Dreams Dance in St. Charles wraps up 9th season with great success
ST. CHARLES, Ill. — The dancers at Dreams Dance Academy in St. Charles know what it takes to succeed in the competitive dance world – technical excellence, hard work, and team spirit. According to Jenny O’Brien, studio owner and director, her Dance Company dancers show plenty of these qualities and more.
Dreams Dance Academy’s Dance Company just wrapped up its 9th season (the studio is celebrating its 10th season) and boasts a plethora of awards and accomplishments on the competition circuit, including technical excellence awards, highest scoring routines, Industry Dance Award nominees, and many first-place overall finishes at competitions. Dreams prides itself on teaching the proper technique.
“I have watched dance evolve so much,” shares Jenny, adding “there are a lot of positives in that, but, unfortunately, a negative is that there tends to be a focus on ‘tricks.’ That is NOT what we instill in our dancers. Progressional training (using curriculum and syllabi) so our dancers learn proper technique in all genres is so important to us.”
As for hard work, there’s lots of that as well. Depending on the company member’s age and commitment level, dancers are at the studio between 5-15 hours per week. And since the pandemic forced the cancellation of their 2020 season, Jenny has noticed an increased drive in their dancers this 2022 season. She adds, “I have been moved to tears every competition as I watch them perform with more passion, grace, class, and confidence than I’ve ever seen before. These kids have a drive like never before, and they truly inspire me every day.”
And all this time spent together at practices and competitions has helped the girls form a strong team bond. The girls genuinely care about one another and are more than happy to step up and help when a team member needs something. Jenny recalls a time this season when a dancer fell and sprained her ankle at the start of a competition. One of their routines was specifically choreographed for five dancers, and they were unsure how they would adjust at the last minute. Amazingly, one of the other dancers stepped up and said, “I will learn it,” and she learned a routine that the others had spent months learning in just a few hours. “It was incredible,” says Jenny. “She absolutely didn’t have to offer to do that and put the additional pressure on herself during our first competition of the season, as she also had her own routines and solo to focus on. We were all in tears when that routine ended, seeing how flawless of a performance they pulled off because of another team member’s selfless act.”
The friendships the girls have formed because of dance are further nurtured with an annual holiday party, team lock-ins, a big/little reveal (dancers are paired with a big/little sister/brother), and an end-of-the-year party. And as an even more powerful example of the girls’ strong bond, one of the Dream’s dancers, Brooke, was recently diagnosed with leukemia, and the girls all wore T-shirts to support her at their last two competitions. “The kids have stepped up to do so much for her to show their love…her ‘little sister’ even made bracelets to sell as a fundraiser.”
Although the past few years have been filled with challenges related to the pandemic, according to Jenny “It has motivated our dancers to be their absolute best, to train with even more persistence than before, and to realize they are the only obstacle in their way.”
For more information on Dreams Dance Academy, visit www.dreamsdance.com or email [email protected]. Auditions for the 2022-2023 Dance Company are Saturday, July 16.
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