Meet Shakeema Prescott of Urge2dance in South Central LA and Carson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shakeema Prescott.

Shakeema, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve worked in education for roughly 18 years. My dream was to always become a professional dancer since I was a young girl. I started dancing when I was three years old. From the age of 16 until 25, I performed behind up and coming artist, went on professional auditions and still I didn’t receive what people call “my big break.” I went on my last professional audition with Laurieann Gibson my senior year in college and after making it to the top 25 out of 300+ girls, it still was a “no.” That was the day I officially gave up on dance. I graduated with a degree in Child Development and went on to become a preschool teacher. I taught for six years and was promoted to Mentor Coach where I mentored my former colleagues. I was comfortable with my salary, benefits and 401k but still a piece of me was missing which was dance. I became a Zumba instructor in February 2017 and started teaching three days a week at LA Fitness.

In 2019, I switched up and branched off on my own and started teaching Trap Zumba. My classes were doing so well but I wasn’t comfortable enough to quick my job and teach full time. I wanted to someday be able to pursue dance fitness full time and also have more time to spend with my family. I prayed and asked God to put me in a position for me to be more available for my family while doing what I love. In April 2019, my job received the official notice that we did not receive funding for our program and that we would be closing down. Myself along with 300 more employees were laid off effective June 28, 2019. I didn’t know this would be the position God would put me in but I was more excited and less worried. I can finally pursue my dream as an entrepreneur teaching dance fitness… I went into overdrive with getting Urge2dance off the ground.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish life was that easy to where all entrepreneurs would have a smooth journey. The reality is the road is rough! In January, when I started my classes, which is now called TwerKOUt TKO, I was averaging about 30 students in class. I was teaching two nights a week. Once I got laid off I started teaching four days a week and my classes started to increase during the summer. Once September hit and school resumed, my classes started to decrease. I went from having 30 students in class, to 50, then down to about 10 per class weekly. Another struggle I face is with marketing. Of course the goal is to let everyone know what urge2dance is but the question is how? I’ve tried so many different marketing strategies from social media post, paying for ads, word of mouth, etc. and the growth is there but It’s not as quick as I would like for it to be. So on this journey, I’ve learned that everything I do is trial and error and it’s going to take time and patience.

Urge2dance – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Urge2dance is a company that provides dance fitness classes for adults. I realized that a lot of women, like myself, do not enjoy going to the gym or participating in boot camp-style workouts. They love to dance and they love music. What better way to incorporate both and turn it into a dance fitness workout. TwerKOUt TKO is one of my popular classes under urge2dance. TwerKOut TKO is a cardio induced dance fitness class that will have you feeling AMAZING!!!! In this class we twerk, shake, pop and drop to some of our favorite old school and new school jams. TwerKOut TKO is not only designed to help you shed pounds, it is also designed to build confidence and keep you motivated on your fitness journey. In this class we dance for an hour, different 3-minute routines to different music from hip hop to Afro beats, to African and slow and sexy. Although the class is called TwerKOUt TKO, I provide a variety of different dance styles to make it unique. This is what sets me apart from other classes similar to mine is my unique style and spin on the class.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
What I am most proud of with my company is the sold-out events urge2dance has put on. I host pop up classes in the Inland Empire and I’ve had times where those classes have been sold out. Another proud moment is when I took TwerKOUt TKO to the water this past summer. It was called Aqua TwerKOUt TKO. I rented the pool out for an hour and conducted class in the water. I sold 75+ tickets and it was a sold-out event. I was proud to see so many beautiful African American women in water with bonnets and scarves on their heads. These moments were highlights of my business journey thus far.

Pricing:

• $10 per class
• $15 for 2, $29 for. 4 and $55 for unlimited
• $5 for first class

Contact Info:

• Address: Class schedule
  Monday/Wednesday
  Crenshaw Yoga & Dance Studio
  5426 Crenshaw Blvd.
  Los Angeles CA 90043
  Tuesday/Thursday
  FTF Training Center
  1145 E. Dominguez St Suite E
  Carson CA 90746
• Website: www.theurge2dance.com
• Phone: 562-528-6239
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @urge2dance
• Facebook: Urge2dance

Image Credit:
Professional photos Krietiv Imagery

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