Peace Love Hip Hop celebrates a decade of dance
If you live on Daniel Island, chances are you know a dancer or two...or 20. Over the past 10 years, dance studio Peace Love Hip Hop (PLHH) has become a fixture on the island with their vibrant costumes, award-winning performances and presence at many Charleston area philanthropic events.
Angel Roberts, PLHH creator and owner, has taken a generation of local girls from tiny tutus to steely state dance champions. Local residents have watched as the program has turned a few wanna-be breakdancers into troupes of ladies and gentlemen performing dances inspired by icons from Gene Kelly to Beyonce. Roberts has even motivated moms to get up from the spectator seats and put fitness front and center with classes for the adult set.
PLHH started 10 years ago this month with a small class of about six students in a little studio next to Orlando's Pizza. Today, an estimated 850 to 1000 dancers and athletes move through the studio on any given week.
Along the way, PLHH has housed its classes in the Daniel Island School Multi-purpose room; squeezed themselves into a space shared with the CrossFit Discovery gym, owned by Robert’s husband, Robert Vannewkirk; and there was even a year spent in a storefront next to the Honeycomb Cafe.
“The community kept growing,” remembers Roberts. “Shy boys, sporty girls, moms, college students and every type of person in between were building confidence, fitness, friendships and just plain having fun through Hip Hop. It was clear we needed a permanent home and so we built one, giant Disco Ball and all.”
Last year, PLHH opened a state-of-the-art studio just off of Seven Farms Drive on Pier View Street. The building is marked with the studio's logo, which has become a local icon synonymous with energy, creativity, and a unique brand of fitness.
“It's been so fulfilling to see how this community has grown, gotten stronger, happier, healthier... in and out of dance class,” Roberts shares. “Watching this all become a reality has been an honor.”