Anyone who performs for a living knows it is a long, hard road until that first big break. Hours of practicing might heighten the chances of winning a spot on the big stage, but in the end, it all comes down to luck.

When Chad Wyler, native of Denison, Iowa and graduate of Drake University moved to New York in 1997, he got his big break.

Wyler headed to the Big Apple shortly after graduation to seek employment in the competitive field of performance, but unlike many aspiring performers, he actually won a job immediately after his audition.

And his job wasn’t a small, silent part in one of New York’s many musicals. It was a job tap dancing with the internationally known, critically acclaimed, theatrical dance company known as Tap Dogs.

Now, the Iowa native will return to his home state to grace the stage with Tap Dogs tonight at Stephens Auditorium.

Sheldon Perry, one of the original members of the company, said the group auditions new members about every nine months. He said many of the dancers who win a spot with the company don’t have similar backgrounds or training, and many haven’t even had experience tap dancing with such intensity.

Dancers who make it into the company are chosen based on their ability to move their feet. “[New members] work for the show because they’re good dancers,” Perry said.

Judging from the group’s history, “good dancing” has been a long-running theme since the group’s beginnings. The original cast of Tap Dogs met at a makeshift dance school in Newcastle, Australia, a steel town north of Sydney, where they all learned how to dance.

Six years after the boys graduated, Perry’s brother Dein called some of his Newcastle friends together to pursue his vision to dance professionally. “We kept in touch,” Perry said.

Some of the dancers had steady jobs in Sydney when Dein called, but because of their love for dancing decided to quit and pursue Dein’s vision.

So the six classmates, supported by a small government grant, started creating a dance show with innovative dancing techniques and calling themselves the Tap Brothers.

“I got back into it because I realized that was what I wanted to do,” Perry said. “There was a passion to make it work for ourselves.”

It wasn’t long before the group began drawing crowds with its unique show. In 1995, Dein was asked to choreograph the West End musical “Hot Shoe Shuffle.” Because the show called for a featured female performer, the company changed its name from Tap Brothers to Tap Dogs.

“Hot Shoe Shuffle” was the show that eventually launched the company’s popularity and earned Dein his first Olivier Award.

“The Lawrence Olivier Awards are the biggest theater awards in London,” Perry said.

Since its first award, the troupe has performed internationally at the Sydney Theater Festival, the Edinburgh Festival and London’s Sadler Wells. The group’s continued success led to another Olivier Theater Award in 1996.

Even though the Tap Dogs is technically a dance company, Perry said they are given theater awards because of the theatrical elements incorporated in their shows.

“We dance on metal and wood and up ramps,” Perry said. “We explore every avenue we can think of. There’s lots of heavy dance numbers and lots of light ones.”

For every number, specialized “tap” music has been created to go with each specific dance. Written specifically for Tap Dogs by composer Andrew Wilkie, the show’s music list contains everything from African rhythms to heavy metal.

“[The music] compliments the tap dancing,” Perry said.

Perry noted that during every show, two live musicians play on stage where the audience can see them.

“[The musicians] play in towers up behind us,” Perry said. “They like that.”

Wyler, Perry and the rest of the Tap Dogs will perform at Stephens Auditorium Wednesday night at 7:30. Student tickets are available for $20 and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster centers.