Lois Allen was 18 years old in 1955 when she opened her first dance studio, the Lois Allen School of the Dance in Clark, followed the same year by two more, in Newark and Edison. On Friday, May 2, she turned 88, and she is still teaching. She moved to the shore from up north in 1980 and now lives in Manahawkin.

“Dancing is my life,” Allen said. “It’s in my heart – as soon as I hear the music. I just love dancing. I will never give it up.”