Forever Home: Kimmie Nott and Lauren Krohe

University News

Forever Home: Kimmie Nott and Lauren Krohe

September 18, 2019

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Video by Phil Weiss, BA '98, MS '17, University Television

NOTE: This is the sixth installment in a series, "Forever Home," which features video interviews with WIU alumni who have chosen to make Macomb (and/or WIU) their home after graduation.

By Jodi Pospeschil, MA '15

MACOMB, IL – When Western Illinois University alumni Kimmie Nott and Lauren Krohe became college freshmen, they already had many years of friendship and dance experience together.

The two women, both area natives, then combined their dance experience with their educational background to run the successful Project Dance Company, an experience which began while they were still WIU students. The duo took the studio over from Dana Gallahue, of the former Dana's Dance and Tumbling Studio, where they took dance lessons from a young age.

Nott received her bachelor's degree in exercise science and her minor in dance in 2014 and Krohe received her bachelor's degree in broadcasting and her minor in dance in 2015. The two were studying and teaching at the local dance studio while still in college when they were offered the opportunity to take over the business.

"I was getting ready to start my senior year at Western, with internships and everything, and our boss (Dana) decided to turn the dance studio over to us if we wanted it," said Nott. "We decided to open up Project Dance Company together and it's just grown ever since."

The studio began with five or six students and has grown to attract students from a wide radius of Macomb.

"Every single year we just bring in more students," said Nott. "Right now, we're currently at about 150 students and we're on year six."

Krohe said her dad, Keith has been a strong supporter of the endeavor and bought the building the studio is currently housed in on the east side of the Macomb square. He has also led many renovations to the building for projects including expanding the waiting area at the front of the building.

Since graduation, the two stay connected to Western by returning to campus to serve as guest artists in the WIU Department of Theater and Dance. They also teach classes on campus.

Both credit their time at Western for helping give them the background they need to run a successful business.

"Western influenced me a lot past graduation," said Krohe. "I had many professors here that influenced me. One specifically was Sam Edsall. He was really hands-on with video. I use a lot of that technique that I learned here to do a lot of promotional advertising for our studio and our business. I honestly don't think I would have learned how to use any of it if it wasn't for the classes here."

Nott said the lessons she learned at WIU give her the background she needs for teaching.

"Being in the dance department helped shape me to learn some more dance background and dance techniques to teach my students here in Macomb," she said. "Going through kinesiology has shaped me to be aware of the muscles and bones that are being used through dance. It helps with injuries and injury prevention…so that really helps being in a dance studio and being around tons of kids."

The studio offers students, ages 2-18, a wide variety of classes including tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, tumbling and hip hop. They also compete in dance contests across the region.

The friends said they are proud to have kept their business in their home area and provide as many opportunities as they can for local residents.

"I was born and raised in Macomb and I'm such a family person, I can't imagine going far away," said Nott. "It's just home; I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."

For more information about WIU, visit wiu.edu.