Stephanie Brown takes over Deborah’s School of Dance in Storm Lake

If Deborah’s School of Dance had closed with Deborah Dunn’s retirement, Storm Lake would have lost one of its longest-running arts institutions. Instead, the studio stayed in local hands when Dunn sold the business to Stephanie Brown, preserving a 49-year legacy that has shaped dancers, families and performances across Buena Vista County.

Dunn announced in February 2026 that she and her sister, Lisa Shima, would retire after nearly five decades in the business. The move could have marked the end of a familiar fixture in downtown Storm Lake. Instead, Brown stepped in as the successor, a handoff that keeps classes, recitals and performance opportunities in place for the students who depend on them.

Brown was already part of the studio’s day-to-day rhythm. She had worked for Dunn for the last five years and co-directed Dancer’s Unlimited, making the transition more of a continuation than a restart. That matters for parents looking for stability and for students who have built their training around teachers they know and trust. The studio also continues to serve more than one community, with locations listed in Storm Lake at 522 1/2 Lake Ave. and in Cherokee at 108 N 2nd St.

Brown’s path to the studio was built over years of training and performance. She started dancing as a toddler, then at age 12 trained more intensively at Paulyn’s Dance Studio in Norfolk, Nebraska. In high school, she captained both dance and cheer teams, and later was recruited into Buena Vista University’s dance and cheer programs. At BVU, she helped build the foundation for the program, contributed choreography to a third-place National Dance Alliance Nationals finish and helped establish the end-of-year showcase tradition that still continues.

Her ties to Storm Lake go well beyond the dance floor. Brown, originally from Pierce, Nebraska, has settled in town with her husband, Bradley, and their two dogs. She is listed in the Storm Lake St. Mary’s Catholic Schools staff directory, has served as a substitute teacher and high school math teacher there, and now coaches the St. Mary’s dance team. She also serves as secretary on the Buena Vista Community Theatre Board and has choreographed for local productions, including Matilda The Musical in June 2025, which brought together more than 30 performers from eight area communities.

For Storm Lake, Brown’s takeover signals more than a business sale. It keeps a longstanding school alive, keeps young dancers in class, and shows how a small arts economy can endure when leadership stays connected to the community it serves.