InTucker Magazine

Business of the Month – The Dream Center

From a young age, Chan’tele Rountree knew she would one day create her own style of dance. As a middle schooler, she confidently told her friends that her dance style would be called “Chan’televa”, a name she proudly wrote on her pants. Today, she’s living that dream as the founder and owner of the Dance Rhythm Education Arts & Movement (DREAM) Center, operating under her LLC, Chan’televa.

The DREAM Center is more than a dance studio. It’s where Rountree teaches her original choreography and inspires students to explore and reach their full potential.

“We teach ballet, tap, jazz. hip pop and lyrical dance,” Rountree said. “We believe that we can build up and inspire young people to reach for their dreams through their experiences in dance. So, what we really care about here is helping children tap into their full potential not just as dancers but as humans as children so that they can find their full potential through what they experience in the dance classroom.”

Rountree’s journey began in Maryland, where her mother enrolled her in dance classes at the age of four. She never looked back. She later attended Spelman College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Drama with a concentration in dance, followed by a master’s in early childhood education from Georgia State University. For ten years, she taught first grade and dance at Nesbit and Graves Elementary Schools.

While teaching, she also collaborated with a local dance studio, where she launched successful summer camps. Motivated by that success, Rountree decided to start her own dance program. In 2016, she began hosting summer dance camps in rented spaces. Her goal was to offer year-round programming, but first, she needed a permanent location.

“It all kind of happened by accident, I feel like,” Rountree said. “Someone took me to Donut City. I saw that there was a space for lease. When I went to look inside, I felt the vison.”

She initially opened a studio off Mountain Industrial Boulevard, but it quickly outgrew the space. In the summer of the following year, the DREAM Center moved to its current home at 3955 Lawrenceville Highway, Suite A & B, Tucker, GA 30084. The Tucker community has proven to be the perfect fit.

“I really do enjoy Tucker I want to move to Tucker at some point,” Rountree said. “I really like it. I like how it is a small town, and it is a tight knit community filled with community support.”

At the DREAM Center, students gain more than just technical skills. The studio nurtures work ethic, creativity, and joy. Spirit Week brings fun with themed costumes and raffles for both dancers and parents. A standout tradition includes performances featuring students and their fathers, choreographed by Rountree herself. These father-child routines are highlights of every showcase and create unforgettable memories.

“It’s just fun helping them learn the moves and get confident, they kind of bond with each other while in class,” Rountree said. “The children think it’s so much fun to dance with their dads. So, it is a really fun experience, and I love how proud they feel after they get done with the show. The funny thing about it with the dads, as soon as the dads get on stage the crowd screams. It is a really fun experience for me to create it, and for the dads to experience it on stage.”

What sets the DREAM Center apart is the way Rountree has blended her educational expertise with her love for dance. From the little girl who dreamed up “Chan’televa” to the entrepreneur helping others discover their passions, Chan’tele Rountree continues to bring her vision to life, one dancer at a time.