Royal Dancewear is continuing to make leaps while staying affordable to customers. Owner Miriam Oropeza said her store offers high quality shoes and clothing, and she makes it affordable. She said she has a deal with high schools to sell the items tax-free for students and she offers a ten percent discount for dance teachers.

“We try to work with this community,” Oropeza said.

Opened in Nov. 2013, the store offers multiple leotards and ballet shoes from over the world, such as England and Japan. She said the ability to have these connections and provide as much as she can to the community is a blessing.

“It is a blessing from God that he’s given us the opportunity to open this for the community,” she said.

Originally from Mexico, Oropeza learned to dance and formed a company for five years there before moving to LaGrange with her husband to help run the First Hispanic Church in town. She also helped instruct ballet at local dance studios.

“I taught ten years at the Lafayette Society of Performing Arts and seven years at the Techniques School of Dance & Gymnastics. In that moment, I started with a group that can afford some of the prices, so I opened the Royal Academy School of Dance in Petit Ballet,” she said.

Her school is a part of the international organization Royal Academy of Dance. When dancers pass their examination, they get certified and can teach at other academies around the world.

“If they receive this certification, they get recognition around the world,” Oropeza said. “The price of course is for the community, it’s not expensive. It’s really, really affordable.

Aside from teaching, Oropeza said her favorite part of running her store is seeing young dancers try on shoes for the first time.

“I love to see babies when they try for the first time to get their ballet shoes on for the first time,” she said. “Also, the girls that are turning 11, 12 and 13-years-old that are starting to for the first-time use point shoes. That’s really important, so it’s really exciting to me and then teaching them how to sew the ballet shoes or point shoes.”

Oropeza said her business is part of her life’s purpose.

“I am Christian and I try to put this to serve God in all the ways. It’s my passion,” she said.

“You keep going and that is the reason because I need to put all that I am, all that I know, to the community. It’s a good thing. It’s a gift that I receive from God and I give.”

Royal Dancewear is located at 3 East Lafayette Square. It is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m, Tuesday and Thursday 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.