The History of DDP
How it all started....
From the time she was 8 years old it had always been Donna’s dream to have a Dance Studio. She moved to New York for 5 years and was able to study with some of the country’s finest teachers. Don was a dancer at that time receiving most of his training in Dayton, Ohio. Don and Donna met in New York, and after 8 years got married and decided to give the dance studio a try. Donna had already opened a studio in Peoria called Holiday Hall and Don was working as a publicity manager for an agency in New York. It was hard for him to leave that job and move to Peoria, but when he came to visit and saw what Donna was doing with her dance studio, he thought he might like to teach dance, too. Don never regretted his decision and he loved Peoria as much as Donna did.
In June of 1959, Don and Donna pooled all their money together to buy a building on the corner of McClure and University in Peoria and started D/D Productions (The D/D standing for Don and Donna, of course), hoping it would be a success. Donna’s parents, Thelma & Rocky were the backbone in getting D/D started. They painted, laid the flooring, and set up the barres and equipment to get the studio ready for lessons by September. They did all the manual labor so that Don and Donna could focus on advertising, registering students and getting ready to teach. D/D started with 200 students and within 5 years had grown to 750 students! The boost that really helped them was having “The Flying D’s” (their advanced tumbling group) perform and win on the Ted Mack Amateur Show, giving D/D national recognition.
The dance studio had a very fast growth after that. Don and Donna taught at major dance conventions in the summers, giving them an even better reputation throughout the United States. They had several students win competitions at local Fairs. Don and Donna were even featured on the cover of Dance Magazine. They opened various dance studios all around the area….Bartonville, Chillicothe, Eureka, Morton, Henry and Lacon. D/D has produced very talented dancers throughout the years, many of them today have dance studios of their own. But more than good dancers, Don and Donna created an atmosphere of fun, discipline and a love of dance that is still being carried on today by the current owner, and former student of Don and Donna, Jennifer Vititow.
D/D has been teaching children how to dance for over 50 years. It is worth noting that we have survived this long thanks to the help of our loyal parents and friends willing to volunteer their time and skills to keep everything at the studio running smoothly.
In June of 1959, Don and Donna pooled all their money together to buy a building on the corner of McClure and University in Peoria and started D/D Productions (The D/D standing for Don and Donna, of course), hoping it would be a success. Donna’s parents, Thelma & Rocky were the backbone in getting D/D started. They painted, laid the flooring, and set up the barres and equipment to get the studio ready for lessons by September. They did all the manual labor so that Don and Donna could focus on advertising, registering students and getting ready to teach. D/D started with 200 students and within 5 years had grown to 750 students! The boost that really helped them was having “The Flying D’s” (their advanced tumbling group) perform and win on the Ted Mack Amateur Show, giving D/D national recognition.
The dance studio had a very fast growth after that. Don and Donna taught at major dance conventions in the summers, giving them an even better reputation throughout the United States. They had several students win competitions at local Fairs. Don and Donna were even featured on the cover of Dance Magazine. They opened various dance studios all around the area….Bartonville, Chillicothe, Eureka, Morton, Henry and Lacon. D/D has produced very talented dancers throughout the years, many of them today have dance studios of their own. But more than good dancers, Don and Donna created an atmosphere of fun, discipline and a love of dance that is still being carried on today by the current owner, and former student of Don and Donna, Jennifer Vititow.
D/D has been teaching children how to dance for over 50 years. It is worth noting that we have survived this long thanks to the help of our loyal parents and friends willing to volunteer their time and skills to keep everything at the studio running smoothly.
Meet the Staff of DDP!
Miss Jennifer ~ Owner/Instructor
Jennifer Vititow has been at D/D Productions for 40 years. She started dancing at the age of 3, became a helper, then an assistant, and in high school became a teacher. She worked for her teachers Don & Donna Hixson for many years. In 1997 when Donna retired, she sold the studio to Jennifer. Jennifer has carried on the tradition of teaching children of all ages the love of dance and tumbling. Many of her students have been recognized at both the Regional and National levels with some of her award winning routines. Currently her studio holds the National Title at Star Systems National Talent Competition. Jennifer has a special love for the art of dance and tumbling and it is her hope that she can pass on that love to each child that comes through the doors of DDP.
