Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in dance education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Maria Daniel, Founder of iDance Ministry, located in Scotch Plains Township, NJ, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

iDance Ministry serves culturally and economically diverse dancers of all ages who seek meaningful experiences in dance and mentoring. We have been at the forefront of providing a safe space for individuals to explore dance and address their holistic and spiritual needs. In addition to dance instruction and mentoring, we offer the following services: choreography, our signature and copyrighted Hip Hop Experience Dance classes, National Dance Week events, dance curriculum development, dance workshops, Hip Hop Dance Teacher Certification, teacher webinars/training, consulting, dance retreats and specialty master classes in various dance styles.

Tell us about yourself

iDance Ministry was created in 2015 after I suffered from Lyme Disease, which left me with semi-paralysis. "My husband found me lying on the ground, motionless and confused. A debilitating illness left me without feeling in both legs for nearly 2 years. My five-year-old daughter became my caregiver while my husband served in the military. After 18 months of physical therapy, 14 medications, and weekly Emergency Room visits, my condition only worsened. Since doctors could not properly diagnose my condition, it became degenerative. The level of suffering that I experienced was incomprehensible. I was devastated at the thought that I may never dance again." (Daniel, 2018). "Having danced since the age of 4, I felt lifeless without dance." (Daniel, 2018). *quotes are taken from "Dance of Healing: When Dance Became my Medicine, an NDEO article/blog publication I wrote in 2018.

During this period, God revealed to me that while I had a profession (practicing law), I was not walking in my calling (to educate, elevate and impact the world through dance). At this moment, I realized I wanted to change the dynamic from "making a living" to "living on purpose." At that moment, iDance Ministry was born. I went from being an attorney who was gifted in dance to being a gifted dancer who happened to practice and teach law. An integrative doctor helped me to heal. Then, I began teaching and mentoring youth through iDance Ministry.

iDance has grown over the years from its humble beginnings in Greene County, VA. We are now located in New Jersey and have dancers in multiple states. Our company dancers are diverse and now include professional dancers and international dancers. iDance went from impacting local communities to impacting international communities and dancers from all over.

I am a wife, mother, dancer, choreographer, educator, author, and attorney. I also created the signature and copyrighted Hip Hop Experience Dance Class (featured on CBS and NBC). As the Founder and Artistic Director of iDance Ministry, God has blessed me to build professional relationships and collaborations. I am a Partner of the National Dance Foundation, a member of the National Dance Education Organization, and Dance New Jersey.

I am committed to providing unique and impactful dance experiences for our dancers, along with special performances and projects. Noable performance opportunities include: Disney World, the McDonald's Gospelfest, a NY fashion week event, the Wawa Welcome America Festival, Miss Newark USA, live performances in New York and Philadelphia with live gospel artists, a Hip Hop Opera and more.

What motivates me is that God chose me for such a time as this. Our communities and country are fractured. The pandemic also took a toll on everyone physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally. Arts engagement through dance helps with the management of mental health, improves the quality of life, provides an avenue to cope with and communicate pain, improves self-care, supports non-verbal communication (even when language deteriorates), reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, helps with addiction treatment, improves psychosocial adjustment and also enhances community life. (Fancourt and Finn, 2019).

There is a large body of research showing how arts engagement can actually enhance multidimensional subjective well-being, including affective well-being (positive emotions in our daily lives), evaluative well-being (our life satisfaction), and eudemonic well-being (our sense of meaning, control, autonomy and purpose in our lives). (Fancourt and Finn, 2019).

Dance is one of the vehicles that God chose for me to achieve His purpose for my life. Dance is a source of empowerment that can impact the world. Dance equips us with a voice, a message, an audience, and a vehicle for change. Dance connects us and reaches across cultural, social, and continental boundaries. When we foster a commitment to quality dance education and promote advocacy for the arts, we unleash the endless possibilities to effectuate positive change.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

You would think my biggest accomplishments would be the awards iDance has received, the mayoral proclamations we've gotten over the years, the many news features we've had, or the high-profile events we've been blessed to perform at. They are not. One of my biggest accomplishments is connecting, inspiring, and empowering others through dance. Sharing my faith and the healing power of dance is my greatest accomplishment.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing I have experienced with being a business owner is having the courage to walk in my purpose even when it doesn't look like "what I thought." Faith is taking a step when you can't see the whole staircase. -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you trust the purpose, the process, and the plan, you will achieve what God has already ordained.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Surround yourself with like-minded people who can support your vision. Not everyone deserves a seat at the table of you overflow. Some people want the benefits of your vision but can't handle the process. It's also hard when you want to take people with you to the top who don't want to see you at the top. Unfortunately, some people will try to sabotage your efforts. However, when you operate in your gifts, you don't have to be at the head of the table. God will shift the table to you, and those meant for the journey will be by your side.
  2. Quality over quantity: It's not about the numbers in your organization. It's about quality, character, and commitment. Sometimes God reduces your circle because He heard conversations you didn't. As a business owner, you shouldn't sacrifice your peace by surrounding yourselves with people who lack character. A lack of character will always reveal itself in the end.
  3. Don't expect others who see you as a threat to support you. You shouldn't give people that much power over God's plan for your life. Sometimes God wants you to succeed without the help of others so that you can credit God with your success. Sometimes "shut doors" are meant to prevent you from going back to it. Know that God has better for you. At the end of the day, it's important to have a "mission vision." -- Dee-1

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: http://www.idanceministry.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iDanceMinistry
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idanceministry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/idanceministry

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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