Longtime ballerina Andrea Dimmen dipped her toe, so to speak, into the world of owning a dance business last fall.
She began by renting a small space for her Dance Kinetics at the Wichita Center for the Performing Arts at 9112 E. Douglas, and now she’s graduating to a much-larger space there.
“It’s larger than I’ve ever taught in,” she says. “It’s beautiful.”
Dimmen graduated from Friends University in 2012 with degrees in ballet and business administration. She says the dance studio at Friends has tall mirrors and ceilings and lots of natural light.
The two careers” complement each other well,” she says.
While Dimmen teaches ballet, her sister — Vanessa Dimmen, a former member of the Wichita State University dance team — teaches jazz and contemporary dance.
Their childhood friend from dancing, Sarah Runyan, teaches tap and works with children ages 3 to 5. Dimmen says that includes helping children learn the basics, such as paying attention and being aware of the spaces that they’re in.
“It might not seem like we’re doing anything . . . but they’re learning something (even) if it’s just to hold your bathroom for an hour.”
Dimmen’s fiance, Kyle Taylor, will teach hip hop.
“He calls it street style.”
Taylor got some attention in 2014 through “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Dimmen plans a grand opening from 5 to 9 p.m. on April 26.
