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Transcending dance: Free dance day on June 16
Cait Jones, owner of TranscenDance Studios, is surrounded by her dancers dance students on June 7 at Fitness Formula Club in Oak Park. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
Free Dance Day info
What: Free Dance Day offers half-hour sample classes with the following schedule:
noon: Boyz Only Hip Hop (ages 6-10)
12:30 p.m.: Beginning Break Dance (ages 6-10)
1 p.m.: Beginning Irish (ages 6-10)
1:30 p.m.: Cheer Jump/Stretch/Stunt I (ages 6-10)
2 p.m.: Beginning Irish (ages 10-18)
2:30 p.m.: Cheer Jump/Stretch/Stunt 2 (ages 10-18)
3 p.m.: Intro Teen/Adult Hip Hop
3:30 p.m.: Intro Teen/Adult Ballet
When: noon-4 p.m. Saturday, June 16
Where: Fitness Formula Clubs, 1114 Lake St., Oak Park
Register: Pre-registration is recommended but not required
Call: (773) 944-5352
Web: www.TranscenDanceStudios.com
Article Extras
Updated: July 15, 2012 3:03PM
Cait Jones has tap danced around the world but these days she is happiest helping others find joy in dancing.
As the owner of TranscenDance Studios in Oak Park, she hopes to attract new students of all ages through a Free Dance Day, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, June 16.
“It is going to be kicking off our summer session,” Jones said. “We are offering a lot of the classes that are new to our programming this year that we’re expanding upon — the Irish dance classes as well as our additional teen/adult classes.”
The studios are in residence at Oak Park’s Fitness Formula Clubs.
“We have access to beautiful facilities that are massive with mirrored walls, professional sound systems and video projectors,” Jones said. “It’s a dream to be working there.” TranscenDance Studios uses three rooms.
Jones, who was raised in the Grayslake area, performed with two Libertyville-based nonprofit youth ensembles, Footprints Tap Ensemble and Forum Jazz Dance Theatre.
“I graduated high school early and took a scholarship with Gus Giordano in Evanston,” Jones said. “I left the scholarship program to tour with Tap Kids, an international touring production company. From there, I went into teaching full time — but eventually the school came to be.”
Jones has taught in the Oak Park area for seven years. She opened TranscenDance Studios three years ago—with a distinct focus.
“While I do have a strong ballet background, my personal expertise was tap, hip hop and jazz,” she said. “Definitely our strength is the tap, hip hop and jazz programs.”
Initially, Jones taught all of the classes but currently has a staff of seven teachers working with 150 students, ages 3 through adults.
“We have a wide array of classes,” Jones said. That includes ballet, Pointe, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical and specialty classes in cheer, break-dancing, leaps and turns, and jumps and stretches.
“We also hold workshops throughout the year in really cool things such as acting and working with live musicians,” Jones said. “We try to be innovative and offer our students a background and education not only in their dance techniques but performance skills and business skills as well.”
Three nonprofit youth ensembles for ages 6-18 are based at the studios: TransRhythm Tap, Hip Hop TransFuzion and TransAxion. Jones directs all of them.
“I love working with kids,” she said. “It definitely keeps you young. It keeps you active. It keeps you laughing.”
