My husband Jimmy and I have a burning desire to be full-time traveling stage show entertainers for live music and dance. Since 2019, we have had the honor of being booked for music festivals and tour shows in several other countries. We learned about cities all over the world with massive festivals and shows in majestic historic theatres where everyone is celebrating nostalgic American music. Living those experiences far away from our home town and its limits has only fueled the flame into a raging fire for more fresh experiences in places where our art is uplifted on a greater scale and there is never a repetitive day staring at the same city’s streets and wishing for more in life. There is a big world out there with so many stunning places to see and we refuse to lose more years not reaching for those big dreams. Happiness to us is not to work in a place we aren’t in love with so that we can have a vacation somewhere beautiful a couple of times a year, but to vacation while doing what we love every day of life. The things that used to fulfill me artistically now are a reminder of what we have yet to achieve which requires us to leave long-term. Over the years, our Oklahoma Showgirls consistently booked gigs where an event planner made every decision. In the early years, I was thrilled to be the first company in our niche receiving viable work to accommodate other people’s ideas all the way down to elaborate props and costumes. Now it is clear to me that spending precious time that way can be someone else’s dream. Touring bands have the freedom to make clothing, music, and job role choices for themselves. I now realize that there is a big difference in respect shown for artists who are in the background of an event as a vendor or a band that is disrupting conversations with loud music verses being the reason the crowd is attending an event as they celebrate a respected artist. I’m very grateful that the wild business concept ideas I had actually worked in Oklahoma and turned into two decades of success. Many people over chapters of time worked hard to make the dance studio a success and we also got lucky to be in a vacant area that later became a huge entertainment district. Because we were the first in OKC, we enjoyed lots of news coverage and articles that helped propel us further. After 30 years of pro bookings for Jimmy and 23 years for me, it is time that we write the scripts of our lives and take full control of our art and time. My favorite quote is "decide what kind of life you want and then say no to everything that isn't that." We have outgrown our life in Oklahoma in every direction imaginable. Our growth regarding wisdom, healing, peace, respect for ourselves and the arts, and other values that continue to change us to be better and stronger people. Starting in 2019, we slowly began reducing the services we provide in the dance studio while fulfilling all pre-paid service obligations with ethics as our operating compass. This has been a long road to prepare our business and personal lives for the current change. Removing class services allowed us to be slightly free to accept traveling shows and less tethered to the dance studio. We could not have done any of this without a support team, including one of my dearest loyal friends Gentry G. who taught parties while I was out of town for gigs the last seven years. Gentry has taught me so much about true friendship. We achieved our goal of lifting the local rates for dance instruction services in our niche where new businesses in the field price services so far below viability that classes and private lessons are comparable to what our studio’s prices were in 2009 well before the cost of living rose 50%. Our goal has always been to encourage others to value themselves by charging fairly because artists deserve fair pay the same as any other field of work. Our rates shock people when in reality, they are what every business that wishes to remain in business for two decades would have to charge to thrive in today’s economy. Love for an art form only goes so far, which is why niche studios don't usually last long. The public does not bat an eye about the large bill at restaurants, bars, beauty salons, or makeup boutiques. Why do dance educators and performers who offer incredibly physical work for hours continue to undervalue their service and be undervalued by the public? This industry always has people who call and ask if the service is free when no other business exists where this phenomenon takes place. I hope others will follow my lead in teaching the public that we have value and that my words will remind clients of other businesses that if you are paying $25 for one class or less, you are grossly underpaying in the 2025 economy. Please lift up those businesses because you want to see them exist in the future. 50% of small businesses in the USA will fail by five years and 70% will fail by 10 years in business. The statistic of long-term success is much smaller for pole dance studios in bible belt Oklahoma. We will continue to set the bar to educate the public that entertainers should be paid a fair wage. We are honored to have paved the way and created two enduring industries in Oklahoma that did not exist before Teaze Dance & Fitness and Oklahoma Showgirls existed in our generation. Unique adult dance and aerial services for women with a sexy or vintage pinup theme did not exist in Oklahoma before Teaze existed. Dance entertainers or greeting performers at casinos and gala events in elaborate costumes did not exist in Oklahoma as a business entity charging viable fees until we created it from scratch in 2009. Former staff of ours who watched how we operated this business from 2009 to 2025 are now all over the state teaching and performing and forming their own companies. As owners and directors, they are learning all of the joys and hardships that they didn't understand or experience until they became the one making mistakes and learning from them. Small