Community Creates Community: How Bri's Dance Place Became Our 2026 Fan Favorite
“Sometimes you question whether what you’re doing is making a difference. Sunshine Enterprises helped affirm that I was on the right path.”
Entrepreneurs start businesses because they see a gap in the market, and sometimes, it starts because they experience that gap themselves.
For Brianna Hairlson, founder of Bri's Dance Place, the journey began during pregnancy. Her doctor encouraged her to keep dancing, but she struggled to find a welcoming community that fit her needs. Rather than accept what wasn't available, she decided to create it herself.
What began as dance classes for expecting mothers evolved naturally as those families grew. Soon, their children were ready for classes of their own, and Brianna recognized another need. She wanted to create age-appropriate dance opportunities while making ballet and other forms of dance more accessible and representative for Black and Brown children.
Today, Bri's Dance Place lives by a simple mission: to make dance accessible to every age, stage, and ability. While children ages two through five currently make up the largest portion of the studio's students, the impact reaches entire families through movement, confidence, and community.
That approach continues to resonate with a steady 35% year-over-year growth, supported by families who become enthusiastic ambassadors.
“When students move on, it's almost never because they no longer want to be part of Bri's Dance Place,” says Brianna. “Life circumstances may change, but families continue recommending the program because of the experience they've had.”
Her commitment extends beyond the classroom. Through scholarships, transparent communication with families, and a focus on long-term relationships over transactions, Bri's Dance Place has built trust that lasts.
That trust was on full display during this year's Business Boost Pitch Competition.
With 273 community votes, Bri's Dance Place was selected as the 2026 Fan Favorite, an honor earned directly through the support of the people who know the business best.
For Brianna, community has also been central to her own entrepreneurial journey.
She joined Sunshine Enterprises through the Community Business Academy in 2023, looking for connections with other founders who understood the challenges of building a business. After graduating, she continued engaging with Sunshine Enterprises and later received support through the Community Micro Equity Fund, helping reinforce that resources and opportunities were available to continue growing.
"Sometimes you question whether what you're doing is making a difference," Brianna shared. "Sunshine Enterprises helped affirm that I was on the right path."
She also reflected on something many entrepreneurs understand all too well: founders spend much of their time pouring into everyone else. Having a community that pours back into them can make all the difference.
When asked to describe Sunshine Enterprises in a single word, her answer was immediate: Community. It's fitting that the same word describes Bri's Dance Place.
Congratulations to Brianna Hairlson and Bri's Dance Place on being selected as the 2026 Fan Favorite. Your story reminds us that when entrepreneurs invest deeply in their communities, those communities show up in return.