DANCE IS LIFE

DANCE IS

LIFE

Tracy and Johnathon Webb formed Shaker Dance Academy to bring their love of dance to an audience to would appreciate it the most, the parents and children of Northeast Ohio.

Johnathan and Tracey Webb

Written by DAVID CHRISTEL

David has been ghostwriting books for well-known people since 1995. He is also the author of Married Men Coming Out: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming the Man You Were Born to Be.

L

ife is such a jumble of events, experiences, challenges, demands, and distractions. It’s hard to figure out where you’re going and why. It’s also difficult finding a sense of purpose that will carry you through thick and thin, that will give you direction, help you grow and establish yourself in the world. For Tracey and Jonathan Webb, dance was and is the driving force in their lives. As Tracey puts it, “Dance gave me life.” Tracey and Jonathan are the founders and owners of Shaker Dance Academy, what can be described as a one-stop-shop for far more than dance classes in every genre. Dance is an outlet for not just physical expression, but for learning about oneself and developing character traits that will last a lifetime. Tracey, originally from Manhattan’s Upper West Side, realized early on that she wanted to be a dancer. She envisioned seeing herself on stage, on television, in movies. But where she lived was a deterrent, its adverse distractions had to be avoided. With intense determination, she pushed herself and found that being in the dance studio was where she came alive. It became

For Jonathan, football, basketball, and gymnastics were his focus in school — until his junior year in high school when he accompanied a friend to a dance class. The teacher had him take the class, too, something that astonished Jonathan when he discovered how taxing it was, more so than sports. And he was hooked. Training hard to catch up to other students, he found his athleticism from sports was a perfect segue to all that dance had to offer.

The two met while working on Prince’s film Graffiti Bridge and realized that the chemistry they felt for each other and dance was just the tip of the iceberg. Working on both coasts for a while, they then settled in LA, both of them in high demand for film, television, and videos and working with celebrities and luminaries in the business. In the back of their minds, though, they were thinking about having children and opening a dance school. Retiring from the profession, they decided to move to Cleveland.

What they observed was that girls were being underserved. Boys were getting a lot of attention because of sports, but girls were being left to their own devices. What was missing for them was purpose and focus. Mothers urged Tracey to start a dance studio for their daughters, a place where they could learn discipline, self-empowerment, determination, and poise. So, in 2001, Shaker Dance Academy was born. Here’s where the one-stop-shop comes into play. Dance, as an art form, isn’t something you just do for fun whenever you feel like it. It’s also about life lessons. Many young people aren’t used to dealing with constructive criticism, discipline, stamina, self-composure, unwavering focus, channeling energies, and hard work. And their home life isn’t necessarily supportive of those attributes. School and street life aren’t indicative of those traits either.

Shaker Dance Academy offers a space that exemplifies all of those qualities. Young people develop a level of maturity, motivation, and determination not found elsewhere — all of which can be applied to every aspect of their lives.

Tracey and Jonathan’s love of young people and their devotion to their futures, not just in dance but in life, is the enduring legacy they are creating for the Cleveland area and beyond. As Jonathan says, “Dance gives you the confidence, the ability, and the vision to be able to make whatever you want happen.” Over the past twenty years, the studio has helped innumerable young people find themselves, even if they don’t go on to pursue a dance career. Both Tracey and Jona-

The Shaker Dance Academy is the number location for teaching children the art of dance in Cleveland.

than do what they call “designing your life.” They created the life they now deeply enjoy and are role models for current and future generations. And every day, they pay that approach forward as they help young people learn to become independent, strong, resourceful, and self-assured. As a wonderful acknowledgment of the work Tracey and Jonathan have put into their studio, former students now bring their children in for classes knowing that they’ll be in good hands. It’s not surprising that Shaker Dance Academy has been awarded “Best Dance Studio” for eleven years in a row. Life is a dance and dance is life in all respects. It and the studio are a haven from the distractions and demands of life, a place of self-expression, of sweat and tears, of joy and accomplishment, of growth and elevation of spirit. As Tracey has said, “Like our heartbeat, the studio gives us life still.” ●

Students awarded for their hard work.

COVER BILL

BELLAMY: COMEDY IS SERIOUS ND BUSINESS

The world we live in has never been more challenging. For artists like Bill Bellamy, it is an opportunity to stay connected to his fans, provide comic relief for those that need it, and brighten the spirit of a happy-starved country that desperately needs to laugh.

Written by BRAD BOWLING

Brad Bowling is the President of CODE Media Group, LLC. Bowling has his BA in mass media communication and an MBA in marketing. He contributes articles to the magazine continuing his love for writing.

As the room full of eager patrons wait for the show to start you can tell that there is something different about life today. We all feel a little pressure right not to get back to the things we once took for granted. Venturing inside with no mask, sitting among your friends for an evening out. These are the things that we now appreciate more than ever. And as we wait for the main act to come out, you can tell people are ready to laugh.

