Dancing in the Street with Mokena's New Dance Teacher

Upon entering Street of Dreams Dance Studio, kids of all ages can be seen stretching and gliding across the practice-room floor. Usher's DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again blares through the loudspeakers. These students come here to escape from life's everyday worries while working to achieve their dreams.

That's what Street of Dreams Dance Studio, which opened last month, is all about, owner Rachelle Ochsner said.

Ochsner began dancing at age 7 and has already experienced a lifetime of success. Though Ochsner grew up in Iowa, she and her mom would drive three hours to Chicago so she could practice with the best in the business. By age 13, Ochsner realized she wanted to go pro. She went on to work all over the world, including Los Angeles, New York, Germany and Korea. To date, she has worked with the choreographers for Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, Prince, Fox Family Cable, Reebok and many more.

In 1997, Ochsner moved to the Chicago area, where she got married, began a family and started her own company, Excel Dance Productions. She trained dancers who went on to work with Beyonce, performed in The Hanna Montana Movie, the Broadway musical Wicked and So You Think You Can Dance.

In 2005, Ochsner began a national convention, Street of Dreams. For five years, she worked out of a studio in Shorewood. This year, she moved to Mokena and opened her first studio at 9960 191st St.

Because Ochsner remembered those three-hour drives to find a dance studio, she said she wanted to accommodate those living in the suburbs of a big city.

"Mokena's a growing community and we just fell in the love with the area," Ochsner said. "It's somewhere that I can really make a future for my family."

Steve Ewing is just one of the many instructors at Street of Dreams with an impressive dancing background. After performing in the Broadway musical Wicked for three years, Ewing now teaches hip hop, contemporary, lyrical and jazz. Ewing said he teaches because he wants to inspire and give back to the younger generations.

"If we don't train our youth correctly, we won't have anyone to inspire us in the future," Ewing said.

Ewing said diversity is key in dance.

"You've got to get all the types of dance down because you never know what you'll end up using," he said.

Bailey Rivara, 16, is a student in Excel Dance Productions. She began dancing at age 3 and now drives 40 minutes to Street of Dreams. Her favorite type of dance is contemporary, and she hopes to move to Los Angeles when she's 18 to dance in music videos and to compete.

"I enjoy dancing because I can let out my emotions," Rivara said. "I can let it all out on the dance floor."

Stacy Bedore, also 16 and a member of Excel Dance Productions, said she switched from another studio because she was looking for more advanced training and more diverse styles of dance. She hopes to dance in New York someday.

"I enjoy the relief from everyday life," Bedore said of dancing. "I can just be who I am without getting judged."

Street of Dreams Dance Studio strives to offer something for every age group, style and level of expertise:

• Classes are separated by age group and are available for children ages 6 to 8, ages 9 to 12, and ages 13 and older at the intermediate level and at the advanced and pre-professional level.
• To accommodate young children, a free "Jam Time" is provided for boys and girls ages 18 to 24 months, and programs are available for children ages two to three who are not yet toilet-trained, age 3 who are toilet-trained, and ages 4 to 5.
• Boys and girls can choose classes in the areas of ballet, hip hop, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, pom and cheerleading. To encourage boys to participate in dance, ballet classes are offered free of charge to them.
• Adult fitness classes, such as Pilates, core fusion and cardio box, are also available.
• For those who wish to go professional with their dancing, several competitive companies train at Street of Dreams Dance Studio, including Ochsner's own Excel Dance Productions.

Anyone with any level of dance experience, from beginner to advanced, is welcome. The studio plans to put on a showcase every June, which allows all the students students to show what they've learned the past year in front of a live audience.

Oschner said that whether a student wants to go pro or not, dancing is about more than technique. It also teaches participants how to deal with self-esteem, discipline, peer pressure and all the other life lessons of growing up.

"I'm here to help dreamers realize that dreams are possible when the right steps are taken," Oschner said. "I call all of my dancers dreamers."

For more information about Street of Dreams Dance Studio, visit www.streetofdreamsdance.com or call 708-478-4161.