ROANOKE, Va. – After nearly seven years of smiles and sweat, Just Dance Roanoke is closing its doors for good.
Sara Bremer started the studio in 2012 as a fun way to exercise, but she never realized that she would start a movement.
"We have had thousands of participants take over 6,000 classes," Bremer said.
Bremer also couldn't foresee the impact Just Dance would have on people like Chris Williams. He's a firefighter who went through hard times a few years ago and stumbled across the studio.
"It's such a positive environment. It's a magical place. I mean it's like you leave everything outside and you bring it all in here and you leave it out there on the floor," Williams said. "It's fun."
Ashlee Lakin has spent years working toward her Ph.D.
"The very first time I came was like home," Lakin said. "Just Dance has been one of the things that helped me hang on and be able to make it and persevere through the most difficult thing I've done in my life.
Dancers in Friday's class may have happy faces, but they're hiding heartbreak.
"It's more than just a dance place, it's been family," Lakin said.
"I'm gonna miss this place," Williams said.
On June 28, Just Dance will play its last song. Money's tight, not as many people come to the studio and instructors are moving on.
"We can't continue to give people the experience that they were getting anymore," Bremer said.
Running a small business in a small town with another full time job is tough. So, while it might be goodbye to the studio, it's not goodbye to everything.
"We don't need a brick and mortar space to dance. We don't need a brick and mortar space to unite and give back to the community in a big way," Bremer said. "And I don't need a brick and mortar space to continue my vision of empowering women to be the best versions of themselves all the time.