing up, did you get a lot of support from your teachers and family?
LC: My mom is my biggest support. Without her I would never have received the training or the opportunities that I did. She always told me, and continues to tell me, to follow my dreams. In addition, my main dance teacher growing up, Sandi Duncan, is also a huge supporter of me, and we are still very close. She is an amazing teacher and taught me many valuable lessons that have made me successful in my career. I am very grateful to both of these women.

However, I did also receive a lot of discouragement form different people in my life. I was born with a slight disadvantage for a dancer, with my hips rotated in. I naturally do not have great turn-out or a lot of hip flexibility, and had to work very hard to get the small amount that I have now. Because of this, I ran into many people who told me that I could never become a professional dancer, even though that was the only dream I ever had. I don't think they told me that to be malicious. I think they thought they were doing me a favor and saving me inevitable pain and heartache. Dance, however, is the only thing in the world for me. It is my passion and I cannot imagine my life without it. I knew I had to go follow my passion, so I decided to pursue a career in dance. Making that decision disappointed a lot of people, who thought I should go to college and receive a degree in a more worthwhile field. Even to this day, I have no idea what else I would do with my life if I wasn't involved in dance.

SS: How did you deal with the negativity at the time?
LC: Like I mentioned, I did have one amazing teacher who believed in me and guided me through my training. My mom also found me another great teacher outside my studio, who I worked with privately and who pushed me to my limits, because she knew I could do it. It felt great to have someone with her training and experience believe in my abilities. Other than that, I have just always taken every class and worked to the best of my ability. I am not a quitter and will never give up on myself, no matter how hard it may be at times. I know my strengths and my weaknesses, and I use my strengths to my advantage and acknowledge and work hard at my weaknesses. I have been told many times that I am a smart dancer, and that is one of the greatest compliments I have received.

SS: What do those people say now that you're living the dream?
LC: To be honest, I don't really communicate with the people who were negative to me in my life. I think that I have surprised a lot of people with my determination in what I have accomplished.

SS: How did your early experiences affect the way you dance now?
LC: I do still worry about where my limit lies. I have done so much more than certain people thought I could, and yet, there is still more that I want to accomplish. I worry sometimes that maybe I have reached my potential. However, I do think that I appreciate my accomplishments more because I had to work so hard for my success, and although it has been tough, I wouldn't change any of the experiences that it took for me to get to where I am today. I fully enjoy every moment I get on stage and do not take any of that time for granted.

SS: How did your early experiences affect the way you deal with your students, if at all?
LC: I have known many dancers who were gifted with natural abilities, but never succeeded at a dance career, because they didn't know how to work hard for their opportunities. I try to instill in my students the idea that no matter what your abilities or disadvantages are, you need to work hard to pursue a career in dance. Believe in yourself, and dance with confidence. I read a quote a while back that said, "professional writers are the ones who never quit." I think that applies to dance as well.

SS: What is your advice to someone who wants to become a professional dancer - especially a professional tap dancer?
LC: Tap specific, work on being clean and articulate. Develop accents and shading. Watch videos of the tap greats and learn from them. Practice improvising!

General random advice for everyone - if it is something you truly want, then work hard at your craft. Make yourself as versatile as you can. Take classes from as many people as you can. Learn about as many opportunities as you can. The more you audition, the easier it becomes. Make yourself stand out from the crowd. Always dance 110%. Go over the top; it is better to have to tell someone to pull back a bit, than to keep telling someone to give more. Never give up. Persevere. And most of all, make sure you are having fun!

SS: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
LC: Nope - I think I said it all and then some!  Oh, except that people should come and see CTT!

And that's the fantastic Laura Chiuve.  Catch her at one of CTT's many Chicago performances or touring on the East Coast later this year.  She'll be the one making those wickedly difficult steps look easy and natural.

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Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Studio, Performance (all tags)