By Larissa Kern
Pop music plays over
the stereo as young dancers stretch on the studio floor. Christmas lights flash
around the mirror of the darkened studio. Instructor Dedrick Perkins has turned
off the lights while his students stretch in preparation for their jazz class
at his Concord-based D3DanceStudio.
A 21-year-old dance major at UNC Charlotte, Perkins
opened the dance studio last spring with business partner Keyon Baker, 29, a
Winthrop University graduate and operational risk manager at Wells Fargo. Their
act of artistic entrepreneurship defies conventional wisdom: “workforce
development” advocates rarely consider the arts to be a practical career
choice. And as a college student, an African-American, and a male, Perkins definitely
breaks the mold of the typical dance studio owner – white, female, and
middle-aged.
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| Dedrick Perkins (right) and dance studio partner Keyon Baker |
Perkins, a Charlotte
native, had no interest in the arts until his junior year in high school, when
he participated in a hip-hop dance class at the studio where his little sister
studied. His senior year he took dance classes at Garinger High School.
Enrolling at UNC Charlotte, he began teaching at two dance studios, one in
Matthews and one in Concord. It was then that he began dreaming of his own
studio. “I
realized I valued the teaching aspect a lot more than performing,” he says.
Perkins met Baker his
sophomore year in college and decided they would be a good business pair, with
Baker overseeing operations and Perkins in charge of the artistic development. They
created a business plan, but with Perkins still in school, had no immediate
plans to launch the business. But one day last spring, Perkins saw a space for
lease and contacted the owner. The location and layout were perfect, and the
owner was eager for a tenant. Perkins had been saving money from his teaching;
Baker also had capital to contribute. The two took their chance. “It all fell
together,” says Perkins. “I didn’t know if I would have the opportunity again within
five years, so I took it.” They opened
the studio in April 2014.
Perkins and Baker were
financially prepared to survive the first year with only one student, but
several students followed Perkins from other studios to D3. Realizing that
there was no dance summer camp in Concord, they quickly launched one. They now
have 15 students enrolled and have hired two teachers, in addition to Perkins.
The past nine months have
been a learning experience. While balancing both studying and teaching, Perkins
has had to handle issues like broken toilets in the girls’ bathroom and a leaking
roof after heavy rain. “It’s a tedious process, but I love it,” he says, referring
to all the practical problems owning a studio brings.
Perkins believes the
dance curriculum at UNC Charlotte has prepared him for this new role. His choreography
training not only allows him to choreograph all the dances his students will perform
at recital and competition, but also to guide them to create their own dances.
He credits his ballet pedagogy teacher and mentor, Associate Professor of Dance
Delia Neil, with teaching him how to communicate clearly with his students, in
tone and body language. “Their responses changed when I changed my methods because
of that class. It helped me enhance and adjust my way of teaching.” And his dance writing and history courses
have helped his writing improve – a key element, Perkins says, in establishing
professional credibility as he writes grants, creates his website and markets
his studio. “Everything I have learned has prepared me for where I am and am going
to be.”
Neil says Perkins has a
great approach with kids: “He is so affable and endearing, that I think the
students will adore him.” D3 student Bekah O’Reilly says Perkins “makes me feel
comfortable to make mistakes.” Her step-sister Andrea Martinez agrees, adding,
“He’ll let you keep trying.” Perkins demands excellence and proper dance
etiquette from his students but still keeps it fun. “I have a very professional
relationship with my kids,” he says, adding that they also “view me as a big
brother, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.”
Perkins graduates in
May and can then turn his full attention to D3DanceStudio. He and Baker hope
that in the next few years they will be able to hire more full time teachers
and buy the rest of the building complex to create more studio space.
Ultimately, they hope to have as many 300 students.
“One day I would hope
that the community will see my community as a valuable place for dance
education,” Perkins says, “to see my kids progress in whatever they want to do.”
# # #
Larissa
Kern graduated from UNC Charlotte in December with a BA in dance and a minor in
journalism.
Students planted 117 red flags near the Belk Tower as a memorial to people who have lost their lives in Mecklenburg County during the last five years to driving-while-intoxicated crashes. The flags were placed around a crashed car to reinforce visually the implications for those who drink and drive; the goal was to increase awareness especially among young adults.
