An Irish dance studio opened at 7515 Madison St. in August, but it’s not new to town. Jeanine Bentley opened Bentley Academy of Irish Dance on Madison Street in February 2017 for three months before moving to a studio in Downers Grove, where she grew up.
“I did Forest Park because there wasn’t another competitive Irish dance school around that area, which is kind of an unwritten rule with dance teachers,” Bentley said.
But she found herself missing the Forest Park area, which she left after graduating from Dominican University in River Forest. So Bentley started renting studio space on Saturday mornings from TranscenDance Studios on Madison Street in Oak Park.
Then a few months ago, the parent of one of her Oak Park students told her 7515 Madison St. was available to lease.
“The fact that it was the exact same place where I had my very first class, it felt a little serendipitous,” Bentley said.
After Irish dancing her whole life, competing and touring professionally, Bentley now works full time at Northwestern Mutual in Chicago. She and a few other teachers instruct Irish dance on the side to about 80 students of all ages and skill levels in Downers Grove and Forest Park.
Bentley Academy hosts classes in Forest Park on Wednesdays. The first class runs 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. for beginner dancers. Then there’s two hour-long classes for more advanced dancers.
“I want to be a place where it feels more boutique,” Bentley said, “where kids are able to come in and they can get attention and really improve in the way that they want to.”
Dedicated to dance
Bentley has done Irish dancing since she was 6 years old; she started classes at a small school in someone’s basement.
“I instantly fell in love with it,” she said. “Having something that was very technical, mixed with athletic, mixed with music was a perfect combination.”
“Even when it was really tough, it was probably my first love to be honest,” Bentley added. “It was more than a sport.”
Bentley danced competitively during high school. She attended Dominican, in part so she could be near the Chicago-based Trinity Irish Dance Company, where she danced professionally. She continued touring professionally after graduating.
“With opening a school, I always had a pipe dream in the back of my head since I was probably 9 or 10 and never thought it was going to come to fruition,” Bentley recalled. “Part of the reason for that is the exam you have to take to become certified to have a dance school — at least a competitive Irish dance school — is really grueling.
The World Irish Dance Association puts on the TCRG Examinations, which consist of a three-day test with a low pass rate, according to Bentley. She took it twice before passing, then decided to open her own studio.
After Intuit Dance closed at 7515 Madison St., Bentley said few renovations were needed because the space was already a dance studio. She invited students and parents for pizza and painting the Forest Park studio before holding the first class in mid-August.
Now one month in, she’s excited to see her Forest Park classes grow while also supporting her students outside of dance.
“Number one for me is making sure every kid walks in, feels safe, feels valued, and is truly seen and is celebrated — not for any type of dancing, but the person they are,” Bentley said.
“We have a lot of dancers who are not going to be world champions, and they come in and just explode with energy and appreciation and good camaraderie. To me, that’s the best.”
Bentley Academy is located at 7515 Madison St. and is open Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7:15 p.m. To sign up for a class, contact info@thebentleyacademy.com.