The hoofin' is cookin.'.

The smooth tones of live jazz piano, snare drum, and symbols permeate the sweaty air of the rehearsal studio. Add random staccato fragments as dancers practice a tricky sequence. The cast of Imagine Tap is taking a break from a rehearsal in early April. Down front on a massage table, Michelle Dorrance ("On the Rise," March 2005) gets her muscles smoothed out. Chloe Arnold leans over to tighten the screw of her tap.

A young woman takes a seat on a folding chair near the mirror. Lyricist and singer Crystal Joy is in jeans, but as soon as she opens her mouth, she becomes a steamy chanteuse delivering saucy lines: "I'll be the sugar in your cup of tea ... you make my oven go from bake to broil." On cue at, "there's a new chef in town," the youthful trio of Joseph Wiggan, Jumaane Taylor, and Jared Grimes makes its entrance for "Cookin'." Each takes a solo turn, and the piece ends with a gymnastic splash of jazz splits la the Nicholas Brothers.

When Imagine Tap opens July 11 for a four week run in Chicago's 1525-seat Harris Theater, it will be the biggest tap dance event since Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk. The production is the result of a creative partnership between Derick K. Grant, an original member of Noise/Funk, and Aaron Tolson, who has toured with Riverdance, and is backed by producer Cari Shein of South Bend, Illinois. The cast of 16 dancers is a veritable who's who of young tap talent, including soloists Bril Barrett, Ayodele Casel, Martin "Tre" Dumas III, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Ray Hesselink, Jason Samuels Smith, and Grant and Tolson.

But if one were to draw comparisons, Imagine Tap might be closer to Black and Blue, the Broadway hit of the '80s. "Black and Blue was the whole package. It was glamorous--over the top in terms of costumes, lighting, and music," says Grant. "For Imagine Tap I wanted designers who could come forward to match the level of the tap dancing."

Grant commissioned original live music under the direction of Broadway composer and arranger (and Noise/Funk alumnus) Zane Mark. "No matter how brilliant I think tap is," says Grant, "I know people don't want to look at it for two hours straight. I wanted to make the music worth the price of admission, with the tap dancing as a bonus."

In this case, that's some bonus. Grant says the show embraces all tap styles--not only the rhythm tap he grew up with. There are two break dancers in the cast (Ephrat "Bounce" Asherie and David "Cyclone" Allan), a hip hop choreographer (Emilio "Buddha Stretch" Austin, Jr.), and soloist Ray Hesselink who summons up the Hollywood glamour of Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, and Ann Miller.

A gig like Imagine Tap seems to come around once per decade, and that's something Grant would like to change. "The idea is to take destiny in our own hands, to elevate ourselves to creators rather than talent for hire," he says. "At 32 years, I have been through the wild 20s when I was ambitious and anxious to try anything. Then you get smarter as an artist. How can I get the most from my instrument?"

He points to the three new chefs in town. "These young guys are talented, but they don't have a platform," he says. "They have already found their individuality. It's rare to he focused in an individual style so young."

But what happens after Chicago? "If the product is good, maybe we'll have the opportunity to bring it to other houses." But for now he says, "Our job is to create the best show we can possibly do." www.imaginetap.com.