We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Danielle Aikens-Holland. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Danielle below.

Danielle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I knew I wanted to own a dance studio and teach music lessons as my career around the age of 10. I never wavered in what I wanted to do because I loved dancing and playing the piano so much, I just had to share it with others. My husband knew that this was my dream, so we set off to start getting an idea of what it would cost to rent a space. After driving around all day and calling for prices, we were very discouraged and not sure how we would ever manage to afford a lease that was so expensive. At this time, we were only 8 months into our marriage, and I was a junior in college. Before we headed home, I asked my husband to drive us to our downtown square. He said there was no way we could afford anything in that area, but I told him there was a dance studio there, and I just wanted to peek in the windows to see what their space looked like. When we pulled up in front of the studio, there was a for rent sign on the window. I told my husband to call and find out how much the rent was, and when he said it was $600 a month, I nearly lost it! I knew we would never find a deal like this again, especially when everything else we were looking at was significantly more expensive. The landlord came over and showed us the space, which was a wreck, but of course, all we could see was potential, and within days, we had signed a lease on the space, and the wheels were in motion to open the studio I had always dreamed of. I was already teaching students at my church, so they were thrilled to have a permanent home and more professional space! That was twenty years ago, and I’m so glad I took the risk to make it work so I could bring my dream to life. Since opening, we have relocated to a larger space and have grown from just offering dance lessons to dance, music, musical theater, and barre fitness classes. As a newly married, young, college student, who didn’t have much to start a business, it was super risky to say yes to a lease on a building with so much uncertainty, but it definitely paid off.

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

I’m Danielle, and I started dancing at the age of 3 and playing the piano at the age of 5. I danced with the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre my freshman year of high school through my freshman year of college, and attended Brenau University, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree and a minor in Dance. I started teaching both piano and dance while I was in high school, and I opened my studio in 2002, while still a student in college. Growing up I had a really negative experience in dance with a teacher who was constantly telling my friends to lose weight and was encouraging unhealthy behavior, and told me I should quit dancing and the only thing I had going for me was that I was thin. When I started dancing with Gwinnett, I was exposed to a completely different environment, and I couldn’t wait to share that with my students one day. At Elevate Performing Arts Center, we believe that dance is for everyone. Our goal is to provide a positive environment, that feels like a second home for our students. We truly have a family feel, and that is one of the things I love most about our studio. We offer lessons in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, tumbling, piano, voice, guitar, and musical theater. We also put on two musical theater shows per year, as well as offering ballroom lessons and choreography for special occasions! My passion for fitness has also grown over the years, and I have received certifications from Progressing Ballet Technique and Barre Above, along with creating my own Barre fitness program, Elevate Barre. It’s so encouraging to see our clients get stronger and reach their goals, and it’s such a blessing to be part of their journey! For all aspects of our business, the goal is always to build community and make each client feel welcome and special!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The E Myth Revisited and The Compound Effect, for sure! I also loved Overcome by Jason Redman. I’m currently reading Never Lose a Customer Again, and it is a must read! I’m almost finished, and I cannot wait to deep dive into deciding what strategies to implement that are covered in the book. If I could recommend one book, it would be this one! I also enjoy the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think everyone had to pivot during covid! When all the schools shut down in our area, we immediately called our teachers in and started making a plan. We filmed classes and got those out to all the students, and switched over to zoom right away for our music students and the following week, or entire studio, including the barre program had been moved to an online platform, We worked 12+ hour days for 88 days straight, and every time we thought we would get a break, we were met with another issue. It felt like 2.5 months of nonstop pivoting! We had recital costumes that weren’t going to make it in time, and there were no venues. We found new costumes, did a fun drive by pick up, and had a car decorating contest, We offered students the chance to do a red carpet recital for their family complete with red carpet photos, professional dance pictures, performance, and confetti toss celebration, with a rose and certificate of completion! Covid pushed us outside of our comfort zone, and we had to get creative to make things happen, but it helped us grow so much, and it also made us stronger as a business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.epacga.com, www.elevatebarre.com
• Instagram: epacga, elevatebarrega, danielleholland22
• Facebook: epacga, elevatebarre

Image Credits
Kelly Latorre Photography Lydia Kerr Kristine Alexander