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| DaKiya Lambert & some of her wonderful dancers of Dance Dimensions. As I walked through out the Health & Fitness Expo on Jan. 16, 2011, I had no idea that the highly enthusiastic teenagers I ran into were award winning dancers. These Kids were so excited to hand me a flyer of one of their up coming dance performances that I had to stop & see what all the excitement was all about. Five minutes into our conversation, We all were laughing, talking & taking pictures with one another as if we have known each other for years. I was very happy to meet the dancers of Dance Dimensions & their Founder DaKiya Lambert as well as other staff/team members who have put their hard work & dedication into making this Performing Arts Program the best in our city. |
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| The Dancers getting ready to perform at the Health & Fitness Expo. Dance Dimensions have been featured on The Apollo in New York where they won 1st place, National Cherry Blossom Parade, International Children's Festival at the Wolf Trap, Harlem Week in New York, National Earth Day on The Mall in Washington D.C., National Black Family Reunion, Fox 5 Morning News, Washington Post, Price George's Gazette, The list goes on & on. I had the opportunity to Interview Ms. Dakiya Lambert on the subject of "Dreams Do Come True!" a few days after the Health & Fitness Expo. Below are the Interview Questions. |
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| DaKiya Lambert founder of Dance Dimensions Q.) I’ve read your Bio on your web-site. All I can say is WOW! Tell of something many people do not know about you? A.) Many people only know one side of me. My co-workers only know the engineer side of me. The dance community only know the creative side of me. People are always shocked when they find out that I'm an engineer as well as a dancer. I've been blessed with having both the left and right side of my brain being active. My creativity helps in my engineering and my analytical thinking helps with dance. Q.) What age did you realize you wanted to become a Professional Dancer? A.) I started dancing when I was 3 years old, so I honestly don't remember a time when I wasn't dancing. I clearly remember when I was about 12yrs old that I told my best friend that I was going to open a dance studio. Her mom owned the studio that I was training at, and that really inspired me to believe that one day, I could actually do it myself. I knew that I wanted to have my chance a performing for awhile. I got my shot performing in a professional company in Pittsburgh, PA for awhile and then again in local companies in the DC area. But once I really started teaching, I felt that performing could never add up to the rewards of teaching kids and watching them grow as dancers and young people. I didn't think I'd open a studio until much later in life, perhaps in my 30's or 40's. I ended up opening Dimensions by the time I was 25. Q.) As you began to dream big, have you ever faced a difficult time in which you thought your dreams weren’t going to come to past? A.) I originally started to open a studio with two business partners. After investing my life savings in that, the venture completely flopped and I lost thousands of dollars. Everything fell apart about one month before the opening date of the studio. I just couldn't believe that after all of the preparation that it wasn't going to happen. But I was determined to get the studio off of the ground so I turned to my family for help. I borrowed some more money, found a location in the back of a building and my family and I went to work. We were up until sometimes 4am for weeks painting the building and getting things together. Even my grandmother was sitting in a chair, painting the walls in the middle of the night. By the grace of God, I was able to still meet the deadline of opening day. We were actually pulling the last piece of painters tape off of the wall as the first clients walked through the doors. Q.) How did you feel when you opened the doors of Dance Dimensions for the first time? A.) Oh my goodness, I can't even put into words how I felt that first day. I had no idea how many (if any) students were going to show up. When the first students walked in I was beyond ecstatic. Then another came in. Then another. It felt so amazing to see that these parents chose me out of all of the studios in the area, to teach their children. We started very modestly that year. Our building was very low scale and we only had about 25 students. But those 25 were so dear to me. To see them choose Dimensions and want to be a part of us from the very beginning is truly indescribable. We're now in our fourth year and have grown to over 175 students. Our building is now almost 3 times the size of the first building we had. Every school year when we open those doors for the first time, I still get those same feelings as I look at all of the new faces coming in. Like, WOW, they chose us! Q.) What advice would you give to those who have lost hope in their life long dreams? A.) Never lose hope in your dreams. Hope is one of the strongest, most powerful forces in the universe, so by losing hope, you're giving away your power. Hold on to that power and use it to burst through the obstacles and walls that life may present you with. I am a firm believer in the idea that God has planted a dream and a destiny inside of you that you must fulfill. If you give up on that dream, you are cheating the world out of experiencing all of the greatness that you bring to the table. In the words of one of my favorite musicians, David James, "Keep your head lifted high, and your worries down low. For every closed door, there's a window!" Feel Free to share your thoughts or if you desire to get in contact with Ms. Dakiya Lambert please visit www.Dimensions-Inc.com or call 301-420-1567. Also, Dance Dimensions will be performing at Bowie Center for the Performing Arts 15200 Annapolis Rd. Bowie, Maryland 20715 on Saturday, February 5, 2011 @ 7pm. To attend this event, the cost is $15 in Advance, $20 at the door, $12 Kids 3yrs-10yrs. |
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