McLean Couple Celebrates 60 Years Of Their Dance Studio

MCLEAN, VA—McLean residents James and Jane Loizou may be in their 90s, but they have no intention of slowing down, thanks to their dance studio.

The couple is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the James School of Dance Arts opening in McLean, marking the occasion by moving to a larger space at 1365 Beverly Road this fall.

The story of how the dance studio came about cements its status as a jewel in the McLean community. Greek immigrant James Loizou met Jane after moving to the U.S. They both shared a passion for the art of dance and ultimately decided to open the dance studio in 1957.

The operation started out small, with the couple teaching ballroom dancing in their home. In the early days, they were known for their weekly ballroom dancing and social etiquette classes.

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Since then, they've moved to larger and larger spaces as the business and offerings grew. They established a Ballet Corps boys tap troupe, both of which performed on children's television shows such as Bozo the Clown, Ranger Hall, Captain Kangaroo and the Claire Coco Show.

Today the school offers ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, dance team, acro and contemporary, and will likely be bringing back ballroom dancing. The dancers have won first place at numerous competitions.

Most notably this year, the dance studio won first place for "Plant a Flower," a moving dance dedicated to a local dancer living with Lyme disease.

WATCH: Plant a Flower by James School of Dance Arts

The Loizou couple's love of dance has fostered their desire to make a difference in the community. Jane has worked with disabled children, seeing dance movement as a therapy of sorts. She has spoken as a panelist alongside dancer Gene Kelly at his “Adventures in Movement” seminar and has served President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

Although their son James Jr. runs the studio now, James and Jane's love of dance hasn't waned. And they'll continue to steal the show with a ballroom dances.

Check out some of the images of the couple and the dance studio throughout the years in the gallery above.

Images courtesy of the Loizou family