Sports
Sheena Baskerville joins RMC as dance coach
Courtesy of RMC Sports Information Department
New RMC dance coach Sheena Baskerville.
After four straight invitations
to the United Dance
Association's national championship
competition, the
Robert Morris Dance team
will look to take another step
forward under the guiding
hand of new head coach
Sheena Baskerville.
"Sheena has some great
experience as both a choreographer
and team coach," said
RMC Athletic Director
Megan Smith Eggert when
announcing the appointment
on June 11, 2008. "Her enthusiasm
will help energize the
team's performance."
Coach Baskerville attended
Illinois State University
before graduating from
Columbia College-Chicago.
She has extensive credits as a
dancer, choreographer, and
educator, including several
stints as coach of high school
cheerleading and dance team
squads. She is the head of
the Urban Dance Force, a
professional dance company
based in Chicago. The
UDF's performing arts division
provides after-school for
the Chicago Public Schools
as well.
The RMC Dancers' new
mentor has worked with
many of Chicagoland's top
dance and theatre companies
and a number of local universities,
including the
Steppenwolf, the Gus
Giordano Dance Studio,
Northwestern University, and
DePaul University.
Several Chicago-based
musical artists have taken
advantage of her talents as
both a performer and choreographer
in video production.
"We've got a good base in
place for the program," says
the newest RMC coach. "I'm
looking forward to working to
grow the program in both size
and quality."
Former dance coach
Nicole Farinella will remain
affiliated with the program as
the Dance Recruitment
Coordinator for both the
Varsity and Junior Varsity
squads.
"The demands of Nicole's
job as Robert Morris's
Associate Dean of Admissions
made too difficult for her to
devote the time she wanted to
developing the program," said
Smith Eggert, "but she'll still
be involved in recruiting
dancers for the team."
The Robert Morris Dance
team has earned invitations
to UDA college
national championships
in each year
of the program's existence.
They also perform at
all home basketball
games and have a full
schedule of competitions.
They frequently
make appearances at
local events and
parades.
RMC students
have the opportunity
to participate as a
member of the Varsity
or Junior Varsity
Dances Squad or with
the Spirit Squad, a
more traditional
cheerleading team.