studios in our OKC niche can only be open a few hours per day and only have space for ten people or less with lots of space needed per person for big movement. The math doesn’t math, especially in a less populated city like ours. We can’t price our fees like a yoga studio fitting 40 people on mats who don’t move off of the mat in one room. When anyone other than the owner is teaching, it further reduces the chance of viability unless the studio is undervaluing instructors and taking advantage of them. Having loads of instructors who all teach once a week isn't an example of flourishing. It's an example of poor business. No one is making a helpful income working for a studio who teaches one class per week. The obvious goal is for each studio to support itself and have net income after all expenses are paid without using income from somewhere else to supplement the business operations. Within a reasonable period of time, that net income should be providing for the owner and instructors just like any other job. Undercharging lowers the perceived value of the entire industry to the public. After two decades of raising rates and pulling all of the other businesses up with us, we refused to lower our standards to compete with anyone who is undercharging. If the math doesn't work and the business owner isn't setting up to be able to have a viable income comparable to other industries, then why have a business? The same can be said for performers who offer free or unviable services. We have persevered in the dance studio through two years of pandemic cancellations, two years of construction at our front doors, and another month of construction this year. Now, I’m unlocking another dream without concern for my age. How many dancers can say they started their full-time showgirl stage career in their 40s? I love proving stereotypes wrong and carving out my own path without waiting on someone else to do it for me as I have done all my life. I’ll be looking up to Cyd Charisse who was well into her sixties and still playing the sultry dancing siren movie roles. Our business is shifting and the ability for Teaze and the Showgirls to remain in business is not tethered to one building. It's exactly the opposite of ending or stopping. We are opening ourselves to being booked all over the world and gaining massive traction with our goals rather than focusing on one city's client base and their views of what is possible and relevant. We will continue to advocate for fair pay to artists and arts educators. We will advocate for privacy, respect, and protection of women to have safe spaces to practice dance and private changing spaces. We continue to speak out regardless of the local majority views regarding women's rights and all human rights to bodily autonomy and true freedom. I believe that it would be grossly negligent to live in a red state ignoring freedoms being stripped away every day both legally and illegally and not be extremely concerned and repulsed for our country. Leadership has caused our country to become unsafe in every city, however, blue state governors fighting for the people give me more comfort regardless of the fear tactics by the president to wield police and military against our own citizens. I cannot continue to live in a state like Oklahoma and Texas that have stripped women’s rights to their own bodies and the right to have their lives saved in medical emergencies without questioning everything about my situation and altering my future choices regarding a home base. Do I really want to continue to pay taxes and vote in support of a state that would convict a woman for a miscarriage with harsher punishment than her rapist would receive? That’s the daily horror reality of life in Oklahoma since June 2022. This is just one of a plethora of reasons that it is time for us to move forward and decide on a healthier place where we can thrive in every way. I will continue to advocate against poaching in business and stand for transparency, truthful communication, and loyalty in this industry. Loyalty simply means one person genuinely cares about another person. Our society can greatly benefit from more truth, ethics, and empathy. Friends, I hope you'll keep in touch with me. Our socials are linked below. The very best way to support us is to follow Jimmy's music pages and engage with our content which I have a huge part in and it costs nothing to support us in that way. I will also be offering events, parties, and workshops with Teaze Dance & Fitness at your location and booking around our tour schedule. The Oklahoma Showgirls aka Vintage Showgirls dancers will be working solely with Jimmy’s band. Jimmy is an absolutely phenomenal musician. One of the strongest and most versatile vocalists today, according to his fans all over the world and his guitar playing is fire. His talent and knowledge and our passionate abilities as a team cannot be replicated. Since we met, it has been my mission to see him have great success. If you have not yet heard of him, check out the industry quotes link about his original and cover music below. I’m really excited to now have the total freedom to be booked anywhere at any time and see his career take off. I’ve been blessed to meet my perfect match in love, interests, and creativity. I'm over the moon happy to be the creative director, choreographer, and lead dancer on stage with him as his life partner. The best part is that I still enjoy training aerial art forms and vintage dancing in feathers, fringe, and glamorous costumes for more decades as that was the dream all along. Teaze Dance & Fitness is now a fully mobile business. Instruction is available along the travel routes with a variety of dance options to fit each unique venue's interests. I’m also excited to train and learn from others in all of the stunning places around the world! Thank you all for your years of support. All three business pages will continue to be updated as time allows. See you on the road! XX ~Lynn