Dance competition will raise funds, awareness for multiple sclerosis

Micheal Curry came to Southeast Missouri State University to play football, but a 2013 multiple sclerosis diagnosis nixed his playing hopes, leaving him to pursue his other childhood passion, dance.

But instead of just dancing for himself, he's using his talents to raise money for MS research. He and his friend, Dyvi'on Johnson, are organizing the Dance for a Cause: MS Awareness Dance Competition on Oct. 3 at the North Recreation Center on Southeast's campus.

"This event is really personal to me because I have MS," Curry said. "Dance has been a big influence to me. It seemed simple to do to have a competition to raise money for MS."

"I played sports all my life," he said, but added as a child, sports and dance weren't mutually exclusive activities.

Both are active, physical and expressive.

"I'd be walking behind my mom in Wal-Mart, dancing," he said, emulating his childhood dance heroes, including Missy Elliott.

DJ Zone Johnson, left, and Micheal Crank Curry demonstrate some of their dance moves on the Mississippi River river walk in downtown Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

He and Johnson, who came to college eying a computer animation degree, began to make a reputation for themselves around campus as "those guys who are always dancing everywhere."

"Everybody knows us for dancing around campus," Curry said.

But while Curry's formal dance education didn't come until he was grown, Johnson spent most of his time -- even in grade school -- studying dance.

"I've been in visual performing arts schools since elementary school. Initially, when I got to college, I said, 'That's what I'm gonna do,'" Johnson said. "Although I like art, my art is in my body."

Eventually, a professor from the dance department noticed Curry getting down just to get down and suggested he study dance at the River Campus.

"So I took ballet my second year, first semester," he said.

Past their shared love of dance, Curry and Johnson connected over a shared sense of purpose, ambition and clarity of vision.

"Our plan is to start our own company for dance studios," Johnson said. "We're trying to lay the foundations for what we want to do later on, once we graduate, with this event."

Johnson said if one is to have ambitious entrepreneurial goals, one also needs discipline and a proactive inclination. The pair said they're serious about formulating a business model that includes dance therapy for children with disabilities.

They see organizing the dance competition and their dance club, Fingerprint, as steps toward building a brand.

They started Fingerprint about a year ago, and the club has grown to include roughly 50 members.

Curry and Johnson approach club-building with the same dedication, teaching free dance classes Mondays and Wednesdays, focusing on hip-hop and technical dance.

"He came to me and said, 'Have you ever thought about making this a group?' and I said, 'You read my mind,'" Johnson said. "I was going to talk to him about that idea that same day."

But the competition will be open to the entire community. Five-person teams will dance off head-to-head, round-robin style.

"It'll basically be like a tournament with brackets," Curry said.

Registration will begin at 1 p.m. on site. The cost is $25 per team of five, or $2 for spectators. Southeast students, however, will be admitted free of charge. The event will run from 2 to 6 p.m. For more information, contact the event organizers at (662) 401-7033.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627

Pertinent address:

750 New Madrid St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.