Cathy Young sits in front of a mirrored wall at River City Dance Center in Bangor, counting in time and tapping her feet to the jazz pouring out of a nearby boombox.

“One, two, three and four, five, six, seven and eight – nice, you guys!” she yells over the music as the lithe dancers, mostly teenage girls, wiggle and walk into a “clump” in the middle of the padded floor. “One, two, hip go forward, hold, twist, step, together.”

It’s a dizzying scene, as pairs of dancers lift each other into the air and cross each other’s paths with hardly an inch to spare. The combination of their energy, the rhythm of the music, and Young’s exuberance are enough to make even a clumsy onlooker want to get up and dance.

Young came to town last week to choreograph “Jazz in the Present Tense,” a two-song set of classic blues and modern jazz. The piece is part of the Robinson Ballet Company’s 10th annual spring dance concert, which will open this weekend at The Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth. A second set of performances will take place May 9 and 10 at the Hauck Auditorium on the University of Maine campus in Orono.

The concert also will include “The Two Sisters,” a modern twist on “Arsenic and Old Lace” choreographed by Terry Lacy of the New York City Opera. Robinson Ballet’s three artistic directors, Keith Robinson, Maureen Lynch and Kelly Holyoke, have arranged a diverse combination of ballet and ballroom dance, and they brought Young, Holyoke’s old friend, on board to round out the mix with a bit of jazz.

“I’m really interested in jazz choreography as a language that is communicative and evocative,” Young said. “The piece for me is explorative of jazz dance and its evolution. It’s very physical – very musical. There’s spirit and energy in it.”

Eight years ago, Young was working for the Minnesota dance company JAZZDANCE! and she came to Portland to set a piece for the Casco Bay Movers, whom Holyoke danced with at the time. The two became friends, and while many things changed in the years that followed – Holyoke returned to the Bangor area and Young started her own dance company in Minneapolis – they kept in touch.

Holyoke has taken her students to the Bates College Dance Festival, where Young teaches, and the two have met up at other workshops. This winter, the Robinson Ballet invited Young to spend a week in Bangor choreographing a piece for the spring concert.

“It’s just a week – it’s very intense,” Young said after her first day of rehearsal. “A week to try and set a very complex piece of choreography.”

She has set this piece several times, but it changes with each group of dancers. There are always challenges, she said, especially in such a short period of time. This troupe has made it relatively easy on her, however.

“So far, it’s been really great,” Young said. “They’re really strong, smart dancers. Clearly they have the right training. … Because they’ve studied with Kelly, they’re quick to pick it up.”

Young has worked with everyone from high school students to professional dance companies, and she has made a name for herself with her choreography – both simple and complex. The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls her talent “dazzling” and her dances “flat-out terrific.” But her first love is teaching. She and her husband, the improvisational dancer Chris Aiken, will complete their master’s degrees in dance this spring at the University of Illinois, and both have accepted tenure-track faculty positions at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania.

During a recent rehearsal, it was clear that teaching comes naturally to Young. Her easy grace set the tone for the group as she led the dancers through a series of intricate steps. She has the enthusiasm of a cheerleader, and as the evening wore on, the dancers moved more confidently in response.

“I try to make the dancers feel really at ease,” Young said. “I really want these guys to have a good experience this week with me. Even though this is intense and they’ll be tired, I want it to be inspiring for them.”

The Robinson Ballet Company’s annual spring dance concert will take place at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth, and at 7:30 p.m. May 9 and 10 at Hauck Auditorium in Orono. Tickets cost $14 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $8 for students under 18. Tickets are available at the Grasshopper Shop or River City Dance Center in Bangor, Dr. Records in Orono, or by calling 942-1990.