Mother-daughter team open dance studio

Ever since she was a little girl, Jennie Newman says she always dreamed of becoming a dancer and of running her own business.

Today, the 24-year-old Bartlett resident has the best of both worlds.

Not only does she run the Elite Academy of Dance in South Elgin with her mother, Debbie, but she also is a dance instructor there.

The South Elgin business opened July 2 on Randall Road, becoming the town's only west side dance studio.

"This is a great location," Jennie Newman said.

Lots of people have taken notice and, so far, 175 students have registered for classes -- the majority of them are girls, Jennie Newman said. Kids are drawn mostly from Elgin, South Elgin and St. Charles.

The dance academy offers two dance studios classes in tap, jazz, ballet, ballroom, modern, lyrical, musical theater and hip-hop.

Hip-hop was so popular that teachers had to schedule another class after the first one filled. Don't worry, you won't find any music there that has explicit lyrics, the Newmans said.

"We're very age appropriate here," Debbie Newman said.

And thanks to the popularity of "Hairspray" and "High School Musical," the musical theater class also has seen increased demand.

The dance academy staffs four instructors, including Jennie Newman

All of them are in their mid-20s, something that enables them to offer a "fresher look in the dance world," Jennie Newman said.

And while the younger Newman handles things from the dancing side, her mother is in charge of the business side.

Now that the business is up and running, the Newmans can focus on building up a study room that will feature computers and building a larger waiting room area.

By Christmas, the mother-daughter team also hopes to offer a dance class for children with special needs.

"It's definitely our plan so that they could perform in the recital," said Debbie Newman, a former teacher at All God's Children Preschool in Bartlett.

Finally, Jennie Newman wants to establish competitive teams and a performing company that you'd see in local parades and the like.

"I've dreamed about this since I was 3 and I haven't stopped," she said.

• Elite Academy of Dance is at 594 S. Randall Road in South Elgin. For details, call (847) 488-1239 or visit www.elitedancese.com.