A DeKalb dance studio is tapping their way into DeKalb history.

Debbie’s Dance Dimensions, 649 E. Lincoln Highway, has been in business since 1988 and will soon celebrate its 20th anniversary. A grand re-opening ribbon cutting ceremony with the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce is scheduled to occur at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 17.

“When I’m asked what I do here, I tell them it’s basically like going to school,” said owner and district director Debbie Jones. “You learn your basics, and as you get older you move up. I try to produce all-around dancers.”

Dimensions students are placed in one of four levels: Broadway Babies, Cuties, Juniors or Seniors.

“The younger ones [learn] very loosely—ballet, jazz and acrobatics,” Jones said. “At the Cutie level we add tap into it. When they get a bit older, at the eight and nine year-old level, we take acrobatics out and add more jazz. The older ones get hip-hop.”

The studio also offers an adult tap class and a “Rock and Roll” wheelchair class for those with disabilities. A dancer herself, Jones spoke of her own experience in the studio where she once learned.

“It was always a place I could go to get away from all the high school craziness and cliques,” Jones said. “That’s something I wanted to give back to the community here. Students can come here and feel safe. That was more my motivation than anything.”

With the old comes the new. The School of Ballet Arts and Dance, 504 N. Main St., moved from DeKalb to Sycamore last September and is celebrating its fifth year in operation.

“We’re a pre-professional ballet school,” said owner Jodi Riley. “Its the foundation for all the other forms. I strongly believe if you take ballet you can take any other type of dance.”

Last December marked the studio’s newest addition of The Tutu Stop, a dance wear store specializing in leotards, tights, fashion dance wear, jazz pants, dance shoes and various other accessories.

“Other dance schools in the area that have stores in them are not able to get all the products that I can,” Riley said. “I’m authorized to sell my products because my store is completely separate from my studio.”

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