Mark Yonally has been performing for over 40 years and teaching for 33. He has performed in over eight countries as a soloist and as a principal dancer and choreographer with the Bill Evans Dance Company and Especially Tap Chicago. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Chicago Tap Theatre (in residence at the Visceral Dance Center), which presents a 3-show season in Chicago every year as well as touring nationally and internationally. In 2016 he choreographed and danced the lead in TimeSteps (a time travel love tragedy tap opera), which was selected as the Best New Production of 2016 in the Dance Magazine reader’s poll. That same season Chicago Tap Theatre made the Top 10 list in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Windy City Media and SeeChicagoDance.

As an educator, Yonally has made a name for himself with his high energy, engaging and deep approach to tap education. His teaching typically encompasses technique, combinations, rhythm and improv games, history, theory, and music literacy. He has taught in a multitude of settings and scales the materials and energy to each group. He has taught for the Twin Cities Tap Festival, the Maui Tap Experience, the New York City Tap Festival, and others. Mark judges for Ovation Dance Challenge and In10sity.

Twenty years ago, he created the first Rhythm Tap syllabus for Oklahoma City University, where he taught some of the leading dance artists of today. He is a frequent guest teacher at Hope College. 15 years ago, he created the Feel the Rhythm methodology to teach tap dancing to populations who are deaf and hard of hearing. Though Mark frequently teaches all over the country and in Europe, he is especially proud of the 22 years he has taught at Talent Forum, working with the celebrated Footprints Tap Ensemble.