Bri's Dance Place was birthed by founder, Brianna Hairlson, while attending Howard University in the Dance Minor program. We have been in the Northwest Indiana community since 2012, offering Brianna’s Winter Dance Camp for 2 days held at Embassies of Christ in Gary, IN for over 20 students.
7 years later, we officially opened a physical location to work with all ages, stages, and abilities. From our Tots N' Tutus class for 2-3 year olds, to our nationally recognized Bri’s Bump, Baby N’ Dance Classes for new and expectant moms, to our Creative Therapy Classes for students with special needs, we truly offer the joy of dance to all!
Our mission is to positively impact the lives of individuals through dance by providing discipline, character development, confidence, and integrity through age appropriate choreography, music, & costuming from the best instructors in the industry and exposure to international arts related and performance opportunities.
We are providing children an outlet to express themselves while remaining children. We focus on age appropriate music, choreography, and costuming as well as teach our students Dance History as it relates to Blacks in the Arts. For our teens, we offer a traveling competition team to expose them to performance related opportunities and life outside of Northwest (NW) Indiana. Our adults are encouraged to remain active through our Line Dance and Hip Hop Cardio classes (Bri's Dance N' Fit) as well as our pregnancy and new mom dance classes (Bri's Bump, Baby N' Dance).
Since the Grand Opening of our physical studio in October 2019, we grew to 75 students prior to COVID-19, ending with 34 students participating in our June 2020 recital. We're located in NW Indiana but there is so much opportunity for growth. We are expanding to partner with businesses/organizations that work with families in low income housing, foster care students, and children in group homes. Offering in person and virtual classes, we have the opportunity to expand globally.
We pride ourselves on partnering with our community. In less than 1 year of operations and the effects of COVID-19, we have still managed to partner with over 20 organizations to bring dance to students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
Most recently, our partnership with Tradewinds for our 2020 Summer Camp, allowed students with special needs to experience the joy of dance.
To support our school system and working parents, we have expanded our service line to include affordable E-Learning assistance at our dance studio for students K-12, Monday through Thursday from 7:30am-3pm. Most of our parents who have enrolled their students, work midnights, so assisting their students with their education has indeed been a joy to share.
Since 2018, we have worked with over 500 families, comprised of predominantly African Americans throughout NW Indiana, Chicagoland, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Indianapolis.
We are seeking $100,000 in total. $50,000 in immediate funding will cover expenses associated with rent and utilities for our current location.
We are excited to expand our services to continue offering premier dance services in person as well as virtually, focusing on Outreach Initiatives. Funding in excess of $50,000 will be directly applied to funding our program Operation GiveBack to provide dance at no cost to students living in low income housing.
Our vision is to provide transportation for these students to our main location to be exposed to in-studio performances and to work with our current students. We are looking to buy 1 Brand New 15 Seat Sprinter Van to transport our dancers from both our North and South campuses to rehearsals and performances.
Our team is comprised of dynamic individuals who serve as teachers and administration for the studio.
Mrs. Brianna- Owner, E-Learning, & Strategic Partnerships (Teaches: Hip Hop, Boys Classes)
Ms. Theresa- Studio Operations / Parent Liaison/ Rentals
Miss Alicia - Teacher Support/Community Outreach & Partnerships (Teaches: Pre Ballet, Tap, Performance Team)
Miss India- Lead Teacher & Competition Team
We are asking that you GIVE or GIFT, and SHARE with your networks.
GIVE
We are thankful that you have decided to give to our campaign. You can see the options or how you can choose to give. You will be impacting the next generation of children and youth through the gift of dance.
GIFT
Interested in giving a friend, family member, or loved one an encouraging book to read? Brianna's book, Dance Through the Storms: 22- Faith Filled Reflections to Maintain Your Joy is definitely a must read if you want to maintain your joy during challenging seasons. Gift a book and a child will dance and learn life lessons at the same time!
SHARE
Share the word about our campaign with your network so others can hear about the impact we're making in the next generation of African American youth. Our community is so strong, and we appreciate your support.
Follow Us, Like Our Page, & Subscribe to Our Channel:
Instagram
Facebook
Youtube
Thank you so much for your generous contribution. Whether you GAVE, GIFTED, or SHARED, we're grateful!
The next generation of dancers at Bri's Dance Place thank you for investing in their future to aid in them knowing they are valued, loved, and seen. Your contribution will show them that dance teaches life lessons, such as perseverance, tenacity, and discipline which not only makes them better dancers, but better humans.
