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When 16-year-old Tori Higgins got her first glimpse at the nearly completed dance studio at Jessica's School of Dance recently, she couldn't help letting out a squeal of joy at the site of the gleaming wood floors and wall-length mirrors that adorned what had recently been just a regular room. Coming back into the room, she worked hard to conceal her excitement. "I'm excited - this is nice," she said, trying hard to keep a straight face. Many of Jessica Mueller's students are more than just a little pleased. Having worked with their teacher in various capacities over the past three or four years, including a preschool classroom at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, they are more than ready to dance in the spacious new studio at 817 Michigan Ave. "I think it looks amazing," said Merry Planton, 15, of Sheboygan. "I'm so excited to dance in there." Mueller started seriously dancing in college and minored in dance at the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay. "I always loved dance," she said. "I was the one glued to the TV at Christmastime watching the Nutcracker." Mueller leased the studio space after deciding to make a career change and follow her passion of dance within the past few months. Having been a kindergarten teacher in Oostburg for several years, she said teaching came naturally. "I thought maybe it was time to look into something I can do on my own", Mueller said. ?My friend urged me to move in that direction. He would say, "You're crazy! Why are you not opening a studio and doing what you love?" The 29-year-old dancer was excited about the prospect of providing a new studio for her students, many of whom had followed her from the Foerster Academy of Dance on Eighth Street, to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center when the Academy closed. "We were working out of a preschool room as a dance studio," Mueller said. "So we could only have class when it was open and the preschool wasn't running." In June, Mueller began looking for a location for a new dance studio. Not sure if she would find anything, she made the decision to check out her options before making any final decisions about her career. "I parked my car and started walking," Mueller said. "I didn't even make it a block and I saw a sign in the front window and it was exactly what I was looking for." After that, things fell into place. "One thing I have going for me is that I have an excessive amount of energy," Mueller said. "I don't sit and let things happen. I make things happen for me." And her students are thrilled. "It's nice to have a space totally dedicated to dance," said Planton, who had been considering traveling out of town for lessons until Mueller made the announcement that she would be opening her own studio. The new studio opens for classes the week of Sept. 12. Mueller said she is looking forward to working with a variety of age groups and experience in her building. "I love the performance," she said. "I love passing on what I love to the kids." "I love
working with the little ones because everything's new to them. I
love working with the teenage girls because again, they are looking
at things differently. They are starting to find out who they are
as a person Mueller said she'll also be offering an introductory class for adults who wish to learn dance. "I believe dance should be relaxing - and not scary or overwhelming," she said.
"I'm just elated," she said. "I feel very much like this is what I'm supposed to be doing right now." *** evolutionyouth.org
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