I choreographed the solo (Flute Quartet Op. 5, No. 1 in D Major) in ’86 and in ’92 Lai Hung Tam performed the piece, Wilson said. This year I’ll be dancing in her memory. I think there has been enough time passed that it is not so difficult for me to do, but I do think about her often still.

Wilson’s performance is part of the Southern Illinois Repertory Dance Theater’s annual spring concert, Dance Expresso. The repertory consists of 17 women who will perform several interpretations of modern, jazz and ballet dance. The showcase will begin at 8 p.m. tonight in Shryock Auditorium.

Wilson, faculty advisor of the program, has high expectations for the entire showcase of performances. She modestly said the advanced routines are sure to delight any crowd.

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We have included historic, student and faculty pieces. We are also paying royalties for the piece Partita V,’ which should show that our routines are difficult and involved, Wilson said. There is a lot of variety in terms of style and that is what makes this show so interesting.

I hope people leave entertained and wanting to see more.

Seven separate pieces are scheduled for the concert tonight, and Jennifer Nowacki, president of the organization, will partake in one of the pieces presented titled, Activate. The jazz performance she choreographed will be the last performance of the evening.

Nowacki, a junior in radio and television from Mt. Prospect, explained that her piece is an intense and elaborate form of jazz that might enthrall the audience.

It is a very fast paced song, something similar to what you would hear in a club, Nowacki said. With our variety of dancers it keeps the audience guessing what will come next. It is a constant movement with an upbeat flow.

Wilson said the addition of talented women such as Nowacki is an asset to the organization and the women work very diligently to provide an uplifting showcase.

Each dance has a two-hour rehearsal time per week, and we’ve been rehearsing for the show since the third week of this semester, Wilson said. The girls have worked very hard for this.

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It is during auditions that we look for intermediate and advanced dancers. The results are always pleasing to us.

Despite the vigorous conditions of auditions and time involved in perfecting the techniques, Nowacki said she feels the opportunity to dance is a reward within itself, and she will never turn away from this fortune.

Dancing, for me, is an escape from everything. I don’t consider it something I have to go to or a chore, she said. I simply can’t wait to go and dance.

Nowacki also feels that dancing is a personalized art form and there should never be any tension involved. She said the members of Dance Expresso are a team, and there is no room in the showcase for competition.

We all work together even though we all have our individual styles, she said. The dances and forms in the show are so different there is no comparison, so we can’t compete with one another. It would be like comparing apples to oranges.

Many elements are needed to create the utmost effectiveness for the show. Spacing and lighting props become crucial to the look and feel of the dancers. Hours are spent with the technical crew of Shryock Auditorium and compromises must be made between the technical crew and the choreographers.

Nowacki said the challenge to adapt a piece into an elaborate show is worth every effort put forth.

When you add lights to the piece and hear the music over the sound system, it totally creates a full and different picture than when you’re practicing with a little boom box, she said. We work with the lighting crew in Shyrock and play around to see what we like the best and what works out for our piece.

It is just amazing to see it all mesh together after the dedication involved.

Lighting became the key addition to Nowacki’s piece after she realized the appearance of her costumes where beginning to take on a new and interesting look.

We’re wearing silver costumes that appear to be almost a hologram in the light, she said. I know the lighting will have an enormous effect on my piece. It has definitely added something that was not present before.

Funding for the women’s costumes derive from ticket sales, and like many organizations, if funds are low they must improvise.

The only money we get is from the tickets and many times we have to end up making our own costumes, or use the ones from last year, Nowacki said. But there are times when we order them.

But it is the realm of dancing that captures the love and affections of the women, a feeling almost indescribable.

It is hard to describe the feeling I get when I dance, but I would say I get wrapped up in the movements, Nowacki said. And with the music you get to create a mood through expressing your body. It is something you just can’t do or feel in every normal day life.

Factoid:Dance Expresso will perform at 8 p.m. tonight in Shryock Auditorium. General admission is $6 and $3 for children 18 and under.

Tickets are available through the Student Center Ticket Office and at the door the evening of the performance.

For more information, call 536-2431.