Cinnamon’s DanceWorks strives for nonprofit status to help troubled teens, families

Darren Severtsen found himself in a situation of which words fell short. For him and his wife Cathy, when love seemed to be on its way out, they danced and DIPPed their way back in.

Dancing Integrating Perfect Partnership is a program offered at Cinnamon’s DanceWorks in Algonquin as a way for people to deal with issues such as depression and marital turbulence to help them build confidence through dance. Cinnamon’s DanceWorks owner Cinnamon Trammell, who has been teaching dance for almost two decades, developed DIPP with the help of health professionals to help people heal.

“We work with therapists and counselors to determine the need on a case basis and then design a dance program to modify their behavior on the dance floor, so that it modifies their behavior off the dance floor,” Trammell said.

In addition to helping families reconnect, it also has been used to help amputees with limited mobility in teaching them to reach beyond their preconceived limitations to see what they truly can do.

Trammell, along with Studio Manager Siana Bozova, are in the process of turning their program into a nonprofit offering scholarships for those in need to attend these therapeutic classes. The studio also offers general classes in 67 different types of dance, including ballroom, modern, tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop and club dances.

“I’ve worked with not-for-profit agencies, and I’ve personally seen what dance does for people. Dance personally saved my life when I lost my fiancée to cancer,” Trammell said, referring to his fiancée Helen’s death in 1992. “I used it as a way to deal with it internally.”

Trammell said they aren’t trying to replace other methods of therapy, either physical or mental, but rather enhance help the client already is receiving.

“Dance allows you to think outside of the box a little bit and forces you to identify your weaknesses as well as your strengths,” Trammell said. “It allows you to use the creative side of your brain to express yourself when you have trouble or just don’t know how.”

Severtsen, an Aurora resident, has been taking classes in the program since June 2016 after he and his wife found their marriage to be in trouble. After 12 years together, five of them as a married couple, Severtsen said jobs, a child and life in general started to take them in different directions, and they found dance as a way to bring them back.

“It takes all of the day-to-day and just all the stuff from life and puts it back into perspective,” Severtsen said. “It brought us back to the basics of communication, touching, reading body language. At the beginning of a relationship, you put the work in, and then somewhere along the way in the rat race of life, you lose it. You can talk things to death, but it doesn’t help with the physical connection to one another.”

The couple uses mostly salsa and country dancing in their classes. Severtsen said he likes that there’s no blame when dancing.

“Dancing is give and take. You lead half the time and then you have to follow half the time,” Severtsen said. “It gets you out of your comfort zone and grows your emotional skills; gets you to maintain eye contact with your partner.”

Severtsen said they will continue with the program as they still have some things to work through, but they have seen improvement. On a recent vacation, the couple was at a restaurant where they got up and danced to a live band that was playing. After they returned to their seats, others in the restaurant complemented them on how they seemed to connect on the dance floor.

“People could see the quality of dance we were doing and saw that connection we had. It was really nice to get complements,” Severtsen said.

In support of their desire to officially move DIPP to a nonprofit status, Cinnamon’s DanceWorks will host its first official large event for the studio, which has been open for about a year-and-a-half. Its Winter Masquerade Ball will be from 7 p.m. to midnight on Dec. 16 at the Holiday Inn of Crystal Lake.

The ball will include a three-course meal, dessert station, live DJ, dance performances, a best mask contest and a silent auction. The proceeds will go to the scholarship program, nonprofit filing fees and additional equipment for the studio’s classes.

“We want to make the community aware of what we are trying to offer and what we do offer,” Trammell said. “We have also reached out to local small businesses and offered it as a way for them to have their Christmas party on us.

“We don’t close our doors to anybody. If you have a dream, we’ll help you achieve it.”

WINTER MASQUERADE BALL

WHEN: 7 p.m. to midnight Dec. 16

WHERE: Holiday Inn Crystal Lake, 800 S. Route 31, Crystal Lake

COST & INFO: Event includes a three-course meal, cash bar, dessert bar, live DJ playing ballroom and dance music, a photo booth and complimentary dance lesson. Evening will include a silent auction, and prizes will be raffled off. The dress code is black tie formal with mask, with a contest for the best mask. Tickets are available at Cinnamon’s DanceWorks, 2025 E. Algonquin Road, Algonquin. Cost: $75 by Dec. 14 includes dinner or $75 at the door does not include dinner. VIP tables of 10 available for $700. Proceeds will go toward scholarship programs for children, teens, adults and families who cannot afford dance lessons, nonprofit filing fees and equipment for new dance classes. Information: Contact Cinnamon at 224-333-0822 or by email at info@cinnamonDanceWorks.com.