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frankfortstation.com life & arts
the frankfort station | March 15, 2018 | 21
Award-winning dance studio makes dreams come true
Frankfort students
among area children
to attend classes
T.J. Kremer III
Contributing Editor
There are a few things in
this world that universally
connect all human beings.
We all have the need to be
social, the need to feel loved
and the need for expression.
There’s a place in Mokena
that checks all these boxes:
Street of Dreams Dance Studio.
Last month, at Dance
Maker’s Trust the Journey
dance competition in Dearborn,
Michigan, Street of
Dreams took home the coveted
Standout Studio award,
which is given to the studio
that best exemplifies the
spirit of friendly competition
through its actions both on
and off the stage.
The studio also took home
numerous Judges Choice
awards, and several dancers
were awarded scholarships
to come back and compete
April 6-8 in Schaumburg and
June 23-28 at the Nationals
Competition in Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina.
It’s hard to imagine that
any other studio even came
close, given the atmosphere
and culture Street of Dreams
has created through its owner
Rochelle Ochsner, and its
dedicated staff and dancers.
Even at a non-competitive
level, Frankfort resident Stacie
Mroz said her daughters
— Ivy, 5, and Eden, 4 — almost
never stop dancing.
“It’s every day,” Mroz
said. “There’s music 100
percent of the time at my
house and there’s dance from
the minute their eyes are
open until the time they are
closed. They don’t stop moving.
Which I love.”
The Boys Hip-Hop class works on showing off their stuff
during rehearsal.
Drew Schiltz, 10, of Mokena,
who is in his third
year of dancing at the studio.
He’s currently enrolled in the
Boys Hip-Hop class.
“He listens to a lot of [hiphop]
on YouTube,” his mother
Amber Starchvick said.
“He’ll do dances when he
listens to it. Three years ago,
when he started [at Street of
Dreams], we knew he should
be in dance because he loved
it.”
Street of Dreams Manager
Carlee Koerner, who has
been with the studio for 13
years, said the staff make it a
point to teach not only classic
and the latest dance moves,
but to also stress a culture of
respect built around acceptance
and appreciation for
each other.
“Dance has so many avenues:
It builds character
and discipline and trust, and
it takes you so much further
in life,” Koerner said. “So, I
take it as, we can teach anybody
a kickball change, you
know?! We can teach anyone
to turn. We can teach anyone
to do hip-hop dancing. But
can we teach this generation
to be better and make a better
and bigger impact in life?
And that’s what we want to
do.”
It’s based on that premise
that the studio focuses on
empowering the young people
in the classes by striving
to make sure every student
feels included.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re
the best dancer, or if you’re
just started, you get to be a
part of something bigger,”
Koerner said. “So, Rochelle
and I feel the exact same
way: Life is bigger than
yourself. So, that’s what we
want to do.”
Jorianne Zvonek, 14, of
Lockport, takes all the classes
that are offered, but is partial
to ballet right now. She’s
been dancing since she was 4
years old.
“I just love it. It gives me
freedom when I dance here,”
Zvonek said. “It’s just really
joyful for me. I love it a lot.”
Even though she’s only
14, Zvonek already has her
sights set on high aspirations.
“[I’ll] probably be a professional
dancer. Dance
all over the world, maybe.
Dance in Disney and stuff,
ballet. Just dance.”
Zvonek said the hardest
part of dancing can be the
mental frustration of learning
something new.
“You get frustrated when
you can’t get something, but
you work up toward it,” she
said. “So, you know, like,
Students at Street of Dreams Dance Studio in Mokena practice during a tap dance class
Thursday, March 8. The studio offers a range of classes for children and adults ages 2-19.
Photos by T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media
‘Mmm. I can’t get this,’ but
you just keep working up toward
it. Sometimes you get
brought down, but you can
get back up again.”
And it’s not only the children
who see the value in
Street of Dreams; the parents
appreciate
Mary Foster, of New
Lenox, has her daughters
Jayla, 7, and Avery, 4, enrolled
there.
Foster said she thinks the
socialization aspect is important
to her children’s development.
Plus, they have a
great time at the studio.
“From day one when we
came here they loved it, so
we just came back every
year,” Foster said.
“They just have so much
fun. The teachers are great.”
She said she appreciates
that there are different levels
of instruction for the dancers.
Jayla and Avery are already
involved in competitions as
gymnasts, so having the option
to dance for the fun of it
is a break from the stresses of
competition.
“As a parent, it’s not all
about being competitive,”
Foster said. “It’s very laid
back, and it’s for all levels.”
And it’s not a requirement
to become a dancer at a very
young age to still enjoy the
classes, as 13-year-old Lindsey
Huelsmann, of Homer
Glen, attested to.
“I just noticed this when I
was driving past one day and
I decided that I wanted to try
it,” Huelsmann said.
She may have gotten a later
start than some of the other
students, but she’s quickly
making up for lost time.
“I’m in tumbling, ballet,
lyrical, jazz, hip-hop and I’m
also on the company team.”
Then there’s Grace “Miss
Grace” Rives, 7 and ¾ years
old, from Tinley Park. She
said she’s been dancing
“since I think when I was
3 or 4.” She currently takes
ballet, jazz and hip-hop
classes.
Rives said she enjoys
hip-hop because she gets to
“make it powerful and we
get to be really sassy.”
For more information…
What: Street of Dreams
Dance Studio
Where: 9960 W. 191st
St., Suite L, in Mokena
Phone: (708) 478-4161
Web:
streetofdreamsdance.
com
So, what is “sassy” dancing?
“It’s where you just shake
your hips as hard as you can,
and you make whatever kind
of face you want depending
on the music,” Rives said.
She said she likes most
music, except for one kind.
“Country music. It goes
kind of slow and I don’t understand
what they’re saying.
It’s not for kids, I don’t
think.”
Rives offered some sage
advice for younger children
who are thinking about taking
up dance:
“Do anything you want.
You can be anything. It’s
just up to you. That’s what I
would say.”