There is talk often of the bottomless talent pool flooding St. Louis, though many of these skilled locals making major splashes go unnoticed by the masses.
Take 22-year-old dancer Jessica Cross.
This talented and disciplined dancing machine has participated in dance programs at every school she has attended n from grade school to colleges.
But now as a student at UM-St. Louis, Cross started her own dance company, Encore, which will be featured in the school’s fall concert.
Her 1-year-old dance company has coupled with Modern American Dance Company (MADCO) to present Sum of Motion, choreographed by Rob Scoggins, assistant professor of dance at UM-St. Louis.
Cross has choreographed her own number for her company’s part in the show, which runs nightly at 8 p.m., October 23 through 25.
Cross is an intern with MADCO, which is dance-studio-in-residence at UM-St. Louis. The hardworking Cross said she is thrilled and proud to be working with MADCO, calling it her favorite dance company in Missouri.
“I love MADCO,” said Cross, adding that while she would also love to work with international dance company Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, she is not necessarily interested in dancing for a professional company.
Don’t get her wrong n she will always dance, but wouldn’t want to do all of the auditions and tours, which is why she didn’t major in dance. She would, however, consider freelancing and choreographing.
Cross first studied forensic science at Saint Louis University and now studies business marketing at UM-St. Louis, something she said will help her in what she plans to do in dance in the future.
“I want to be more on the business side, doing grants and proposals to get funds for performances,” Cross said.
Working on the business said for the Missouri Arts Council, the Black Rep or MADCO would be ideal for Cross, a senior at UM-St. Louis.
But cross is quick to point out that she will never stop dancing and that dancing is more beneficial to people’s lives than most know.
“So many skills and values can be picked up in dance: confidence, discipline, punctuality, concentration,” Cross said.
Cross is trained in classical, jazz, ballet and modern dance, all of which her company performs, including a little hip-hop.
Her company performs for various organizations, on and off campus, and even gets into competitions. Encore recently won an all-Greek stepshow.
“We do a lot of stuff n we stay in business,” Cross said.
Encore is ethically diverse and encourages students from other schools to join.
“We’re so diverse, and everyone prides us on that,” Cross said.
During the second semester of her sophomore year, Cross was a member of a cheerleading team, but said it wasn’t close enough to dance. So Cross decided thinking of Encore as a way to give people an opportunity to dance instead of simply cheering.
Cross also designs clothes and made all of the costumes for her piece Bird Flu in the fall concert.
Her company’s number Bird Flu is a rite of passage, a celebratory tribal piece.
Cross is an Aries and grew up in North County. She attended Hazelwood East for two years and finished her high school years at Incarnate Word. She will graduate from UM-St. Louis in May 2009.
At that point she will decide if she will continue Encore, let someone else run it or earn a business position at an arts or dance company. But one thing is for sure: she will be dancing until she “can’t dance anymore.”
