Family moves to Princeton, along with their dance studio business

Victoria Niedbalec and her family’s move from Chicagoland to Princeton has caused some changes in their lives, but for the better.

One aspect of their lives that hasn’t changed is their jobs. The family relocated their dance studio from Chicagoland to Princeton. Owned by Laura Alatorre and run by her four children, Connections Studio, 956 N. Main St., opened in September 2022.

Niedbalec’s mother, Laura, was caring for her aging parents and would soon be in need of main floor bedrooms, which were hard to come by where they lived. Niedbalec has a 2-year-old daughter and wanted her to enjoy parts of childhood she enjoyed, such as riding a bike and playing in the yard.

“It was also right when COVID was kind of ending … we just branched out and decided to take on a new adventure,” she said.

Part of what drew Alatorre to Princeton was the house she found – a 1906 Prairie-style home with lots of space in a laid back neighborhood.

“We have neighbors now who check in on us if they don’t see us driving out of the parking lot to say, ‘Hey, you guys OK?’ Things like that that didn’t happen back where I’m from,” Niedbalec said.

“We all have extensive backgrounds,” Niedbalec said of herself and her siblings, Isaiah J., Alexandria and Jessica Alatorre. “We have a very, as we say, connected background in performing arts and the entertainment industry.”

To call Connections Studio simply a dance studio would be limiting, because they offer more than dance.

“People are shocked to find out that it’s not so much just a dance studio,” Niedbalec said, adding they offer fitness, theatre and music instruction also. “We do different free events throughout the year for families. They don’t have to pay anything. You can just come and participate and be part of the community at the studio.”

Its summer schedule is posted on its website, connectionsstudioinc.com, and includes pilates, basic tumbling, ballet, jazz, tap and hip hop classes. They offer classes to all ages.

“The youngest that we teach is 9 months old and, obviously we’re not teaching them dance, but we go through motor skills and development, kind of like what they would experience in daycare or preschool with a little bit of dance or tumbling background. My 1-year-olds are learning to do somersaults and things like that, but we also pride ourselves in incorporating what they’re learning in preschool, which is their colors, their shapes, taking turns, things like that. It’s just a really well-rounded class,” she said. “The oldest that we’ve ever taught I believe was 73 years old and that was a lady that decided she wanted to take tap lessons. So we’ve had very young students to the, as we call them, young-at-heart students.”

The family also was happy to find a home inside the Knox Hotel, which Mayor Ray Mabry, who was not yet elected at the time, helped them find.

“He’s a genuinely nice gentleman and, like I said, people trying to look out for each other even though they don’t know you from Adam is very different for us back where we’re from,” Niedbalec said.

The 1850s building reminded the family of the old buildings they used to train at in downtown Chicago and they were happy to support a young family, Dane and Kelsey Stier.

For more information about Connections Studio, call 708-297-1240.

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