Meet LeToya Garland | Teaching Artist & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with LeToya Garland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LeToya, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Surrounding yourself with a great team of like minded individuals who support each other and believe in the vision of your business will lead to success under any circumstance. How we support, challenge and encourage each other to grow empowers each individual to show up with their best contributions.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
School of Breaking is not your typical dance studio. We are a safe space for girls, boys, women and men of all ages and backgrounds. We believe that Hip Hop culture and Breaking has the power to transform lives. I think our business continues to be successful because of our holistic approach to arts, physical and cultural education. We find balance between the physical challenges of Breaking and the need for freedom in creative expression; all the while honoring Hip Hop culture. We consistently have to dispel stereotypes of boys/men in dance, support girls/women within Breaking and provide a proper explanation of the truths of Hip Hop culture. We honor and encourage uniqueness among our students and they recognize the benefits of Breaking (dance) that help them to be strong, confident and emotionally grounded.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Aurora: French Press for hot drinks, breakfast or lunch; Daniel’s of Paris for great French pastries; Pupusas Paradise for El Salvadorian pupusas, horchata and plantains.

Denver: Tea Cloud & Poke for tea, boba and poke bowls; Zeppelin Station collection of globally inspired food merchants (pick your favorite); RiNo Arts District for Graffiti and Mural tour.

Outdoor Colorado: Rocky Mountain National Park; Hiking at one of the hundreds of Open Space Parks and Trails within thirty minutes of Denver.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Big Shoutout to my parents, family and close friends for always supporting me and my unconventional journey. Whenever I need help or a hug they have been there for me. Thank you to the women of Queenz of Hip Hop who excite me to continue to change the dialogue about women in Hip Hop; representation matters. To the community of women, men, girls and boys in Hip Hop (that I’ve met from all over the world), your encouragement and inspiration are appreciated. ZoZo, everything I do is for you. Know that you are only limited by your imagination. If I can do anything, so can you! To my dear friend and business partner Chase, you helped me get started. What I appreciate most is that you don’t hold me back. You encourage me to be a powerful woman and sprinkle my magic everywhere. Thank you for trusting, supporting and believing in me. We got this!

Website: www.schoolofbreaking.com
Instagram: @schoolofbreaking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schoolofbreaking

Image Credits
DanVy Ngo, Anna Gunderson