Mastering movement: River North Chicago Dance Company members hold master classes before performance

Before the River North Chicago Dance Company hits the stage of the Bedell Performance Hall at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus on Tuesday, area dance enthusiasts and students will have a chance to learn new techniques and specialized steps under the instruction of two of the company's professional dancers.

Sara Bibik, assistant to the artistic director of the nationally recognized dance company and one of its founding members, coaches the dancers who perform on the touring circuit.

Bibik said anyone who comes to a show performed by the company will see that the dancers are technical, and that the company's style has a lot of jazz and modern technique, which will translate to the attendees of the two classes being offered -- jazz and modern dance.

Bob Cerchio, assistant chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the university, said the company's visit will take students beyond their normal studio classes.

"It's really wonderful to have such a fantastic company doing classes for students," he said. "You can take a jazz or modern class all year, but to have someone from the outside come in and show you that your instructors aren't as off the wall as you thought they were, and take you even beyond where those instructors have taken you, is really cool," Cerchio said.

Bibik said the classes aim to offer dance students the opportunity to work on technique, focusing on how well students are doing a particular move.

Both of the dancers teaching the Monday classes, Lizzie MacKenzie and Ricky Ruiz, are soloist dancers with the company.

Bibik said the Tuesday performance will be enjoyable for dance lovers but also for people who aren't necessarily dance aficionados.

The dancers in the company are personable and the music is fantastic, she said, so the audience never feels like they are coming to see something they won't understand.

"The music is something they are going to be able to relate to, and the nice thing is there is a total of eight pieces throughout the evening, so even if one isn't your cup of tea there will be another one coming up," Bibik said. "There's a good chance that it will be one you will really love. What we constantly get from people is how beautiful the costumes and the lighting are. Visually, that's so exciting for the audience."

Dr. Marc Strauss, professor of dance, said every year the theater and dance department tries to bring in at least one outside choreographer for master classes. Strauss said the classes benefit students by giving them the chance to try the style of the company traveling through.

Last year, Decadance from Brooklyn demonstrated a hip-hop piece that Strauss said will end up in the dance department's spring concert.

He said dancers are notorious for borrowing steps, although it may not be conscious.

"In theory, there are really only so many moves a body can make," Strauss said.

He said university dancers in particular will recognize a lot of things in the classes, and will see steps they have been practicing in their pieces in different configurations.

Strauss said the River Campus has a lot of hardworking faculty artists but that it is also important to have outside professionals share their knowledge. He said he hopes the classes are viewed as a way of reaching out to the community, and that people from throughout the region will attend.

"Whatever your background, you can try it," he said. "These dancers always have a great way of touching the hearts, minds and bodies of the students, so we can't wait."

Bibik said the classes aren't geared toward beginners, but chances are if a student has some dance training they will find them beneficial.

The classes, which are free, last two hours and have a capacity of 30 students each.

The jazz class, taught by Lizzie MacKenzie, begins at 9 a.m. Monday in the dance studio inside Memorial Hall on the main campus.

The modern dance class, taught by Ricky Ruiz, begins at 2 p.m. in the same location.

To register, call Strauss at 651-5157 or e-mail mstrauss@semo.edu.

River North Chicago Dance Company will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Bedell Performance Hall.

Tickets cost between $26 and $32 can be purchased at the River Campus box office or by calling 651-2265.