With an eye on a successful business venture and her feet planted firmly on the ground, a dancer has opened a dance studio in Riverside.

Heather Overbeck of Oak Park recently opened Principle Dance Studio at 42 East Ave.

Specializing in building student creativity and self-esteem on a solid foundation of quality dance technique, the studio features classes in ballet and pointe, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, creative movement and dance fitness. Programs include instruction for children as young as two, ranging in age to adult classes serving beginners to professionals.

“It has been over a year since I started playing around with the idea of opening my own dance studio,” Overbeck said. “I was driving around and got lost in Riverside. I saw this ‘For Rent’ sign where Kay Snyder had her Arcade Antiques and thought it would make a good dance studio.”

She and her staff are well-trained professionals.

Overbeck is a graduate of the Newcomb School of Ballet, specializing in teaching the Russian technique.

“It all began in my mind; I wanted to have a school where these disciplines were taught,” she said. “Ballet is the pinnacle of the dance.”

She also studies at the Lou Conti Studios and is a graduate of the University of Texas where she was awarded her bachelor of fine arts degree.

Her staff includes Kaitlan Short, a student at Columbia College in Chicago working toward a degree in dance; Andrea Cerniglia of Zephyr Dance, who holds a dance degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Susie Hughes is a graduate of North Texas University; and John Puskar, a ballroom dance instructor presently teaching youth swing lessons on Friday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and salsa from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Adult swing lessons are given on Saturday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and salsa lessons on Saturday from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Classes are open to singles and couples.

“Dance is a performance art and performance is the culmination of the hours spent in the studio practicing technique,” Overbeck said. “The transition from the comfort of the studio to the magic of the stage is where artistry truly comes into play.”