Miss Laura ~ Instructor
Laura Durkee grew up at D/D. Her sisters were already dancing here when she was born, so by the time she turned 3 she was more than ready for her first lesson. She continued dancing and competing throughout high school and even when away at college. After being a helper, then teacher’s assistant for years, she started teaching summer lessons in high school and college. After graduation, she immediately moved back home to be closer to her family and, of course, DDP. She’s been back teaching recreational and competition classes since 2006 and loves every minute of it! Especially since she gets extra family time with her brother/fellow teacher, Philip, and her mom, Sharon, aka “the desk lady” J She also has a “real job” working full-time at Caterpillar Logistics in Morton. Miss Laura recently became engaged and is getting married in September 2012!
Philip ~ Instructor
Philip Durkee has been with D/D since the age of 4. From the very first moment he watched his 3 older sisters dance (one being Miss Laura) nothing has ever taken him off the dance floor. Philip was a part of the DDP competition team for 15 years, along with being a helper and teacher's assistant during that time. He dedicated most of his high school years to the dance studio, studying dance and making the transition from teacher's assistant to teacher. Philip teaches both competition and recreational classes and is very proud to have just celebrated his 5th year of teaching dance and tumbling at D/D! In addition to teaching at the dance studio, Philip is studying Psychology at Bradley University and will graduate in Spring 2013.
Miss Kerry ~ Instructor
Kerry Elias started dancing at D/D when she was 10. She soon became a helper, assistant and finally a teacher when she was in high school. She has continued teaching at DDP since then. Kerry has been married to Fred Elias for 20 years and they have 2 children - Gabbi a freshman (who also dances here at DDP) and Niko in 8th grade. Kerry is a hair stylist full time, and teaches recreational dance and tumbling part time at DDP. She loves kids and feels blessed to be able to share her love of dance with them.
Miss Leyna ~ Instructor
Leyna Wimmer has been a dedicated student at D/D for 7 years. She has been a helper and assistant to Miss Laura during this time, but is always prepared to step in and teach any instructor's class when needed, and does an excellent job. She began teaching full-time this summer and it came as no surprise that the kids and parents raved about her. Leyna is very excited to teach her first year with her own classes for recital, and we are equally excited to have her officially join our teaching staff. Leyna will be teaching recreational classes this year, including our preschool classes. And she herself will continue to perform on our competition team. She attends Richwoods High School where she has also been sharing her love of dance as a member of Richwoods Royallettes for the past 3 years.
Miss Markie ~ Instructor
Markie Maloof has been dancing since she was 5 years old. When she got to high school, she was on dance team at Peoria Notre Dame all four years. She was also a captain and choreographer for the team, leading them to place at many competitions and qualify for the State Championship Competition. Markie loves dancing and has danced several years at DDP. She is very excited to join the DDP teaching staff so she can share her expertise and love for dancing to students! Markie will be teaching recreational dance and tumbling this year, and she continues to perform on our competition team
Miss Jessica ~ Instructor
Jessica Risen grew up dancing and tumbling at D/D with her 3 sisters and 4 cousins. Together, they performed on the competition team from the time Jessica was 6 years old through high school. In high school, she was on the cheerleading squad at Peoria Notre Dame all four years she was there. After being away a few years at school, Jessica is very excited to be back and teaching at DDP. Jessica will be teaching recreational dance and tumbling this year, including our Preschool Classes.
Miss Sharon ~ Receptionist
Sharon Durkee just celebrated her 27th dance recital at D/D! In the summer of 1983, she signed up her daughter, Monica, for her first dance lesson (and was pregnant with Miss Laura by their first recital in Spring of 1984). Two years later her younger daughter Marie started lessons, too. In January of 1988, she enrolled Laura, who was definitely ready to start after watching her sisters dance since she was born. Finally, in 1994, Sharon signed Philip up for lessons after she couldn’t tear him away from watching and imitating their old recital videos. Monica, Marie, Laura and Philip all continued dancing at D/D throughout high school and all were helpers and assistants during that time. And, of course, Laura and Philip are still here…now teachers J Sharon became Receptionist in Fall of 2006 and has been greeting families with her friendly smile and warm disposition for the past 5 years. If you haven’t already met Sharon, you will soon find out that she loves meeting and talking to the families of DDP! She has been married to her husband Tom for 36 years, and is a proud mother of 7 kids. She has 2 grand-sons, and her first grand-daughter is on the way (due in October!).
D/D Productions Inc ~ 922 W. Detweiller Dr. Peoria, IL 61615 ~ (309) 692-8221 ~ Email DDP