A 23-year-old Rockford woman came back home to leap into her childhood dream.
Fabbie Williams is the CEO and founder of Fab Dance and Fitness Academy in Rockford. She said her friends remind her of childhood conversations.
“They were like, ’Oh my God, you were really talking about doing that, like when we were in school.’ So yeah, like anybody that knows me, they know that that has always been my dream,” she said. “It's been my dream to always come back to Rockford and open up a studio.”
Her first dance experience was at a place called 815 Dance Academy.
“And then I tried out for Fatally Unique dance team. And my family didn't think that I would make it. It was a lot of older dancers,” she recalled. “Their oldest dancer at the time was about 24 years old. And I was eight and I tried out and I made the team.”
Williams lived in Atlanta from fifth grade through high school. She shared that this experience exposed her to a new world. She was surrounded by several dance scholars and learned about ballet, jazz, tap and other forms of dance. Although she became saturated with the art there, home was where her dance floor lay. So, she moved back to Rockford in 2017 and focused on teaching others.
Music and movement were a continuous stream throughout her life. But Williams said there came a time where she wanted to focus on her career outside of possibly owning a studio. She moved back to Atlanta in 2019 to try out as a dancer for the Atlanta Falcons.
"I've always been passionate about teaching though," she said. "So, I kind of knew that me going to try out for the dance team--if that didn't work-- I was just going to get back into teaching, in some aspect."
While there, she enlisted the help of a personal trainer to increase her odds for making the team. She said that person convinced her to become certified personal trainer and she did.
The possibility of becoming a part of the sports dance team tumbled when the pandemic hit. So, she came back home in 2021 to work on her original dream.
“My goal I set for myself was the age 25. So, I kept telling myself '25'. Like, even when I was younger, like 13 years old, I would always say '25, I’ll have it by 25,'” Williams shared. “You know, because if you don't have to get by 30, you know, that's just what people say.”
She exceeded that goal and opened her studio last year at the age of 22.
This space is allowing Williams the opportunity to help shape her community with dance and fitness.
Chanel Edwards is the founder of The Baddie Academy in Beloit, Wisconsin. She teaches Baddie Bootcamp every Tuesday and Thursday at Fab Dance and Fitness Academy.
“What I'm doing and what Fabbie is doing as well, we're building self-esteem.” she said, “We're building bodies, we're building self-esteem, we're building self-awareness, and helping women live a healthier lifestyle.”
Mercedes Colon took part in the bootcamp. She said this is her second time with the class. She wasn’t working out before this but explained how easy the transition was.
“They show you modified versions. So, you don't have to feel like you have to go, you know, completely hard if you're a beginner. So that's very encouraging,” Colon explained.
Linda Fair said she learned about the academy on Facebook. She’s been attending for over a month.
“Fabbie is fabulous. I tell her she makes it happen. She and Chanel both are a dynamic duo,” she said. “So, I appreciate both of them -- very energetic and positive and encouraging.”
Williams offers a multitude of dance and fitness trainings for adults, but she also teaches young people.
“So, we do not separate them by age. We offer ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, modern African dance, and musical theater,” Williams said. “So, it's a good place for them to come and get rooted. We also teach artistic development.”
Williams also encourages young girls outside of the studio.
“I work in a school system,” Williams explained. “I'm in the school system almost every day, working at different schools talking to girls about girl talk. So everything that I do is [about] giving back to the community, so it just made sense to jump into this full fledge.”
Williams also partners with businesswomen, giving them opportunity to showcase their products and services at her studio.
“We bring that here so ladies can mingle and talk, and you know fellowship and network with one another,” she explained.
Williams and Edwards offer virtual classes for those who can’t make it to Rockford. Williams mentioned that clients in Atlanta, Detroit and even Ohio tap in.
Williams said fitness is within everyone’s reach. And she wants people to walk away from her studio or virtual sessions with the tools to help shape their bodies -- and lives.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