The room darkens as the music starts and the opening act calls out his name. “Welcome to the stage, Bill Bellamy!”

The room claps with applause as Bill walks up to the stage. But the audience not just clapping to see Bill. They are clapping to have something normal back. They are ready to feel good again. They are ready to feed their souls by someone they trust. Bill Bellamy does not

disappoint, as he delivers joke after joke like he does every time he visits Cleveland.

“I always love coming to Cleveland.” Bellamy says to the audience. “But I had no idea Cleveland rocked like this in the summer. I will never be back in November again!” Bellamy jokes. The crowd claps with agreeance and the fun continues for another hour.

The stage feels like home to Bellamy, who grew up in Jersey. The 1989 high school graduate always knew he wanted to do something special. It was college where Bellamy got his break. He was asked to host a talent show for the Alpha-Phi-Alpha organization and killed onstage. “I must give a shout out to one of my friends, Keith Williams, who is an Alpha, for putting me on stage. Keith gave me my first break and it has been on from there.” Bellamy said. Bellamy broke into television when he landed an opportunity with MTV. Bellamy would later host MTV Raps and other shows while gaining a national fan base. His interview skills quickly became trusting to those who were interviewed by the station.

Bellamy developed a repour with his guests and quickly learned that the best way to win the trust of the people he was interviewing was to just be himself. That formula worked as Bellamy became sought out person to do most of the interviews with anyone of interest at the time. “People started to seek me out for interviews because I would make them laugh. That would help break down their walls for the interview. That meant that I got a better conversation out of them, and the audience was able to learn more about the person I was interviewing.” Bellamy said. While growing in popularity on MTV Bellamy started to branch out and do other things. He started to get small parts in commercials and other campaigns from major brands. After those opportunities Bellamy broke into film. One of his first roles was in a film called, Who’s The Man, with Ed Lover and Dre. After getting the acting bug Bellamy started to get some interesting parts.

His next role would prove that Bellamy could act. Love

Jones gave Bellamy the opportunity to play something different.

“When they asked me to do Love Jones, no one thought that I could play a negative character.” Bellamy continued.

“The role in Love Jones required me to be a bad person, so I have to prove that I could do that, and I was able to pull that off.” Bellamy said. And he is right. Love Jones is a Black movie favorite because of its storyline and the actors that played in the film. It starred a young Lorenz Tate, Nia Long, and Bill Bellamy. The film got rave reviews and is still a choice for anyone looking for a good film to watch today. One of his most memorable performances was How to Be a Player. Bellamy starred as the lead in a film about dating, working, and living your best life, with a little

Bill Bellamy tours the country annually to deliver his take on American life to audiences everywhere.

Bellamy has a book coming out about his life in April of 2023.

Bill Bellamy’s Podcast is currently ranked number one Apple.

https://blackbottomkitchen.com/

Bill Bellamy enjoying life with his wife and two kids.

humor thrown in.

Today, Bellamy is continued to live his best life with a gorgeous wife and two lovely kids that keep him grounded and centered. Residing in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Bellamy gets some of his material from his own life experiences. “Kids only really are aware of what is going on when you cut the Wi-Fi off.” Bellamy joked to the audience.

“It’s only after they realize that there is no connection that they come out of their rooms and looking stunned and for answers as to why life has stopped.” Bill jokes. Bellamy’s new comedy special called, I Want My Life Back, details the things that everyone does daily. “It is a tribute to getting back to normalcy. Getting over covid, the kids getting back to school, trying to make your marriage work, going on date night, back to the movies and just living life.” Bellamy said. I Want My Life Back can be seen on Amazon Prime, along with Bellamy’s other movies. He is also hosting a new podcast show called Top Billing, on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube where Bellamy gets back to his roots of interviewing his guests about the things that make them tick. As of last week, Top Billing, is the number one Podcast on Apple. Bellamy’s recent guest included rap artist T.I. and comedian Tony Rock. He will continue Top Billing as he jets across the country to do comedy shows around the nation. Later this year Bellamy has a book coming out and a feature

film coming out this fall called Back to The Strip starring, Kevin Hart, Wesley Snipes, BJ Smooth and Gary Owen, where they play strippers trying to get their mojo back.

“I always love coming to Cleveland.” Bellamy says to the audience. “But I had no idea Cleveland rocked like this in the summer. I will never be back in November again!” Bellamy jokes.

It might be fair to say that Bellamy is winning in his personal and professional life by never having any controversy around him. That is something he takes pride in and protects by living a well-intentioned life.

At the end of the show the crowd give Bellamy a rave review of his performance by clapping for several minutes. For Bellamy nothing has changed, in a world where everything has changed and needs comics more than ever. ●