Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawnelle Gregory.
Hi Dawnelle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up dancing starting at the age of 4. It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I danced competitively at a local studio and on my High school dance team as well. I auditioned and was accepted into the certificate program at the Alvin Ailey school of dance where I then moved to NYC at the age of 18 to begin the program.
I was hired for Holland America Cruise line, was an apprentice for Storling dance company in Olathe, and began my Dance teaching journey all before I was 21. I continued to teach over the years and had my oldest son Easton in 2013, my middle son Erikson in 2014, and finally my daughter Ellie-May in 2021. In 2021 I was also crowned Mrs. Missouri through the nation of states pageant. I’ve recieved numerous overall, most entertaining and outstanding choreography awards each and every year. I am currently 35 and engaged to my best friend Zack.
I purchased Dominate Dance Company in July of 2021. It had been open for two years previously and I was running everything as it was anyways. The owner wanted to step down and away so I purchased DDC and hit the ground running from there. I started with 16 students in 2021 and today I am at 98! It’s been a lot of hard work and dedication. Some trial and error but I’ve learned what’s worked and what hasn’t over the years and continued to build and learn as I go. My goal is to have 100 students by the end of this Dance Season!
I have an amazing staff of 5 by my side. My co-director Christian Houston is amazing. We have worked together at various other studios before we started DDC and I wouldn’t be able to do this without her. She has a gift with the little dancers!
Miranda Henderson, Allee Chevalier, and Chloe Batres are the remainder of my staff and each brings something special and unique to the table! Im thankful I get to work along side some of the most creative and talented minds!
Dance has always been a passion and I love that I get to pass that passion down to generations to come!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t always been smooth or easy. Numbers constantly fluctuate as younger students often want to try new sports, or different things.
When we started DDC in 2019 it was right before Covid so when everything was shut down we had to pivot and began teaching dance classes on Zoom. It wasn’t ideal but it was all we could do at the time. We were so thankful to finally be back in person.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Dominate Dance Company is in its 7th season! We offer dance classes from ages 18 months to adult!
We offer classes in all styles from Tap, Jazz, ballet, lyrical, modern, contemporary, hiphop, tumbling, pom, and combo classes. We have recreational classes for those that only want to dance for fun, a competitive team that travels, and a pre-competitive team for those dancers that are interested in dipping their toes into the competition world without the full commitment. We even have a competitive tumbling team that competes locally in the MATS program with 3 meets a season! We offer something for everyone!
We are known for our family atmosphere! Our students are like our own kids. We have developed such a strong bond and all of our dancers are so close! We are unbelievably proud of the place that we have built where everyone feels welcome no matter their level! I am proud to be the owner of DDC. In an area that seems to be a little over saturated with dance studios it makes me proud that people continue to choose DDC!
Any big plans?
We just recently remodeled and moved into a new, bigger building and that has been amazing!
We love that we now have the room to continue to grow with the community!
Pricing:
- Classes start as low as $50 a month and go up from there!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dominatedancecompa.wixsite.com/dominatedancecompany
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dominatedanceco?igsh=YXVzNHh4dGdqaTNt&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GphSaHHCM/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dominatedancecompany6539?si=0HifFx4BrE0LW8J8
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dominate.dance.co?_t=ZP-90WKdVGRBvT&_r=1
