Black Hills Biz: Dance & Photography

The Academy of Dance Arts added a new space for its dance company to work with.

Located on the corner at 230 Main St., the space will be the primary home for upper division classes and create more convenient class times for the younger divisions at the other locations. In addition to the 12 foot ceilings and ample parking, the owner says she's particularly excited about the dance floor.

Julie McFarland says, "With three performing groups especially, our home performance space is either the Civic Center or the Performing Arts Center and this floor space now matches the floor print that we have at the Civic Center location. It's also state of the art so it has a spring and floating with marley over the top so the dancers can really have what they need to perform at their best. It's a culmination ... actually of an 11 year dream for us to be able to help our dancers reach their dreams literally one step at a time."

The grand opening starts at 9:30 a.m. on Friday with a ribbon cutting

followed by class registration, demo classes, other fun activities and a chance to check out the new space.

and right next door --- a local photographer is excited for his photography to enter a new scene.

Russell Jensen says, "We've been photographing alot over the past 13 years all over the Black Hills which we still extend our studio space out in the Black Hills area but we love this vibrant space, alot of energy going on here so we're really happy to have found this location where people can stop in and find us easily."

Russel Jenson is the owner of Sage studios. His new space features a new studio that allows him to do unique senior portraits and a viewing room for clients to review their shots. A popular intent for Jenson are his unique photography collaborations with local dance and theater companies like the Academy of Dance Arts.

Jensen says, "It also provides us with an opportunity to do a little bit of collaborative effort with other businesses in the local community making it a little bit more readily available for them."

The reveal of the new Sage Studios will be at the same time on Friday so people can view photography displays and register for Fall family portraits.