>> ARE YOU LOOKING TO SPICE UP YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE WITH SOME DANCING WITH STUDY AND THE SOUTH LOOP IS DOING JUST THAT.

WE WENT THERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OWNER'S PASSION FOR ENCOURAGING SELF LOVE AND INCLUSIVITY AND HER JOURNEY TO THE WORLD OF DANCE.

>> WE FOCUS ON HAVING A GOOD TIME HAVING SO CARDIO DURING A DANCE FITNESS CLASS.

WHETHER YOU'RE SWINGING YOUR HIPS TO YOUR FAVORITE SONG OR BREAKING IT DOWN TO AN ELECTRIC THE CLASS IS A FULL HOUR OF A CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE ROUTINE.

LOVE BEING ABLE TO LISTEN TO SOME GOOD MUSIC AND, YOU KNOW, SHAKING A LITTLE BIT.

>> IT'S CALLED DIVA DANCE, CHICAGO, A DANCE STUDIO CENTERED ON COMMUNITY IN BUILDING CONFIDENCE.

LEXI LONG'S WORTH IS THE OWNER OF THE CHICAGO BRANCH.

>> DAVID AND ITS NATIONWIDE FRANCHISE.

I WAS A MEMBER IN HOUSTON AND I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

AND I MOVED TO CHICAGO AND I FOUND ONE HERE AND I STARTED TAKING CLASSES.

AND THEN STARTED WORKING THE FRONT DESK AND THEN I STARTED TEACHING CLASSES.

AND THEN I GOT THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME THE OWNER.

>> DURING THE DAY, LEXI IS A SPEECH PATHOLOGIST AND BY NIGHT SHE RUNS THE DANCE STUDIO DRIVEN BY BODY INCLUSIVITY.

>> I'VE GROWN UP IN THE DANCE INDUSTRY AND, YOU KNOW, JUST TAKING DANCING GROWING UP AND BEING COMPACT COMPETITION DANCE.

AND IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE SAFEST SPACE.

4 PEOPLE IN A BIGGER BODY.

AND SO IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT THAT WHEN PEOPLE COME HERE SPECIALLY AS ADULTS YOU KNOW, OUR BODIES CHANGE AS WE GROW UP AND, YOU KNOW, BECOME INTO WOMANHOOD.

AND SO MAKING PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THIS IS A SPACE WHERE YOU CAN WEAR WHATEVER YOU WANT, YOU CAN DANCE.

HOWEVER YOU WANT AND NO ONE'S GOING TO JUDGE YOU WHEN YOU'RE IN THE SPACE.

>> ONE OF THE REASONS GABRIELA LOPEZ, A GRADUATE STUDENT AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, WAS MOTIVATED TO JOIN.

>> TRIED SOME OTHER DEALS AND IT WAS JUST LIKE EITHER A CERTAIN MORE PROFESSIONALS ARE.

THEY HAD ADVANCED HOIST LIFE AND TOOK ALL THESE PROFESSIONAL CLASSES.

AND I CAME HERE AND PEOPLE LIKE ME, PEOPLE COME IN ALL DIFFERENT LEVELS SIZES.

>> FROM POP IT ON, THERE'S A PLACE FOR EVERYONE ON THE DANCE FLOOR.

IT FEELS SO GREAT TO PUT WOMEN IN A SPACE WHO MIGHT LOOK LIKE ME WHO MIGHT BE A PERSON OF COLOR WHO MIGHT BE A BIGGER BODY OR WHO MIGHT JUST BE LOOKING FOR A GREAT WORKOUT.

>> USING DANCE AS A TOOL TO CELEBRATE MOVEMENT AND SELF-LOVE.

A MESSAGE LEXIE SAYS HER MOTHER FROM BILLY'S INSTILLED IN HER.

>> AND BE WHO YOU ARE AND LIKE YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT.

SO JUST LIKE OWNING THAT I'VE KIND OF JUST GROWN UP IN THIS WAY.

WERE YOU JUST LIKE DESTINY'S YOU KNOW, KEEP THE PUSH >> IT'S BEEN NEARLY A YEAR SINCE LONG'S WORTH TOOK OWNERSHIP OF THE DANCE STUDIO AND SHE SAYS ITS SUCCESS HAS LED HER TO LOOK INTO OPENING A SECOND LOCATION TO OWN A STUDIO.

IT FEELS.

>> REALLY LIBERATING, YOU KNOW, BEING A FIRST GENERATION AMERICAN.

I NEVER THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN FOR ME.

>> THEN STEVE IS OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK.

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TAKING THE CLASS, WE HAVE ALL