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A dance troupe next week travels from Jackson, Miss., to Minot to touch the soul.

Ballet Magnificat, billed as the premiere Christian ballet company in the United States, will perform "The Scarlet Cord" at Ann Nicole Nelson Hall on the Minot State University campus Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.

The ballet is based loosely on the biblical story of Rahab, the harlot, and is set in the Soviet Union in 1977.

"The story spoke to my heart when I saw it performed," said Rinat Mouzafarov, director of the event sponsor Rinat Mouzafarov Classical Ballet Company.

"The RMCBC is a non-profit organization which is meant to bring high level performers here to Minot, as well as offer education and professional workshops so dancers in the area don't have to travel to Chicago or New York to get this kind of teaching," he said.

"That's why Ballet Magnificat is so good for us," he said. "Besides the performance, they'll be giving two days of workshops Nov. 3 and Nov. 5 in ballet, jazz and modern dancing to all students in the Minot area. I'd like to thank the Dance Company and Studio X for opening their studios for the teachers."

Speaking to the production of "The Scarlet Cord" itself, "This is not what you typically think of as ballet, although the dancers are technically elite," Mouzafarov said. "There are no tutus. It's more contemporary with character movement and cultural costuming.

"It will appeal to a wider audience," he said. "Minot needs to see it. The community needs to see it for hope. It is good for the entire family to see. The Ballet Magnificat! founder, Kathy Thibodeaux, dances the role of Rahab, and these performances generally cost from $40 to $125. I need to thank our sponsors for underwriting this so we can charge only $10."

Thibodeaux was a silver award winner in the International Ballet Competition in 1982, and began the company four years later. Dancers include former members of highly respected companies from across North America.

For more information, contact the Rinat Mouzafarov Institute of Dance and Ballet at 837-0239.