Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
24 | March 15, 2018 | The Lockport Legend LIFE & ARTS<br />
lockportlegend.com<br />
Award-winning dance studio makes dreams come true<br />
Lockport resident<br />
among students at<br />
prestigious studio<br />
T.J. Kremer III<br />
Contributing Editor<br />
There are a few things in<br />
this world that universally<br />
connect all human beings.<br />
We all have the need to be<br />
social, the need to feel loved<br />
and the need for expression.<br />
There’s a place in Mokena<br />
that checks all these boxes:<br />
Street of Dreams Dance Studio.<br />
Last month, at Dance<br />
Maker’s Trust the Journey<br />
dance competition in Dearborn,<br />
Michigan, Street of<br />
Dreams took home the coveted<br />
Standout Studio award,<br />
which is given to the studio<br />
that best exemplifies the<br />
spirit of friendly competition<br />
through its actions both<br />
on and off the stage.<br />
The studio also took home<br />
numerous Judges Choice<br />
awards, and several dancers<br />
were awarded scholarships<br />
to come back and compete<br />
April 6-8 in Schaumburg<br />
and June 23-28 at the Nationals<br />
Competition in Myrtle<br />
Beach, South Carolina.<br />
It’s hard to imagine that<br />
any other studio even came<br />
close, given the atmosphere<br />
and culture Street of<br />
Dreams has created through<br />
its owner Rochelle Ochsner,<br />
and its dedicated staff and<br />
dancers.<br />
Jorianne Zvonek, 14,<br />
of Lockport, takes all the<br />
classes that are offered, but<br />
is partial to ballet right now.<br />
She’s been dancing since<br />
she was 4 years old.<br />
“I just love it. It gives<br />
me freedom when I dance<br />
here,” Zvonek said. “It’s<br />
just really joyful for me. I<br />
love it a lot.”<br />
Even though she’s only<br />
14, Zvonek already has her<br />
sights set on high aspirations.<br />
Along the wall at Street of Dreams hangs photos of the<br />
dancers.<br />
“[I’ll] probably be a professional<br />
dancer. Dance<br />
all over the world, maybe.<br />
Dance in Disney and stuff,<br />
ballet. Just dance.”<br />
Zvonek said the hardest<br />
part of dancing can be the<br />
mental frustration of learning<br />
something new.<br />
“You get frustrated when<br />
you can’t get something, but<br />
you work up toward it,” she<br />
said. “So, you know, like,<br />
‘Mmm. I can’t get this,’ but<br />
you just keep working up<br />
toward it. Sometimes you<br />
get brought down, but you<br />
can get back up again.”<br />
Street of Dreams Manager<br />
Carlee Koerner, who has been<br />
with the studio for 13 years,<br />
said the staff make it a point<br />
to teach not only classic and<br />
the latest dance moves, but to<br />
also stress a culture of respect<br />
built around acceptance<br />
and appreciation for each<br />
other.<br />
“Dance has so many avenues:<br />
It builds character<br />
and discipline and trust, and<br />
it takes you so much further<br />
in life,” Koerner said. “So, I<br />
take it as, we can teach anybody<br />
a kickball change, you<br />
know?! We can teach anyone<br />
to turn. We can teach<br />
anyone to do hip-hop dancing.<br />
But can we teach this<br />
generation to be better and<br />
For more<br />
information…<br />
What: Street of Dreams<br />
Dance Studio<br />
Where: 9960 W. 191st<br />
St., Suite L, in Mokena<br />
Phone: (708) 478-4161<br />
Web:<br />
streetofdreamsdance.<br />
com<br />
make a better and bigger<br />
impact in life? And that’s<br />
what we want to do.”<br />
It’s based on that premise<br />
that the studio focuses on<br />
empowering the young people<br />
in the classes by striving<br />
to make sure every student<br />
feels included.<br />
“It doesn’t matter if<br />
you’re the best dancer, or if<br />
you’re just started, you get<br />
to be a part of something<br />
bigger,” Koerner said. “So,<br />
Rochelle and I feel the exact<br />
same way: Life is bigger<br />
than yourself. So, that’s<br />
what we want to do.”<br />
And it’s not only the children<br />
who see the value in<br />
Street of Dreams; the parents<br />
appreciate<br />
Mary Foster, of New<br />
Lenox, has her daughters<br />
Jayla, 7, and Avery, 4, enrolled<br />
there.<br />
Foster said she thinks the<br />
Students at Street of Dreams Dance Studio in Mokena practice during a tap dance class<br />
Thursday, March 8. The studio offers a range of classes for children and adults ages 2-19.<br />
Photos by T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media<br />
The Boys Hip-Hop class work on showing off their stuff during rehearsal.<br />
socialization aspect is important<br />
to her children’s development.<br />
Plus, they have<br />
a great time at the studio.<br />
“From day one when we<br />
came here they loved it, so<br />
we just came back every<br />
year,” Foster said.<br />
“They just have so much<br />
fun. The teachers are great.”<br />
She said she appreciates<br />
that there are different levels<br />
of instruction for the<br />
dancers. Jayla and Avery are<br />
already involved in competitions<br />
as gymnasts, so hav-<br />
Please see Studio, 28
Change language