STUDENTS LEARN FINE POINTS OF BALLET

About 30 Southeast Missouri State University students learned to point their toes, lift their chins and carry themselves almost like true ballet dancers Thursday night, and they learned it from one of the areas best teachers.

Ludmila Dokovdovsky, co-artistic director for the St. Louis Ballet, put two of Marc Strauss' dance classes through some professional ballet paces at the university's dance studio. Dokovdovsky often takes time to teach ballet workshops when her ballet company tours.

The St. Louis Ballet is in town for a Valentine's Day presentation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Show Me Center.

"Ballet is an athletic art form," Dokovdovsky said. "You need to be a good actor, you need to be physically very expressive and also do some very difficult feats."

Dokovdovsky said sometimes a visiting teacher can get an idea across that the class's regular instructor has been unable to do.

"This is what develops an audience for ballet," she said. "They have to learn how to hold their posture and how to turn out. How to move their legs and understand the concept of why you're doing what you're doing. Actually when you learn to do something like this you learn to appreciate the professionals, you understand them better. You have a concept of the difficulty."

Strauss teaches jazz and ballet classes at the university but joined his students at the rails as Dokovdovsky led the class.

"How can you appreciate dance unless you actually try it on for size," he said. "Some of the students are a little nervous about it but they're going to have it none the less."

Because of a recent hip surgery, Dokovdovsky was unable to do many of the moves she was asking the students to do. Instead she had two of her company's dancers, Alicia Whitehead and Jai Smith, demonstrate the positions. Dokovdovsky explained each move and even physically positioned some of the dancers that seemed to be missing the point.

"I still don't know what position five is," said Jim Jerls, a jazz class student. "Ballet is not me."

Darrell Broyles, another jazz student, bravely made his way through the 5-minute workshop even though in red gym shorts, white T-shirt and nursing a bad knee he seemed a little uncomfortable.

Jill Drayton, who was heavily involved in ballet before becoming a university student, said the experience was exhilarating.

"I haven't put on these shoes in five years," Drayton said, holding up her ballet slippers. "I just started ballet again this semester as a way to unwind. When this class came up I thought it was a great opportunity. This makes me want to go home and do some pirouettes."