The Business of Dance

Whether it’s ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop or tap – it’s all dance. Dance is often the heartbeat of young ladies and the tool that mothers use to engage their daughters and help them build self-esteem.
While dance is a developmental tool, it is also a graceful gift that introduces young women and men to their true being – learning to love one’s self and appreciate the body and soul. Dance is also one of the most sought-after careers for young women. It is a business that includes responsibilities of plant and equipment, staff, memberships and class fees, recitals and performances and lots of work and preparation for performances.
The dance business is a 24-hour endeavor, split between creativity and the ability to run, develop and maintain business acumen. It is why the business of dance is being highlighted in this first edition featuring Black businesses in ScoopVIZION.
For many young artists, dance is not just a way of life but the reason to start living with purpose and structure. Dance culture carries a deep meaning in Philadelphia. Among the city’s early trailblazers in dance is Joan Myers Brown, the African-American owner of the Philadelphia Dance Company (PhilaDanco), one of the oldest dance companies in Philadelphia. At PhilaDanco, Brown has taught thousands of dancers and members of the company have performed in every country since she opened its doors 51 years-ago.
Brown was a high school student when she said her love affair with dancing began in 1948.
“I started dancing with the encouragement of my gym teacher,” said Brown. “I just fell in love with it and started to pursue a career in dance.”
Brown’s mother, a chemical engineer, supported her desire to seek a dance career, while her father wanted her to have a job suitable for women. But even with determination, Brown found it challenging to start a career as a dancer during the height of segregation and eventually decided to focus on opening a dance school.
“There were no opportunities for Black youngsters to study, and there was only one school that had professional-level training,” expressed Brown, who continued to push for her dream to have a dance company that was competitive and professional.
So in 1970, she opened PhilaDanco, still the only dance school in Philadelphia that offers a regular schedule of professional-level classes. However, she emphasized that the leap from dance school to dance company is a major one.
“Not just because you have a group, do you have a company,” said Brown. “A dance school has the training, a dance company is a job. You dance seven days-a-week, you perform, and you get paid for dancing and performing.” And, she added, “You get recognized by critics.”
After PhilaDanco became a successful business in West Philadelphia, Brown didn’t stop. In 1988, Brown created the International Association of Blacks in Dance, to help dance companies thrive.
“I think that was the best thing that I did,” she said. Not only did that organization thrive, but it made it possible for many dance companies across the country and internationally to survive.
However the coronavirus pandemic caused challenges to nearly every business including PhilaDanco. At the height of the pandemic, Brown made many adjustments to her business which included going virtual.
“This was not in my strategic plan,” she said. “I had to buy equipment for videos, cameras and figure out how to do everything online.” To keep her dance instructors, Brown applied for a Paycheck Protection Plan Loan to stay afloat.
For more information on PhilaDanco, its classes, schedules, upcoming programs, visit PhilaDanco’s website at https://philadanco.org.
Meanwhile, in the heart of North Philadelphia, Bella Ballerina Dance Academy, which opened in 2014, is making a full comeback after dealing with the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The students are back inside the studio with masks on and restricted (distancing), but we’re back amongst our home environment doing what we love to do,” said owner Roneisha Smith-Davis, who started dancing at age three, and claimed dancing is a part of who she is. Davis taught dance virtually, which was an adjustment for her students. However it was a necessary one. After Freedom Theater closed, Davis said she believed her studio kept dance alive in North Philadelphia.
“When you come to North Philadelphia and ask, ‘Is there anywhere for my child to dance,’ Bella Ballerina Dance Studio is right off of Spring Garden,” expressed Davis, who said before the COVID pandemic her students performed overseas. “It’s showing them that their artistic abilities and skills can take them places. It’s not just something that they see on TV. They can live their dreams and destinies.”
Davis currently has 74 students. Before COVID, the North Philadelphia business owner had more than 100 dancers, some of whom she provides a dance scholarship.
“Every year since opening I’ve been blessed to afford a child a scholarship—a class of their choice free—in honor of my grandma,” explained Davis, who also named the studio after her grandmother. “We’re more than a dance studio, we’re a family. When they come here (dance students) have someone they can talk to, they can be themselves.”
For more information on Bella Ballerina Dance Academy’s classes, enrollment, scholarships and upcoming programs, visit Bella Ballerina Dance Academy online at https://www.bellaballerinadanceacademy.com.
Located in the center of Chester is L’leavate Dance Studio, owned by Chantel Price, who focuses on technical training. Her dancers study ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap, and more. Price said she sees dance as a lost art form. “A lot of things kids learn is through art, and a lot of schools don’t take the arts seriously,” said Price. Price said that money and capital can become a determining factor in surviving as a Black business owner.
A Philadelphia native, she has the only dance studio located in Chester. “What makes us unique is that we pick up kids and drop them off,” said Price. As a business owner, Price said she feels her business can improve with help from the City of Chester. “We give 15 scholarships to students every year. If Chester can match us, they can collaborate with us a little more,” she said adding that Chester has three main attractions, “Widener University, Harrah’s Casino, and the local jail.”
“Socially, physically, mentally, (the school is) great for our dancers,” said Price. “The dance school gives students a sense of freedom and a place to express themselves creatively.”
Price said when the shutdown happened she soon created her own system. “I feel like this is the biggest the dance school has ever been, and this is during COVID,” she said. “Our numbers increased during COVID. We have 50% more students.”
Price aims to conduct her business safely while providing a sense of normalcy for students and parents. For more information on L’leavate Dance Studio, classes, enrollment, scholarships and upcoming programs, go to its website at https://www.llevatedancestudio.com.
Dance4Life, School of the Arts and Training Institute is owned by Chauntée Andrews, a former Philadanco student. Dance4Life, located in Claymont, Delaware, has been operating for 13 years. Andrews said the dance culture has been growing over the years in Delaware.
“At Dance4Life, we’ve been very blessed to have a large number of students who want to pursue dance as a career,” expressed Andrews, who said she saw a decline in the number of students signing up for classes earlier in the pandemic. But now things are starting to pickup for her business. Still, she said the pandemic took a personal toll on her life.
“Mentally, I had to come out of a sad place,” Andrews said. “I had to climb myself out of that mental and emotional dark space to try to figure out what to do and try to maintain interest in the students,” she said noting that was when her classes became virtual, her students gravitated to the concept of dance online.
“The dancers enjoyed having the online classes,” she said. “I gave them homework assignments which included self-choreography, and students were assigned to (dance to) songs,” which she said led to an unexpected result. Through this assignment, Andrews captured the attention online of the manager of singer, Stephanie Mills because of routines to “Mills’ song ‘Home.’
“We were contacted by her management team, and we ended up meeting (Mills) on ZOOM on Easter Sunday,” said Andrews.
As a business owner and African-American dance instructor, Andrews finds it a constant struggle to receive support from the arts community. “We hear time and time again how individuals are saved from their neighborhoods by having this beautiful outlet for dance,” said Andrews. “Being able to support the arts is vital for the survival of the community.”
Andrews said she believes her training school thrived because she had held onto what her values are for her business.
For more information on Dance4Life, classes, enrollment and upcoming programs, visit https://www.dance4lifedelaware.com.
Andrews, Davis and Price all trained at PhilaDanco, proving that teaching one student can benefit an entire community. At one point or another, these business owners all trained or assisted each other. The power of one woman’s sacrifice and struggle to be a dancer has changed the lives of these women and many more.
Today, dance schools and programs for the arts have re-opened and are accepting applications for summer and fall programs. If you or anyone you know are interested in dance or need an outlet, contact one of these programs and see firsthand, if dance can touch your life.