Miranda Rudegeair, owner of Hawaii Dance Bomb, saw an opportunity to start a business that would promote fun, confidence, dance, and creating friendships — all in one. Originally from Australia, Miranda opened her business in Hawaii in 2016. She was selected to be a part of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Enterprising Women of Color (EWOC) Business Center’s Business Certification Training inaugural cohort in November 2020. She studied dance in Australia, then pursued dance fitness and became a personal trainer for 10 years as well as a master trainer for The World Groove Movement. She’s been a business owner for 16 years, the last six of which have been dedicated to Hawaii Dance Bomb.

Hawaii Dance Bomb was named after Miranda’s desire to create an “explosion of fun” for everyone who loves to dance. The company offers a range of dance classes and events, including Kids Hip-Hop (Pre-K to grade 5), Groove (children and adults), and Silent Disco (children and adults). It’s a great option for birthday parties, corporate events, and assisted living facilities. Dance is a great way to exercise, network, relieve stress and develop teams.

Miranda moved from Australia by herself to pursue her childhood dream of living in Hawaii. As an adult, she also wanted to teach dance and bring fun into people’s lives. Although she was met with challenges as it was tough to get the business started as a solopreneur, Miranda never gave up and later reaped the benefits of her hard work.

“When I first got here, the beginning of the process was pretty lonely; however, I just did what I needed to do to make it work,” Miranda reflected. “I called people, introduced my company and our services, and provided free classes where I could. Eventually, when enough people knew about our services, I began receiving calls instead of making them. We now offer afterschool hip-hop at many schools around the island. In the summer, we’re fully booked doing Silent Discos at various summer fun locations all around Oahu.”

Miranda was inspired to open Hawaii Dance Bomb because of her personal experiences and passion for dancing. She said: “I always loved dancing around the house and choreographing routines. When I was younger, I failed ballet and acrobatics because I didn’t have enough flexibility. I felt sad knowing that there are many people in the world who love to dance but are discouraged because of the standardized idea of ‘dancing’. You don’t have to look like the dancers on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ to be a ‘dancer.’ I thought to myself, ‘What about all the people who love to dance but likely won’t end up being Janet Jackson’s back up dancer?’ I knew they existed, and I wanted to show them that they can still enjoy dancing just for the fun of it, without all the expectations of being a professional.”

Among Hawaii Dance Bomb’s offerings are Silent Disco dance parties in which each participant has their own set of high-quality, noise-cancelling headphones. “There are three channels on the headphones that participants can choose from. This allows everyone to find something they love and can dance/sing to,” Miranda explained. And the best part is that everyone has their own volume control and the neighbors can’t hear a thing, making it the perfect way to have a dance party without disturbing anyone.

Another fun class is Kids Hip-Hop, which focuses on style, confidence, and personality. Miranda’s goal is to get the kids to connect, dance, laugh and have a good time. She loves including each child’s unique style, personality, and creativity into her routines. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Miranda has been able to use her Silent Disco headphones to teach hip-hop classes outside and keep participants physically distanced.

Groove classes are about uniting in a rhythm but dancing to the beat in your own way. Miranda uses “Groove truths” to encourage participants to be themselves and make the dance feel good. These affirmations include “no one cares what you look like,” “you can’t get it wrong,” and “you should look different because your way is the right way to dance.”

“Teaching Groove is really about creating community on the dance floor,” Miranda shared. “We want people to feel safe showing up exactly as they are and dancing in a way that feels good for them, no matter how it looks. The best experiences are the ones where you can be yourself and connect with others in a fun way at the same time.”

Despite her classes and events being open to children and adults, Miranda enjoys teaching youth the most. Her most rewarding moments are when she’s interacting with kids in class and she can see the joy on their faces when everyone is “in the moment.” She hopes to teach them the Groove philosophies before they start caring what people think and become inhibited.

“My goal is to get kids on the island feeling confident and dancing for the joy and health of it,” Miranda said. “It’s a great way to get them to not take life too seriously and just have fun. I know my services are affecting kids all around the island because kids will often run up to me and tell me that they were in my classes from afterschool programs or summer fun. Hearing how much they remember me and saying how much fun they had lets me know that I’ve had a positive impact on them. The whole purpose of our company is to have fun and get kids moving while providing a safe environment to be themselves.”

Miranda applied to the MBDA EWOC Business Center’s Business Certification Training inaugural cohort as soon as she heard about it from a business friend and mentor from YWCA Oʻahu. She wanted to learn about government contracting and was excited for an opportunity to get help marketing her business, which has been her biggest challenge thus far.

Miranda is in the final stages of her certification process for Hawaii Dance Bomb. She hopes to obtain contracts and expand her business to provide services for events, programs, and schools. With this anticipated growth, Miranda also plans to hire more employees to teach Kids Hip Hop, Silent Discos, and Groove classes.

As a successful business owner, Miranda offers the following piece of advice to others: “Decide what you want to achieve. Write down 20 ways that you can go about achieving it. Twenty may seem like a lot but just try it. Then pick your top three and write three ways you can implement those things. Do them and go from there. Keep trying things until something works.”