Carol Stream Dance Company Competes On 'World Of Dance'

CAROL STREAM, IL — Just months after Melissa Lobes opened The Difference Dance Company in Carol Stream, she decided to do something daring and have her newly formed dance team send an audition for NBC's "World of Dance." The team, made up of girls ages 9 through 17, many of whom had never danced together, made the cut, and will appear on "World of Dance" on June 16 at 9 p.m.

Lobes told Patch she was pregnant when, with the help of her husband and father, she put together and opened The Difference Dance Company in just three weeks. The studio opened in September.

"It was girls who hadn’t necessarily been dancing together for very long," Lobes said, She added that she thought,“It’s been a crazy year; let’s just go for it.”

Haley Rovansek, 17, who competed with the team, told Patch she was thrilled when she found out The Difference had been chosen to compete. "I was just jumping up and down I was hugging [Lobes],” Haley said.

Haley and the other girls, who normally train 25 hours a week, put in an extra 10 hours each week to prepare for "World of Dance."

"[The girls] just came together and right away you could feel they were a team and cohesive," Lobes told Patch.

It all paid off when the team flew to California to appear in front of J-Lo, Ne-Yo and Derek Hough with their dance routine.

"It was an opportunity we never thought we’d get," Haley told Patch. "Just to see their three faces and getting to dance in front of them was something I never thought I would do in my life.”

Haley added, "I was the most focused I’ve ever been" during the performance. "It’s like burned into my memory," she said.

“We were just so grateful to be there," Lobes said. She added, “We were just overwhelmed and happy to be there."

She said the experience was "surreal and amazing."

For Haley, one highlight was meeting other dancers from around the world. She said, "We were able to meet so many amazing people and make friends with people from all over the world."

It was also a treat for Haley to meet and hug J-Lo.Haley said, "I remember hugging [J-Lo] so tight. I remember what she was wearing. She smelled so good."

You can watch The Difference Dance Company compete on "World of Dance" June 16 at 9 p.m. on NBC.