Meet Taunashea Williams: CEO, Director,and Dance instructor

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

Hi Taunashea, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
One thing about the dance/ team sport industry that outsiders are unaware of is the endless benefits the activities offer. From the outside it is easy to see that our studio offers dance and tumbling. Once parents receive our handbook, they understand that their child and themselves will be held to certain expectations that helps them character build and grow leaders. My program along with many other programs are designed to foster youth into positive members of our society. Coaches teach life skills to the youth through mentoring, community service, and providing them with new experiences that all helps provide them with the tools they need to be successful. Great successes that come from the dance industry are college scholarships, becoming professional dancers in endless role from Disney to Broadway, becoming physically and mentally fit, and returning the gift of teaching young dancers just to name a few. 

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.
My journey to get to where I am now has been nothing short of amazing through trial and error. My passion for team sports and dance began for me at the age of 4 years old. I participated in multiple programs throughout elementary, middle, and high school. As a college freshman I struggled to decide what it is I wanted to do. During that time I began coach a cheer team of a youth football league because I was just natural drawn to kids and the art. From there I knew I wanted to start my own program for the youth and that is what I did in 2015. The first couple of years of the program had a lot of ups and downs pertaining to commitment and funding as our program was nearly free to dancers. I started my program in a lower income community in order to give the youth something positive to do. By the middle on our 2017 season our number of members had dropped to an all time low. This was due to a significant shit in the entire neighborhood as it was being gentrified. Most of of families had relocated to a more affordable community that was 10+ miles away. In 2018 I branched out and launched a new program on that side of town where most people had seemed to be moving. The new program has been doing great and grows larger each year. We now have a good amount of members, we have traveled to different states, we participate in more events, and still continue to stay affordable to families. However we have face several of challenges during this time. Funding, parent participation, commitment, and now Covid. With strict budgeting from my income and doing team fundraisers, I have been able to keep our doors open. Through out the duration of running my program I have been in school taking classes in both business and ECE. I currently work for a public school district as my main job. This is my 4th year working in education. It is proven that my true passion is for the youth and teaching them. Something I would like for people to know is that us youth non profits, dance studios, and other youth programs outside of school have been a very important staple in our communities. There is a lot of time that passes after school, and on holiday/ summer breaks where children still need something to do that keeps them engaged positively. We have brought children together from all over our state to teach them how to work together, give them an outlet to freely express themselves, and provide experiences and new opportunities to them. However in order to keep programs like this open we need more support from our communities and state. Support can be shown in multiple ways. We encourage everyone to reach out to their local programs to see how they can help.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
During football season I would absolutely take a visiting friend to a Broncos game! During that week we would also drive to Colorado Springs to visit Garden of the Gods. The scenery is breath taking and nature to me is the best part about Colorado. We would conclude that day with Dinner at Welton Street Cafe. During the summer I would recommend people to check out the Juneteenth Music Celebration and Black Arts Fest. Those are two very lively events that include music, good food, drinks, art, and entertainment.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Chiniqua Jackson and Stanisha Evans are two amazing women who have been committed to the youth and community for over 10 years. They are the directors of Platinum Princess Divas Dance Company who have seen over 300 children throughout the duration of their time coaching. They continue to show what unity, team work, selflessness, and love looks like.

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Image Credits
Photographer – Rome Vibe Business Name- Throvish