Ron De Jesús, founder and director of Ron De Jesús Dance, joined the SMTD Department of Musical Theatre as assistant professor in 2012. De Jesús is the artistic ambassador of Northeastern Illinois University and artistic associate for StagePlays Theater Company in New York. He has received many awards including the New York Musical Theater Festival Award for Excellence for Best Choreography and the Chicago Music & Dance Alliance Award for Best Choreographer.

Each session features a different guest artist who teaches a masterclass and sections from their repertory—this panorama of the contemporary dance field is presented to broaden the student’s awareness of what career possibilities are out there. The guest artist conducts a 30-minute technique class/warm-up and then teaches repertory that is performed by the class.

In the final 15-20 minutes faculty coordinator Bill De Young conducts a Q and A interviewing each guest artist about their career and what recommendations they have about the transition from student to professional and what they look for when they audition dancers for their projects