DURHAM, N.C. — Empower Dance Studio is on a mission to help students grow their self-confidence.

It's slogan is "where faith empowers movement."

Owner Nicole Oxendine is a lifelong dancer who studied dance therapy and taught for more than a decade in Durham Public Schools. She opened her studio in 2015, and teaches different classes for children and adults.

Oxendine's mission is to empower students and strengthen positive images of dancers from all backgrounds.

"Give them their power back and let them find that space and find that assertiveness by simply standing. There's so much power in that," Oxendine says.

Empower Dance Studio opened a second location on Market Street during the pandemic. The new space offers a performance space and area where parents can wait while their children are in class.