We had the good fortune of connecting with Tammy McCall Browning and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tammy, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My co-designer (Annette Lewis) and I launched our clothing line and physical store when Covid hit and we could no longer go to rehearsal. Ms Annette was my first ballet teacher when I was 4 years old. Forty-five years later we are co-designers of our own clothing line!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
DOES IT DANCE was just an idea in the back of Ms Annette’s mind thanks to prompting from Tim Gunn when she was filming the “lost” season of Project Runway. After a 20 year hiatus from ballet while raising my son, I tracked Ms Annette down and started back training in the May O’Donnell technique. During this time two traumatic experiences (the death of my brother Phillip and filming season 8 of Real Housewives of Atlanta) that culminated in an extreme manic episode and hospitalization. After being diagnosed as bipolar, it took 3 years, 3 hospitalizations and rounds of ECT to get stabilized in 2018. By the time Covid hit, Ms Annette and Ihad so much stored up artistic visions dancing in our heads that it was the opportune time to JUST DO IT! We are so excited about bringing old clothes into repurposed vibrant lives. I call it repurpose, but Ms Annette calls it RESURRECTING! One of our main messages is that it is never too late to live your dream (I’m 51 and she is 73) My personal message is to not view mental illness as a curse. I now view it as a superpower in the creative universe.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my bestie was intown, we would book a room at the St. Regis and enjoy the fabulous salt water pool with poolside service. Wed head over to Surin in the highlands for fabulous Thai food and then finish the night with a cocktail in the Clairmont rooftop!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First off Ms Annette. When I was four years old, she was simultaneously the most awesome and the most hated person in my life because she was so mean in ballet class! Second, my parents, Phillip and Jeannette McCall. My siblings and I lucked out big time being born to commited, selfless, and nurturing parents. Next is Spelman College. The fact that my parents forced me to go there “the money is going to Spelman” is always a source of laughter 34 years later. The sisterhood and Morehouse brotherhood is an eternal gift that keeps on giving. Last would be my sons, Freedom Augmon and Luke Browning. My birth son Freedom is the best thing I’ve ever done and his dedication to his craft (stage name Freco) inspires me beyond measure. My “white” son Luke is my partner in crime and I’m so grateful for him!

Website: Tammyswing.com

Instagram: Tammymccallbrowning

Facebook: Tammy McCall Browning

Image Credits
Joe Mapp Eppshotme

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