We had the good fortune of connecting with Mailia Stokes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mailia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have participated in dance ministry for over 25 years. In doing so, I found that dance ministers want technical dance training combined with spiritual enrichment. Additionally, many adult dancers who are not on a professional dance track could not find studios in which they felt comfortable taking classes or that offered classes that fit their schedules. Many are either new to dance or have not danced in years and felt self conscious about taking classes with much younger (often teenaged) dancers or those who were training to be or were already semi-pro or professionals. Others simply prefer to train alone or in a small group. Also, Atlanta traffic is CRAZY seven days a week! Many dancers want to improve their dance technique, but can’t fit a minimum hour-long drive to a studio into their day when they also have work, kids activities, and other outside obligations. Dancellence Training was birthed to offer mobile dance training to those who aren’t ready to jump into a class with strangers or can’t fit a traditional dance class into their schedule, all while allowing them to grow spiritually and enhance their effectiveness in communicating the message of God through movement.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The motto for Dancellence Training is “Excellent Training for Excellent Ministry.” My focus has always been to encourage dancers to be excellent in their gift. It’s right in the name! “Dancellence” is a combination of the words “dance” and “excellence.” I want every dancer who experiences a class or workshop with me to leave feeling empowered to be give their best efforts in their movement. I always tell dancers to be excellent on THEIR level. Excellence for one dancer will look different from another dancer because of level of training, physical abilities, or any number of factors. I tell dancers to never compare themselves to another person. As long as they are giving God their best, He will be pleased. I end every encounter by telling participants to Be Dancellent! If you’re going to do anything in life, whether it be dance or whatever, do it in excellence! Can you tell I’m passionate about excellence? Lol!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love people watching and Atlanta is a great city for it! We would definitely spend time in midtown, especially on the Beltline. Depending on events happening in the city, we could see some great sights. We might even people watch in Little Five Points. That way we could eat at The Vortex. They have great burgers. Then we would check out some of the shops and art murals in that area. Other food spots I would want to hit include Paschal’s (the best catfish) and Sri Thai in Atlantic Station (amazing lobster fried rice).
I have two German Shepherds so we would have to give them some exercise time at Piedmont Park. And no trip to Atlanta is complete without the obligatory stop at Jackson Street Bridge to take pics in front of the Atlanta skyline. We’re also going to drive down Peachtree St from downtown to Buckhead. This is one of my favorite things to do. Finally, I’m going to take them to my church, LIIV Atlanta on Sunday for a powerful service!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents, Larry and Thelma Stokes, have always been my biggest supporters. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything without their support. My mom always registers and pays for a spot in my classes, even if she can’t attend! She just wants to show her support. As for dance specific mentors, the first dance class I ever took that combined technique with spiritual enrichment was from the late Barbara Sullivan, the founder of the Atlanta Dance Theater and Dance Gospel Dance conference. She instilled in me early in my dance ministry career the importance of training to give God my best in my dance. She has definitely been an inspiration to me and countless others in the Atlanta dance community and I’m grateful to have been able to learn from her.

Website: https://www.dancellence.com

Instagram: @Dancellence and @DancerMAXS

Facebook: Dancellence Training

Youtube: Dancellence Training LLC

Image Credits
Ring|Side Kontent Kreations
TréAmazing

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