Best Dance Studio
Dianne Cole Johnson School of Dance, 3044 Old Denton Road, Carrollton, 972-446-2220, dcjdance.com

By Ruth Haesemeyer
neighborsgo editor

In nearly 30 years, not much has changed at the Dianne Cole Johnson School of Dance of Carrollton. The studio still bustles with activity. Strong friendships are still made between little girls in ballet shoes. Owner Dianne Cole Johnson still enjoys teaching her students. Many of those students are the children of dancers she taught years ago.

“I do think that says a lot when you have your students bringing their children back to you,” Johnson said.

The Dianne Cole Johnson School of Dance has served the Carrollton community since Johnson opened it in 1976, though it was housed at two other locations before settling at its current studio. At the school, degreed instructors teach a variety of classes, from hip-hop to tap.

Johnson said many of the students learn more than dancing skills.

“To me, it’s about more than dance for the kids,” she said. “It helps them with their self esteem, their self-confidence.”

It also can become a social activity. Johnson said when attending the wedding of a past student, she will often find that many of her other old students are members of the wedding party.

“They create friendships for life,” she said.

The school also provides performance opportunities through its Repertory Dance Theatre of Texas, a non-profit ballet company that offers students a pre-professional venue for dance. The school’s dance competition team, The Divas, keeps the studio well-stocked with trophies and presents regular productions.

Though the pace can get hectic (Johnson said at times the studio is a little like Grand Central Station), she said she’s still having fun.

“I don’t think I could have done it for 30 years if I didn’t enjoy it,” Johnson said.