We were lucky to catch up with Bajá Dear recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bajá, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

One of my most cherished clients was once a student of mine when I taught dance afterschool at Fairfax High School. I always told myself when I got my own dance studio I would work with her again. Seven years later we reconnected via social media and began working together virtually during the pandemic. She was dealing with some very serious mental health issues and wanted to incorporate movement based healing into her routine. Her goal was to slowly wean herself off all the medications she was taking and get back to a more active lifestyle; as the medications made her very drowsy and out of it a lot of the time.

I designed a flexibility class to suite her specific needs that included stretch routines, meditations, breathing exercises, dance choreography and scripture readings. We also had monthly discussions just to talk about progress and future goals. It took 3 years of working together but I am proud to say that she has significantly reduced her need for medication and has been more active in her pursuing her goals. She has been singing and writing songs again, taking in-person classes, walking and hiking. All things she couldn’t do when we first start working together due to her mental state and side effects of the medications she was taking.

I can’t take all the credit for her success but I do pride myself on being a facilitator of healing in the lives of my clients. And I believe I accomplished that goal with her which is why her story is meaningful to me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started dancing at a very young age and knew that I wanted to be a choreographer at 7 years old. My mother discouraged me saying dancers/choreographers don’t make a lot of money, and told me I should pick a different career path. My dance teachers discouraged me saying I didn’t have the body type to be a successful dancer. None of this stopped me from pursuing my dreams. In my youth, dance gave me a way to prove everyone wrong and build confidence in myself. In my teenage years, dance saved me from the suicidal thoughts I battled with during depression. Dance has always been a form of therapy and a personal development tool that facilitated my growth and development into the woman I am today.

At the age of 16 I started teaching dance by leading the dance group within my religious organization. This opportunity helped me develop the confidence needed to pursue my career as a Teaching-Artist. I wanted to be the change I wish to see by becoming the arts educator that was never there for me. My discipline isn’t limited to dance, I am a Multi-Disciplinary Artist: singer/songwriter, poet/spoken-word artist, fashion designer and more. And I’ve taught classes in every discipline that I practice. I’ve taught in schools, non-profits, religious organizations, studios, parks, and recreation centers.

My past experiences are what motivated me to start my business. As a young black woman, my dance training journey was toxic. In every dance studio I have trained in, I experienced some form of abuse or discrimination from an instructor or fellow dancer disguised as instruction or encouragement. My business began with a selfish need for “safe space” to train and develop my own artistry that soon grew into a community service as I developed many original classes for youth, adults and families that facilitate personal development through arts education. My mission is to share the healing powers of movement therapy that unleash each person’s unique creative genius through classes that focus relentlessly on the process rather than the results.

My vision is to bring dance back to the people as it has exclusively become just for people who consider themselves dancers. My dance studio was founded for people who feel intimidated by the thought of attending a traditional dance studio, especially if they perceive it as a space where they might be judged or feel out of place. It is also for those that feel uncomfortable dancing in front of others, particularly if they’re beginners or self-conscious about their skills.

Eula’s Dance Studio provides online content that is designed to support personal development through mental, physical and spiritual growth. Unlike most dance studios, our classes are not just limited to Dance Technique & Training. We specialize in Dance Therapy, Dance Fitness and Praise Dance. And we also offer classes in: Self & Body Confidence, Modeling, Acting, Fashion Design, Vocal Performance and more. The goal is to use dance/arts education as a personal development tool within “safe space”; as safe space encourages people to push their limits and explore their personal unknowns. This is the main reason we provide online content for our viewers to access classes and programs wherever their safe space may be.

I am most proud of my ability to design classes that cater to the needs of each individual client. I work with each of my clients on a life-to-life basis. I haven’t made a lot of money in this effort but I have significantly helped my clients progress to achieving their goals. My business is name after my grandmother Eula Marie Adams. She was the one person that supported me in all my ambitions and believed in me more than I did myself at times. Since her passing it has been my goal to continue her legacy and be that support person for others. I am also proud of my ability to learn and adapt to fit the needs of my clients. Last year I became a NASM Certified Personal Trainer to be able to help clients with weight loss/health & fitness goals.

Yes I teach dance fitness classes, fitness and flexibility training, dance technique and more; but more importantly I am here to be a facilitator of God’s plan in each of my clients lives by serving their specific needs for growth and development through arts education and art therapy.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2017, I told my fiancée (now husband) that I wanted to save up enough money to start my own studio and I had a plan to do so. In my opinion, the best way to save money was to let go of our apartment and live in our car. He agreed with my plan but upgraded it by purchasing a camper van for us to live instead of the car. We let go of our apartment, got a small storage unit for our belongings that couldn’t fit in the van with us and began our journey. You could say we were homeless but it never felt that way. With less living expenses, all our earned income went into our savings. We lived this way for 2 years, saving as much as we could, until I found a storefront for rent that fit our budget in 2019, the month after we married. It was like our wedding gift from God.

In an effort to save money, we decided to convert the storefront into a live-work space for us. The front half is my dance studio and the back half is our tiny house. Instead of paying 2 rents, we moved out of our camper van and into our storefront. Instead of getting a business loan, we decided to do all the renovations ourselves and were determined to not spend our entire savings doing so. With no family support, my husband and I did all the work ourselves: trash pick-up/neighborhood clean-up painting, flooring, installing security gate and security cameras, etc. We did such a good job that the property owner eventually hired us to be his property managers. We did all the renovations needed with a $500 Home Depot credit card, sweat equity, research and patience. At one point I worked at Home Depot part-time in the Returns Department just to keep eye on the sales and learn more about tools and equipment needed to support our renovation efforts. It took us about 2 years to get everything done.

We faced soo many challenges and setbacks deciding to bootstrap the business. There were many projects we had to sit on and wait until the funds came through and the timing was right to execute. This four years of my life best illustrates my resilience to manifest my dreams into reality.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met my cofounder/business partner at the ARCO gas station on Florence and Crenshaw in South L.A. He asked if he could pump and pay for my gas. It was the 1st time anyone had ever offered to pay for my gas and I literally only had $2 to my name at the time so his request felt like a gift from God. We introduced ourselves to each other and exchanged information. At the time, my beloved grandmother had just passed and my family outcasted me for desiring to keep her house and manage her estate when they were seeking a quick money grab. I was unemployed, unhoused and alone with no support. And a few months prior, escaped an abusive relationship. The man I met at the gas station soon became my best friend, business partner and husband.

After our initial meeting I followed up with him and explained my current situation. At the time, he owned his own tow truck and automotive restoration shop. He hired me as his apprentice/assistant, helped me get an apartment, a better car and became my biggest support person. I had the vision of having my own dance studio but he is the one person who believed in my vision enough to bring it to life. Not only did he do all the renovations of the store front on the inside but he did the upkeep, maintenance and repair of the entire building; which in the beginning he did without pay or acknowledgement from the property owner. He did it because he didn’t want me to have to open the doors to my business with trash in the front, or leaking roof, etc.

I honestly believe he saved my life. Not only did he help me bring my dreams to life but he facilitated in healing the broken parts of myself with his friendship and love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eulasdancestudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eulasdancestudio/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eulasdancestudio
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eulasdancestudio

  Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/coachbajadear/
  Personal YouTube: https://youtube.com/@coachbajadear

Image Credits

All images were taken by Baja Dear on self-timer at Eula’s Dance Studio