Detroit Dance Center Achieves Next-Level Operations

A passion for dance and teaching drove Dominique Hamlett, Linda Hendricks and Jasmine Woods to open the Detroit Dance Center in 2021. Located in the heart of Detroit, the Center offers high-quality dance education to children ages two through 17.

The Detroit Dance Center aims to cultivate curiosity about the history of dance, train future Detroit performers and provide a haven for the community. Hamlett, Hendricks and Woods want students to learn more than popular TikTok dances — they want to train them to be well-rounded dancers that can take their talents to the next level if they choose.

It is certified to teach the American Ballet Theatre national curriculum and is one of only 36 studios in the state to receive the certification. The studio specializes in the Horton Technique, a method that teaches dancers the freedom of expression through movement and provides training for various dance styles and classes.

Due to supply chain delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the studio opened months late, but that didn’t stop Hamlett, Hendricks and Woods. Instead, the women found different places to rent around the city until their permanent space became available. This strategic move allowed them to build strong client relationships before their official studio even opened. Still, classes were challenging, as class sizes had to be limited to encourage social distancing. In some cases, classes had to be taught completely virtually.

The owners of the center turned to Comcast to help give the dance studio the extra operational assistance they needed to become one of Detroit’s go-to studios.

After applying to the Comcast RISE program, the Detroit Dance Center received a monetary grant, which allowed the business to invest in marketing and website development, hire and train a new employee, as well as automate some time-consuming, manual operational systems with a new software solution.

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“We know about dance, that is our passion and what we are here for,” said Hamlett. “But, technology is just as important when it comes to running a business. The Comcast RISE program has saved us time and money, and really allowed us to focus on our main priority: providing the very best dance instruction to Detroit children.”