East Aurora Alumna Opens New Dance Academy At Fox Valley Mall

AURORA, IL — Fox Valley Mall is home to a new Black-owned dance studio as of this weekend.

East Aurora High School alumna Char Petersen celebrated the grand opening of Dream Academy of Dance Arts. The event featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, performance and tour of the new studio.

The studio, also referred to as Dream Dance, trains students in ballet and genres including contemporary, modern, jazz, tap and hip-hop.

Peterson, an Aurora native who founded the studio and serves as its artistic director, attended Columbia College Chicago. She has danced and acted on stages worldwide, according to Chief Communications Officer Clayton Muhammad.

"As a Black woman business owner, Petersen knows it is important to be a role model for the young girls and boys who travel from throughout the west suburbs to attend her studios," Muhammad wrote in a news release.

Dream Dance is located on the first level near JCPenney and Forever 21.