Tierra Brown has always been chasing her dreams.
Now, the Clark Atlanta University graduate and North Ridge Middle School teaching assistant is achieving a first in her hometown: running its first Black-owned dance studio.
FYEnally Raw Studios is set to open Saturday in the former Curve’s store space in the Town Centre. Brown said she plans to offer a cardio workout dance class as well as a line or hustle dance class—both for adults—in addition to “Royal Destruction,” her competitive dance team. She will also be offering private lessons.
“If you want to come in and learn something on your own, it’s a 45-minute class,” Brown said. “You’ll come in, set it up with me and make an appointment, and basically we stretch, we condition, I teach you a dance and I basically pay attention to the growth from the beginning to whenever you end with me as an instructor.”
Brown says she always has had dance in mind throughout her life, being a part of a dance team while she was in high school. She says her ultimate goal is to teach dancers not just the dances but also behind-the-scenes work such as videography.
And her thoughts of being the first Black person to own a dance studio in Danville?
“All I can do is smile,” she said. “That’s all I can do, really. I don’t have any words. It’s like a dream come true, really, to know that dance has always been in Danville, but it’s never been on the twist of what I’m offering.”
FYEnally Raw Studios will open Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1:45 p.m. followed by an open house for the public. Brown will also have a networking event for business owners later that evening.
