CLEVELAND — Inside of her dance studio, Devan Amber Hayes is teaching a ballet course that focuses on beginner techniques. Techniques that she says if perfected can lead her students to success outside of the studio 

“There's competition, there's awards and scholarships that can be won and, you know, having this kid sent to school, then sent out to wherever they need to go and hopefully, to come back, yeah . . . sometimes you got to come back,” Hayes said. 

Coming back is what Hayes did. After being professionally trained in dance, she returned to Cleveland to dance for the Cleveland Cavaliers and decided she wanted to use her skills to empower others, especially young dancers who look like her. 

“Our numbers aren't really showing in the Black female department in terms of dance. I guess that's where I come in.  I’m trying to find all the brown ballerinas. All shades, that's you know, that's brown, that's yellow, that's peach, that's tan, that's olive, all these  shades," Hayes said. 

In February, Hayes launched the Brown Sugar Dance Academy and started offering ballet, modern and jazz classes to a diverse group of students. Diversity being something she said she didn’t experience coming up as a young dancer. 

“Growing up and there really was no representation,” Hayes said. 

Hayes said having a successful career in dance can be a challenge, made harder by feelings of exclusion. She hopes Brown Sugar Dance Academy helps these dancers take the necessary steps towards realizing they belong on center stage.

“I see a black ballerina, OK, I can do that. I can do these things, I can be flexible, I can be athletic, I can have this build, I can perform on a stage, people can clap for me. It's OK no matter what shade you are,” she said.

The Brown Sugar Dance Academy will be holding an outdoor, socially distanced spring recital in May. For more information about the academy, click here to visit the Brown Sugar Dance Academy website.