Victoria Brown is changing the Cape Cod dance scene one step at a time! The dancer, entrepreneur, and business owner of Dance Therapy 508 & Entertainment has created a space that everybody can rock to. “I want my place to be for everybody, all abilities. Sometimes people walk into a dance class and they get intimidated. I don't want anybody to feel like that. I want everyone to walk into my studio and feel comfortable. Even if you've never danced before. I want everyone to be able to come in and enjoy the culture.”

This Harwich-born change maker has been hitting the dance floor since the tender age of three. Her mother signed her up for tap, jazz, and ballet and as she got older she tried other styles of dance, taking up Middle Eastern belly dancing and African dance. It wasn't until later that she got into hip hop because as Victoria says, “you know, it's Cape Cod.”

She currently trains with Junior Cius, an actor, dancer, model, and choreographer based in Boston. She studied under Carl Alleyne, founder of Boston Mobile Dance Studio and founder of the Beantown Lockers. For 10 plus years Victoria danced with Tara Murphy and Cape Cod African Dance and Drum, a West African dance ensemble, and Benkadi, a West African group in Cambridge. Victoria created Dance Therapy 508 to provide a fun and energetic environment where everybody can have a good time.

Amplify: What does Dance Therapy 508 offer?

Victoria Brown: We host fun-themed dance parties for all occasions, for kids and adults. I also offer one-stop party planning. We have packages and other vendors that I work with; DJ, photography, or a kid's birthday party. We do catering, face painting, and other activities.

I also do [wedding] entrances, if a bride and groom want to do something different for the wedding, instead of just walking down the aisle. I do entrance dances, to make it a little more fun and exciting.

Amplify: What inspired you to get into this business?

Victoria Brown: Well, I've always enjoyed music, and dance has always been like medicine for me. It's like therapy. I always dreamed of being a backup dancer for Janet Jackson or something like that when I was a little girl, but unfortunately, things didn't go that way. As I got older, I'm like, I really want to do something that I enjoy.

That's how I came up with Dance Therapy 508. So I didn't get to be the famous dancer that I wanted it to be, but I can still do something with this gift. That's when I decided I wanted to create this business and offer dance parties. I also teach classes around the Cape.

Amplify: Who was the first person to believe in you and your talent? And how has that encouragement shaped you as a dancer and business owner?

Victoria Brown: I would have to say my family, my friends. My friends have always pushed me. Cause they know that dance was something that I enjoy. Once I said the idea [out loud] my small group of people encouraged me like, if that's what you want to do, you should go for it.

Amplify: When did you start your business?

Victoria Brown: Two years ago I went through the EforAll program and that's when I decided to just go with it. I want to do something that I enjoy. I had the idea in my head maybe, two years prior to that, but I didn't really know where to go with it or how to really get it out there. Then I came across the EforAll program and that's when I really put the idea into perspective. They helped me a lot, it's a great program. I learned a lot of things about how to market your business, how to target your audience. Working with mentors was great because they also helped with some of my ideas. I could ask them, what do you think of this? Or what do you think of that? It was overall just a great program. I was telling people, yeah, this is what I do, but it wasn't until EforAll that I really decided to take off with it. So, yeah, 2019.

Amplify: How did you go about starting your business? What steps did you take?

Victoria Brown: I just decided to go for it. I started reaching out to other dancers and people that I've trained under. For like mentorship to get their advice on how to do things. Looking at stuff on the internet to research so I can be successful with my idea, little things like that.

Cause right now it's basically just me. I don't really have other employees. Every now and then I'll have an intern that will help me with events but it’s pretty much just me. Having the idea, saying this is what I'm going to do, and I just go for it.

Amplify: What obstacles, if any, have you encountered while starting your business?

Victoria Brown: Well, I would say the pandemic was a big one. When things started picking up the pandemic hit and then things slowed down. I feel now that things are opening up more, people are looking for things to do. They're looking for a class or, you know, different things to do. So now I feel like my obstacle is just like getting back into that. Getting out there again and letting people know what Dance Therapy 508 is all about.

Amplify: Where do you see your business in five years?

Victoria Brown: I hope to have my own studio so I'm no longer renting space underneath other studios. I’m in the process of trying to create a cultural dance program. It would be different than other dance studios here on the Cape.

We'll offer ethnic style dancing such as Caribbean dance styles, Haitian, African dance, hip hop. It would be different from other studios because it wouldn't be like you just walk into a studio and take the class. You're actually learning the literature, the history behind the different styles of dance, where they came from. Learning from people that have actually grown up within that culture and specialize in those forms of dance.

So I'm hoping to bring something different and unique to the Cape that they've never seen before. I want my place to be for everybody, all abilities. Sometimes people walk into a dance class and they get intimidated and I don't want anybody to feel like that.

I want everyone to walk into my studio and feel comfortable. Even if you've never danced before, you know, some people think they have to have crazy dance training to come to dance class, and that's not the case. I just want everyone to be able to come in and enjoy the culture. Dance is also therapeutic and could be healing for people. I want people to enjoy that when they come to Dance Therapy 508. — Tamora Israel

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On the Web: https://508dancetherapy.com/about-me
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dancetherapy508
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dancetherapy508/