The staff at Dancin’ Around Dance Studio in Lansing, Illinois, prides themselves with providing great and personalized technical teaching. Vi Donald, the Founder, Owner and Artistic Director, states that the philosophy of Dancin’ Around’s dance program is to teach the basic fundamentals of dance in a sound and safe manner and to instill an appreciation of the arts in their students in an enjoyable environment. Their main goal is to teach the love of dance as a performing art.
Dancin’ Around specializes in various dance techniques and offer classes that range from Tap, Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tumbling, and Pom Pons and are very strong in Jazz and Hip Hop techniques. They teach both children and adults starting from the age of three years old. Their faculty consists of highly trained professionals who aim to give each student the best possible dance experience and to help them gain confidence and poise, as well as encouraging involvement in a healthy physical activity.
Vi’s proudest moment as a dance instructor is when her students walk off the stage after performing, smiling with a sense of accomplishment, confidence and pride. They enjoy what they do – dance! She makes sure that they are stress free prior to their performance so that they can put on a wonderful and enjoyable show for everyone.
In Vi’s opinion, dancers have the unique opportunity to be both an artist and an athlete. With the idea that dance is both an art form and a sport, comes the dancers responsibility of maintaining their ability.
According to Vi, the main purpose of Dancin’ Around’s annual recitals is to provide their students with an experience that simulates that of a professional dancer. They learn what it is like to dress in costume, learn stage directions, and teamwork as well as gain knowledge regarding the working of the theatre.
The biggest mistake that Vi sees dancers make is learning dance technique from YouTube! Watching someone else and in-studio training are very different. Bad habits are picked up on YouTube and bad habits are hard to break or fix.
Vi’s goals this year for her studio are the same goals she has every year – to continue to train dancers.
She founded Dancin’ Around because she loves to teach! Previously to opening the studio, Vi was a freelance choreographer and dance coach that traveled often. When she became pregnant with her first child, traveling to different dance studios was limited. She opened her studio so that the students, teachers and coaches can travel to her. With that, she built her student enrollment to what it is today. Her degree in business management, finance and accounting contributes to her career as an entrepreneur, wherein, she is able to pass on her passion and love for dance while also accommodating their students’ interest.
Vi’s goals this year for her studio are the same goals she has every year – to continue to train dancers.
Vi is a former Luvabulls, Chicago’s World Champion Chicago Bulls Cheerleaders and has two children who dance for the Chicago Bulls – The BullsKids.
DancInfusion, Dancin’ Around’s competitive dance team, competes yearly and performs at numerous charity and non-charity functions. Their talented, award winning dance team has received several 1st Place Overall Awards at Regionals and Nationals competition including Best Overall Performance, Best Overall High Score, Best Costumes, Platinum, High Gold and Elite Gold Adjudicated Awards, Judges Awards, Entertainment Awards, Precision Awards, and Top 5 Showdown Awards. In addition, they attend numerous dance conventions taught by famous and accredited instructors like Chris Judd, Brian Freedman, Tyce Diorio, LeAnne Gibson, Barry Youngblood, Greg Russel, Chris Jones and much more!
Dancin’ Around is not only a dance studio. It also has a fitness gym connected to it. While the students take dance classes, their parents get a great workout.
If you would like more information about Dancin’ Around Dance Studio, visit their website at www.dancinaround.net, call them at 708-889-1618 or email them at dancinaround@gmail.com. You can also “Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and view them on YouTube.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Vi Donald of Dancin’ Around Dance Studio.
