Encouraging Movement and Entrepreneurship

Lameitra and LaToya Dupree are taking the art and technique of cheer and dance to the next level with Cheer Tech Dance & Fitness Studio. Not only are they providing the Tallahassee community with a creative outlet for young girls, but they are also showing that entrepreneurship can be done, no matter what obstacles may come in the way.

The two sisters, who grew up dancing together, knew that at some point they would want to go into business together. Lameitra (who goes by MiMi) picked up cheering from her sister, LaToya, at a young age. As she moved through middle and high school, MiMi added dancing to the mix and continued throughout her time at Florida A&M University, where she graduated with B.S. in Business Administration. Afterward, she moved on to the professional level of cheer and dance, working with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Armed Couture, a dance troupe made up of former NFL cheerleaders and professional dancers whom support the US Military. LaToya, a graduate of UCF and Columbia College-Chicago, also cheered for a short period of time and would assist MiMi with choreography, and combinations as they grew up.

With MiMi’s extensive cheer and dance experience and Latoya’s experience with owning a business and holding a Masters of Arts Management in Arts Media Entertainment and Management, the two came up with the idea of beginning a cheer and dance clinic. Once MiMi completed her professional dance career, the two launched their first clinic in March 2014. “At the time, we had no facility so we were almost always renting,” says LaToya. After doing that for

a while, it became obvious that creating a business was the next step. “We decided that I would take on the administrative and marketing portion and MiMi would be the lead choreographer and studio director,” adds LaToya. The combination of their knowledge, experiences, and talents led to the creation of Cheer Tech Dance & Fitness Studio—using a nickname MiMi received while in college due to her dance style.

Cheer Tech Dance and Fitness Studio works with young girls ages 6 to 19 and offers classes such as Cheerleading Fundamentals and Techniques for aspiring cheerleaders and current cheerleaders looking to improve their skills. They also offer Cheerleading Pro Prep for high school, college and adult cheerleaders who are looking to cheer professionally with the NBA or NFL. One-on-one lessons with Coach MiMi are also available to those looking for more personalized instruction.

READ MORE IN THE JAN/FEB ISSUE!