When the River North Chicago Dance Company appears Sunday at Leeward Community College Theatre, audiences can look forward to a program that offers something for everyone. Praised by critics and audiences alike, the company sizzles with energy and talent.

Formed in 1989, River North Chicago was created as a showcase for Chicago's wealth of jazz dance talent. Although it developed slowly from a small ensemble to the current complement of 13 dancers (one is undergoing knee surgery and will not be seen in Hawai'i), the company has succeeded to the point where its dancers are contracted for a large part of the year. In addition to performing in its hometown, it tours the Mainland and abroad. The company now includes dancers from England, Canada and South Korea.

Directed by Frank Chaves, a former dancer with New York's Ballet Hispanico and the Hubbard Street Dance company, River North Chicago has seen audiences grow and critics applaud it as one of Chicago's leading dance troupes, joining the ranks of Gus Giordano, Hubbard Street and the Joffrey Ballet.

The group's mission is "to educate, entertain and be easily accessible to audiences of all ages," said company dancer and rehearsal director Mari Jo Irbe, by phone from her home in Chicago.

As proof of this philosophy, she cites the program scheduled for O'ahu. The sampling of the company's wide-ranging styles run from romantic ballroom-style dance to solo improvisation done to percussion music and a lyrical, ballet-based duet.

"Pulse," a dance by Daniel Ezralow in which the dancers appear to slide on ice, is one of the company's most talked-about pieces.

"Habaneras, the Music of Cuba," choreographed by artistic director Chaves, is a tribute to his native country and a vibrant celebration of its music and dance.

With such a diverse repertoire, River North isn't a company for specialists.

"Because we're such a small company, we look for soloist material in each dancer. We all have to know many forms because our repertory includes a wide variety of styles," explained Irbe.

To maintain strength and technique, the company has a rigorous schedule.

"We all have to take ballet classes three times a week and jazz classes twice weekly," said Irbe.

Irbe has been dancing with the company for 14 years. She will be behind the scenes in Hawai'i, however, acting as rehearsal director and supervising the performances on the Big Island and on O'ahu. Her roles will be danced by a company apprentice.

In 2001, Irbe received the Ruth Page Dance Achievement Award. The award, named in honor of the Chicago dance pioneer, is given annually for outstanding work in the field of dance.

As Irbe said, the audience is sure to be entertained, impressed and perhaps occasionally moved by the performance.