Meet the Owner: Tiffany R. of TC Diamond Arts

When her hometown Brentwood School District cut back on art programs like theatre, Tiffany R. knew she had to do something to keep the arts live for kids from her alma mater.

"My life growing up there was sort of like High School Musical," she said, noting her love for theatre growing up and continued theatre and dance experiences up throughout high school. "It was just devastating to lose the programs there." Other school districts followed with cuts to their programs in light of budgetary constraints and less money given by New York State.

Seeing many children not having a safe place to go after school, Tiffany decided to open up her own arts center, TC Diamond Arts, formerly located in Deer Park from January to April before it moved to its current location at 354 Sunrise Highway in West Babylon.

"We initially only started a dance studio, but it became so much more than that," said Tiffany, a former employee at Long Island Press and owner of TC Diamond Arts & Marketing. She began employing arts teachers from districts where programs had been cut and, before she knew it, the dance studio became more of a cultural arts studio.

"It's great because all of my teachers are New York State certified," she said. "A real community of teachers and place to fit in, that's what this is."

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Classes, which Tiffany says she has tried to make as affordable as possible, range from a wide variety of classes for all ages including classical dance, arts and crafts, zumba, yoga, line dancing, voice lessons, drama and musical theatre. Tiffany is also working on a children's sports program to teach being a better teammate. The studio also offers full birthday party events from planning right down to the cake.

Teachers are part of the experience, too. The studio offers free yoga classes to all teachers with a valid school ID.

"It's not really about money or competing for me," she said. "I'm here to try to replace what the kids have lost."

She added: "We just want to make it affordable and keep kids off the streets. This is and always has been my passion."

TC Diamond Arts will be hosting a Community Dance Day monthly featuring donation only tryout classes. This September's day is tentalively scheduled as the 8th.

You can find out more about TC Diamond Arts at their website or by visiting their Facebook page.