Rising Stars: Meet Brandi Alexis of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Alexis.

Brandi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I first began dancing when I was 3 years old at Christina Cultural Arts Center. I had a passion for dance very young. My mother enrolled me in early childhood movement, tap, jazz, hip hop, modern, acrobatics, ballet, dance company, and acting. I danced at several dance studios as a child up until I went to college. Once in college, I was a member and secretary of the Terpsichorean Dance Company at Hampton University and member of the hip hop team “Hidden Vanity” at Delaware State University once transferring back home. College was where I was introduced to more commercial style dance. Once graduating from college, I felt free to fully pursue dance. I trained in Philadelphia for 3 years and was a part of the heels dance company “Bad Girls in Heels” directed and created by Vanity Markee. Philadelphia was where I was able to hone in on my training in heels specifically. Therefore giving me the confidence to develop and teach my own beginner heel classes and name it “Head over Heels with Brandi Alexis”. I began teaching heels in 2019 at Melodic Movements Dance Studio in Wilmington,De. In 2021, I developed “Head over Heels” and travel to teach my classes in DE once every month and a half even though I live in ATL now. I moved to ATL in 2022. I felt the need to train somewhere other than Philly. I’ve been here training ever since.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has been anything but smooth. Growing up in Delaware, your in a very small pool of dancers. Everyone knows everyone, and growing up, a lot of us had the same training because there weren’t as many credible teachers in Delaware (although ALL my teacher were credible and extremely amazing). Experiencing the dance world in ATL changed the game for me and allowed me to expand my dance vocabulary, challenge my musicality, and improve my choreography retention. I improved in areas I didn’t even know I needed to improve in I found that I was extremely comfortable in Delaware. Dancing in ATL exposed the things I truly needed to work and improve on so my confidence was the biggest struggle and just being able to keep going after being told no over and over again at auditions. I had to learn to stay focused, confident, and creative during high pressured moments.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a professional dancer that specializes in commercial style dance and acting. Im mostly known for my dancing whether that be solo, in companies, or in visuals. I’m also known for my heel classes as I’m one of the only CREDIBLE heel teachers in Delaware and have my heel classes named “Head over Heels with Brandi Alexis”. I’m most proud of my ability to keep going. Breaking into the industry is tough, and I have slowly begun to see results. I’m happy I have been able to stick with it for as long as I have because a lot of people quit.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I owe all of my dancer teachers the biggest thank you. All have positively poured into me some kind of way, and I’ve been able to take amazing lesson from all. However, there are some who are super close to my heart and truly went through extra mile for me. Kenneth Brown, Tanya Vaughn, Heidi Yancey, Dara Meredith, Shawn-Lamere Williams, and Sakinah LeStage have all been pivotal in the progression of my dance career. I wouldn’t be at the point I’m at today if I did not have their guidance. Their lessons collectively went beyond dance. With them I learned discipline, individuality, emotional expression, business skills, and confidence.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_heyybrandialexis?stkn=MXJya3o2bzA5ZW1qbw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr