To the untrained eye, the kaleidoscope of bodysuits, ballet skirts and leotards gliding about can be quite a confusing site.

But eventually, a beautiful picture begins to emerge of patterns the dancers create along with the music. Guiding it all is sophomore Jeremy Collins, a taut man with gallant blonde hair wearing black tights.

The dancers are preparing for the Fall Ballet, which will take place at 8 p.m. today at the Musical Arts Center. Collins is leading them in a rehearsal of his ballet, "Cyclycane," which he will premiere as part of today's program. With one piece by the renowned choreographer Balanchine and another from a professional who worked on Broadway, as well as Collins' world premiere, this year's Fall Ballet promises to be a good show. But it all begins with these students' hard work.

It is quite an exhilarating experience to go from the humdrum world of IU's standard classes to a place of such constant motion and high-intensity activity, especially when that high energy environment is also a class and the people involved are students.

"It's like being in a professional dance company while having your academic classes in the morning," said freshman Jennifer Adam, who will perform in today's ballet.

With just one performance each semester, the ballet department is a part of IU that might be all too easily overlooked. But the students involved put in long hours and dedication to their studies and craft.

"Most of the students have outside fields and are strong academically," said Virginia Cesbron, the department's chair.

A typical day for dancers consists of regular academic classes in the morning. Then a six-hour ballet marathon begins, starting with 1 1/2 hours of regular group class involving stretching and necessary daily practice routines.

"If you don't do that every day, you will start to see a difference," Cesbron warned.

This is followed by a one-hour pointe (shoe) class for women and specialized class for the men. General rehearsals for the current production come next, lasting about 3 1/2 hours. With three studios available for use, there is always someone working on something.

The dancers will put this hard work to use in today's performance. Freshman Laurie Basloe calls one piece, "Concerto Barocco," "extremely difficult - stamina-wise and technically."

The piece is based on "Concerto For Two Violins in D Minor" by J.S. Bach and choreographed by George Balanchine. Associate professor Violette Verdy, who is staging the piece, considers it very difficult.

"As a dancing experience, it is spiritual; a jewel of choreography," she said. The personnel consists of two lead girls mirroring the two lead violins and a supporting group of nine more dancers.

Despite the strenuous nature of the demands put upon them, an unprecedented number of talented students auditioned this year for entry into the program.

"We now have 58 students in the department, where we used to have only 35," said ballet professor Jacques Cesbron. "The level is really good, really improving," she said.

Virginia Cesbron believes that the reputation of the department has grown, leading more people to apply to IU. Most students study with a performance career in mind, and recent graduates have done extremely well in getting jobs.

"It's going very well, but we can't fit many more students. We will have to be very selective this year," she said.

Collins was one of those people attracted to the department's quality. He was principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre in New York prior to his arrival in Bloomington.

"I was guest artist here in 1991," he said. "I just wanted to give up professional dancing."

The Fall Ballet will open with Collins' world premiere, "Cyclycane," an invented word that he, having an outside field in biology, considers "reminiscent of polysaccharide."

"The 'cycly' comes from the fact that I recycle my steps, so you'll see a lot of the same steps, and the 'cane' just reminded me of something sweetened: upbeat or pleasant to the eyes," he said.

Collins choreographed his piece to the tunes of three harpsichord sonatas by baroque composer Domenico Scarlatti.

"I wanted to use as many women as possible to show the symmetrical and geometric aspects of Scarlatti's music," he said. "Geometric patterns of groupings of people weave in and out with the flow of the music."

The Fall Ballet's other pieces appeal to the students and faculty for various reasons.

Verdy said she hopes the finale of the evening, "Great Galloping Gottschalk," will "leave the audience really up and smiling."

An American composer from the 19th century, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, wrote the (mostly) light piano pieces used in orchestral versions for this production. Unlike the other pieces of the evening, the music will be heard off of a recording.

This set was originally commissioned for the American Ballet Theatre in 1982 and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett. She has worked on Broadway, choreographing productions such as "Jackie O" and "Titanic."

Adam said it was "a privilege to have worked with Lynne Taylor-Corbett."

"I love it," said freshman Jane Vorburger. "It's lucky that someone choreographed it: good choreography, good music."

She is dancing a pas-de-deux with Collins called "The Dying Poet," the serious piece of the set. Cesbron described it as a very difficult piece.

"It is challenging, yet fun. I had to evolve my style," Vorburger said.

The most costumed of the evening's pieces, "Souvenirs," is based on excerpts from Sergei Rachmaninoff's piano music. None of the pieces have stage settings, and most of them lack costumes, relying on basic leotards and monochrome outfits. Even these Rachmaninoff costumes are limited to longer skirts in soft colors such as lavender and maroon.

"The music is so moody, one must give one's soul to recreate what the music is doing," choreographer Jacques Cesbron said about the Russian emotionalism present in the music.

Four thematic excerpts from "Fantasia for Two Pianos" and "Suite No. 2 for Piano" support the differing configurations of dancers in "Souvenirs." "Tears" deals with the relationship of three women, and "Paques" evokes the atmosphere of a Russian Easter, complete with sounds reminiscent of church bells matched with the swinging arms of the male dancers.

"This is a great piece to be a part of," Adam said. "The movement ("Tears") is beautiful."