CityView Magazine

new life arts An old building gets W By Kelly Twedell hile managing a household of four active kids, three dogs, two cats and a growing business, one Eastover mom finds balance and contentment in her busy life. Renovated last year, this local military spouse saw a vision and a way to dive into this small Cumberland County community by starting up a business and revitalizing The Firehouse, Eastover's Studio of Performing Arts. Toni Brinker spent most of her life dancing and though her professional path as a physical therapist took her down a different road, her love of dance has come full circle and now she is able to share her passion and talent with others while she makes time for her own family. "Sometimes it's hard as a military family to really break into the community when others view you as transient." Toni added, "After sitting in an Eastover Civic Club meeting, I realized there is a lack of participation by the younger generation." Fayetteville slowly seems to be expanding out to Eastover and that is a plus for The Firehouse. Taking charge of her own marketing, Toni launched a huge social media campaign on Facebook which helped get the word out in the community. This paid off last August when The Firehouse exceeded initial enrollment figures with 60 students. In their second year of business, The Firehouse offers more than just dance classes. Her staff also offers lessons in voice as well as guitar and piano lessons. The guitar lessons can be private or group lessons. "My voice teacher instructs the students in a classical manner, but she allows them input in the selections they sing," said Toni. The Firehouse also features a retail shop complete with all the extras her students may need. One main focus of The Firehouse is to give back to the community through sharing everyone's talents. Over the past year the students and staff have put this into practice by performing at nursing homes and churches. "It instills in kids at an early age the importance of giving back and what it means to be part of a community," shared Toni. "The kids love the opportunity and it also gets us exposure while getting extra practice in front of an audience." This past summer at their inaugural recital performance was a crowning achievement. "I always had imagined that it would be a huge undertaking," conveyed Toni, "but it really wasn't crazy, it all came together and the parents were so supportive!" One of her favorite parts of the recital was a joint performance with her talented staff. Her music teacher played the piano, the voice teacher sang and Toni danced a lyrical number for the parents and students. "I'm more of an introvert. While I'm not afraid to get on the stage and dance, don't put me in front of a microphone," Toni said as she giggled. Her husband Kirk, a career officer in the Special Forces, graciously helped write her closing remarks for the recital. He playfully reminded her, several times, to deliver the words without crying. Mission accomplished – well, almost. The first year of a business from beginning to end is The Firehouse in Eastover is filled with music and dance CityViewNC.com | 21

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