TOLEDO, Ohio — F.A.M.E.D. Studios is kicking off its Juneteenth celebrations and dancers say it's all about getting back to the core of self-expression.
"I put a lot of emotion into it when I dance because when I dance, I'm expressing myself, what I went through, how I'm feeling, what I want people to know, how I want people to view my story," said Jo'Aonna Conley.
The 17-year-old also says African dance is how she pays respect to her ancestors.
"I did a lot of research and learned the background. I learned back when slavery was a thing, they use to communicate throughout dancing and I was like wow my ancestors years and years and years ago did the same things," Conley said.
Now Conley takes pride in coaching young dancers at F.A.M.E.D. Studios in west Toledo. She said it's her way of passing down tradition.
"It's not just African dancing we teach. We also teach cheer, hip hop, ballet, salsa, acting, we do modeling and more," Conley said.
19 years ago, Shawanda Johnson, the artistic director and owner of F.A.M.E.D. Studios, created a Juneteenth Celebration where everything can be showcased.
Johnson said she chose to celebrate fashion, dance, food and more on Juneteenth because it's a day Black culture in all forms should be honored.
"It goes back into the root of our ancestry - understanding the reason why we pray, the reason why we meditate, the reason why we do yoga, why we do all these different excersizes. It focuses on our core and that's what our ancestors did through African dancing, " Johnson said.
Johnson has coached thousands of dancers during her career and has tought more than just steps, but confidence too.
"It's really encouraging for myself to know that my aunt, Mrs. Shawanda, has been doing this for so long because it makes me feel like, ok once I get older I can do that too," said Conley.
On Monday, the country observes Juneteenth as the day in 1865 when the last enslaved African-Americans in the U.S. were informed of their emancipation.
The F.A.M.E.D. Studios show will be on Friday, June 16, at 7 p.m. at Over the Top Occasion Hall located on Dorr Street.
Next year, the studio is planning to take their show on tour as their Juneteenth Fashion Show Celebration is set to take place in Las Vegas.
MORE FROM WTOL: