Photos by: Jessica Brown
“This community deserves to be seen and heard. I be- lieve that with the right mindset and patience, you can achieve anything. I strive to be a cat- alyst of change for them because they deserve the same opportunities to dance just like any- one else.”
Lewis was able to turn her passion into a for-profit business called Dannie’s Dance. “Such great things have happened since then,” Lewis said. “My business would not be where it is today without the Ivy Tech Indianapolis entrepreneurship program.” Lewis now does private in-house dance lessons and volunteers her talents at nearby schools and institutions while she works toward securing studio space again. She believes that every- one deserves a safe space to express themselves and wants to provide that for her clients, especially people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “I want them to learn what self-expression can mean to them because dance does many different things to different people. But one thing I know for sure is it helps them, and it’s therapeutic,” Lewis said. Thanks to her perseverance and the support of the entre- preneurship program, Lewis is providing this community the opportunity to dance just as she would anyone else.
Winter 23-24 | 19
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