A gymnasium and adjacent classroom in Gabel Hall are being converted into dance studios to allow more room for NIU dance students to rehearse.

The gymnasium is divided into two large studios and the classroom serves as a third studio. All three have vinyl floor coverings and new lights, mirrors, ceilings and ventilation were installed, said NIU Project Manager Conrad Miller.

Miller said the purpose of the conversion is to “accomodate the educational needs of today’s students.”

Billie Mahoney, NIU dance coordinator for theatre arts and theatre arts dance, said the two large studios will be used for ballet, jazz and modern dance classes. They are equipped to accomodate between 25 and 30 students.

The third studio will be used for tap dance and faculty and student choreography projects, Mahoney said. The studio is coated with a thinner gauge of vinyl for the proper acoustics necessary for tap dance, Miller said.

The project was expected to be completed prior to the first day of classes, but the flooring is not entirely completed in two of the studios.

Miller said everyone is “working feverishly to get this done.” Students have paid a fee for the facility “so it is our obligation to provide it,” he said.

The floor is completed in one of the larger studios and classes are currently being held there. Ballet barres will be installled at a later date, Miller said.

Mahoney estimates that all three studios will be operating in about a week. “Everyone is doing their best,” she said. “Everyone is concerned that we get dancing.”

Mahoney said the new space will be better for the “communicative dance” they teach. The department is working on expanding its curriculum to offer a bachelor of fine arts in dance, she said.