Decatur Community Dance
Decatur Community Dance, 3163 North Woodford Street, Decatur, IL 62521
About
Decatur Community Dance offers dance training in ballet, tap, jazz, liturgical dance, hip hop, and ballroom dancing. Students take part in performances such as a Nutcracker production and a Spring Dance Recital. Courses run on various days from Monday through Sunday.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
• Schedule: Classes offered Monday through Sunday in Fall (August–December), Spring (January–May), and Summer (June–July) sessions
The Decatur Community Dance program states that it is committed to providing dance training in a professional, personal, and friendly environment for children starting at age two through adult, with a non-competitive approach to dance education. The program emphasizes strong dance technique in all classes and states that its goal is to instill a love for dancing and a sense of pride in students’ achievements.
Artistic Director Nancy McReynolds is a Decatur native and graduate of Millikin University in Speech, Theatre, English, and Dance, and she received a Master in Theatre Arts from Denver University in Colorado. She has training certification with the Royal Academy of Dance in all grade levels from Pre-Primary through Grade 8, trained at the Gus Giordano Dance Studio, and has experience as Ballet Mistress for the Scottish American Ballet in Edinburgh, Scotland. She received the Decatur Herald’s Choreographer Award for the Richland Community College production “Metropolis.”
The teaching staff includes experienced instructors with varied backgrounds. Amy Ziettlow was a ballet performance major at the University of Oklahoma, holds a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago, is ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, serves Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Decatur, and is co-author of “Homeward Bound: Modern Families, Elder Care, & Loss.” Chelsea White graduated Magna Cum Laude from Taylor University with a B.S. in Spanish Education, has taught Spanish at MacArthur High School and St. Teresa High School, has danced since childhood, was a soloist for the Richland Dance Company, and is a certified personal trainer, runner, and pianist. Jan Taylor earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rockford College with an emphasis in Dance, performed on the semi-professional Rockford Lightning Silverstreaks dance team, studied dance in London, England and at Debbie Allen’s Dance Studio and Debbie Reynolds’ Dance Studio, and has experience as a choreographer, model, and television performer.
Additional instructors include Melissa Girardi, who began dancing with what is now Decatur Community Dance in 1998, started teaching in 2014, and graduated from Millikin University in 2013 with a BA in social services. Social Latin dancing instructors starting January 2024 include Yulia Dichenko, a safety engineer at Primient who has been ballroom dancing since 2001, competing and dancing professionally since 2009, and teaching Latin dance since 2018, and Matthew Heinemann, a design engineer at Butler America who started Latin dancing in 2013 and has taught Latin dancing since 2016. Jennifer Power is a Middle School ELA teacher at Montessori Academy for Peace, began dancing at age 3, grew up dancing competitively at Art in Motion dance studio, competed on the Maroa-Forsyth High School dance team for four years (serving as captain and choreographer in her junior and senior years), and danced with Decatur Community Dance (formerly Richland Dance) in high school before returning in January 2018.
The program offers a Spring Dance Recital for all students enrolled in Decatur Community Dance classes. Both students and community members are welcome to audition to perform a role in the Nutcracker, with rehearsals beginning in September and performances in December. The course catalog and class registration system are available online, and Decatur Community Dance partners with Petals Gift Shop to offer DCD merchandise.
Last updated January 12, 2026.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
• Schedule: Classes offered Monday through Sunday in Fall (August–December), Spring (January–May), and Summer (June–July) sessions
The Decatur Community Dance program states that it is committed to providing dance training in a professional, personal, and friendly environment for children starting at age two through adult, with a non-competitive approach to dance education. The program emphasizes strong dance technique in all classes and states that its goal is to instill a love for dancing and a sense of pride in students’ achievements.
Artistic Director Nancy McReynolds is a Decatur native and graduate of Millikin University in Speech, Theatre, English, and Dance, and she received a Master in Theatre Arts from Denver University in Colorado. She has training certification with the Royal Academy of Dance in all grade levels from Pre-Primary through Grade 8, trained at the Gus Giordano Dance Studio, and has experience as Ballet Mistress for the Scottish American Ballet in Edinburgh, Scotland. She received the Decatur Herald’s Choreographer Award for the Richland Community College production “Metropolis.”
The teaching staff includes experienced instructors with varied backgrounds. Amy Ziettlow was a ballet performance major at the University of Oklahoma, holds a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago, is ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, serves Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Decatur, and is co-author of “Homeward Bound: Modern Families, Elder Care, & Loss.” Chelsea White graduated Magna Cum Laude from Taylor University with a B.S. in Spanish Education, has taught Spanish at MacArthur High School and St. Teresa High School, has danced since childhood, was a soloist for the Richland Dance Company, and is a certified personal trainer, runner, and pianist. Jan Taylor earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rockford College with an emphasis in Dance, performed on the semi-professional Rockford Lightning Silverstreaks dance team, studied dance in London, England and at Debbie Allen’s Dance Studio and Debbie Reynolds’ Dance Studio, and has experience as a choreographer, model, and television performer.
Additional instructors include Melissa Girardi, who began dancing with what is now Decatur Community Dance in 1998, started teaching in 2014, and graduated from Millikin University in 2013 with a BA in social services. Social Latin dancing instructors starting January 2024 include Yulia Dichenko, a safety engineer at Primient who has been ballroom dancing since 2001, competing and dancing professionally since 2009, and teaching Latin dance since 2018, and Matthew Heinemann, a design engineer at Butler America who started Latin dancing in 2013 and has taught Latin dancing since 2016. Jennifer Power is a Middle School ELA teacher at Montessori Academy for Peace, began dancing at age 3, grew up dancing competitively at Art in Motion dance studio, competed on the Maroa-Forsyth High School dance team for four years (serving as captain and choreographer in her junior and senior years), and danced with Decatur Community Dance (formerly Richland Dance) in high school before returning in January 2018.
The program offers a Spring Dance Recital for all students enrolled in Decatur Community Dance classes. Both students and community members are welcome to audition to perform a role in the Nutcracker, with rehearsals beginning in September and performances in December. The course catalog and class registration system are available online, and Decatur Community Dance partners with Petals Gift Shop to offer DCD merchandise.
Last updated January 12, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.