Gigi Tonye Arts & Fitness tackles disparities through dance and wellness at two Chicago locations
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One Southsider is working to keep her community healthy through dance.
She's just opened up her second studio to make it a bit easier for folks to get their backs up off the wall.
The stream's Jamica Ponder takes you inside the Gigi Tonye Arts and Fitness Center in Bronzeville.
Whether it's sitting down, standing up, or somewhere in between - from the moment you walk into one of Gigi Tonye's Arts and Fitness hubs, founder Garley Briggs will get you moving.
"And that's any part of your body. You don't have to have two arms to dance. You don't have to have two legs to dance," she said.
Whether it's dancing or just working out.
"We want to make sure that you have as much access to movement and wellness and dance and so that is from little to no cost-free programs."
Briggs founded Gigi Tonye's when she began professionally teaching dance around the city.
"And so, in the midst of that happening, I started seeing a huge inequity that was going on."
Teaching between neighborhoods, the disparities in access to dance were stark.
"When I would teach on the South and West Side, there was very limited little to no resources for dance education, quality dance education for wellness resources."
Briggs says it was her calling to change that.
"We want to make sure that we're planted in the communities that need it."
Aiming to not only tackle dance disparities…
"Also, high health disparities as well," Briggs said.
So, their space invites people to move in any way they can.
"We do dance classes, fitness, wellness. We have stretch mobility, we have yoga and meditation, we have mindfulness."
Briggs wants folks to learn both how to keep themselves healthy…
"But also learn about how this can change my community, learn about what's the impact of movement, what's the impact of, you know, dance."
Can that impact help us to live longer healthier lives? She wants everybody to come and find out.
"As long as you got breath in your body, you can move your body," Briggs said.
