Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: News

In preparation for their annual concert Allison Brinati and another member of EIU Dancers practice their dance routine on Feb. 17 in the McAfee dance studio. The EIU Dancers will have their annual spring concert this Friday and Saturday. (Karolina Strack/The Daily Eastern News)

The campus community can receive an array of dance forms performed by the EIU Dancers for their free annual spring concert, "True Expressions."

The recital is sponsored by the kinesiology and sports studies department and will take place at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday in the McAfee Gymnasium.

Dance forms such as jazz, modern, tap, ballet and hip-hop will all be incorporated into the show.

Jeanna McFarland, adviser for EIU Dancers and faculty member of kinesiology and sports studies, said there is something for all ages in the recital.

"It's a family show," she said. "We have nieces and nephews who are 4 and 5 and grandmas who are 90 who attend. There is something for everyone."

McFarland said the show is free for everyone.

"We do this show as a service to the community," she said. "We do not want cost to be a factor. We want to promote dance."

The EIU Dancers organization started in 1981 by Nancy Nordvedt, a then associate professor in the physical education department.

Since 1934, the kinesiology and sports studies department has sponsored the annual spring concerts.

McFarland said the recital this year would have 18 dance numbers.

"Every dance is different," she said. "This is something that the students hand-picked themselves."

McFarland said overall the dancers are a close group.

"The dancers are a tight-knit group, and I am very proud of them," she said.

Kimberly Zydek, president for EIU Dancers, said the group has worked on the show since September and have practiced 10 to 12 hours a week.





"It's a lot of dances to perfect and to make them look good," said the senior psychology major.

Zydek said she loves to perform amongst her family and peers.

"It's nice to have people you know come and see you dance," she said. "Sometimes if you tell them you dance, they don't believe you until they see you. Then you know how to dance."

During the show, Zydek will dance to "Dream On" by Aerosmith for her jazz lyrical solo piece.

Zydek said she does not mind being the center of attention when it comes to her solo.

"I do not mind it at all," she said. "I love performing. I have been doing it since pre-school."

Also for the show, the four officers for EIU Dancers will perform to "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel.

Allison Brinati, secretary for EIU dancers said the campus community could look forward to an up-beat style during this piece.

"It is a girl/guy dance and it is more up beat and just fun," said the junior elementary education major.

Brinati said she looks forward to performing and knows the show will be a success.

"The girls have been really great," she said. "They have really buckled down."

Lynn Gearica, treasurer for the EIU Dancers, said she also felt the group is well prepared for the upcoming show.

"We all know what we need to get done," said the junior elementary education major. "Overall this is so fun. When it is over it will be bittersweet but this is worth every minute for sure."

Another officer to help with the organization of the show is Lauren Kracik, a senior special education major and vice president for the organization.

Brinati said the campus community should support the recital that the dancers have worked hard on.

"One of the reasons to come is just to support Eastern," she said. "This is just another opportunity to just come together."


Jessica Leggin can be reached at 581-7942 or jmleggin@eiu.edu.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools

The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.

Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.

Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.

If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.