Fulfilling a dream she’s had since she was barely able to walk, Gabrielle Sherman has opened her own studio, Fierce Dance Academy.

In fact, her business precedes being able to drive.

Gabrielle, 16, is a junior at St. Joseph High School.

Her studio, where she teaches on Saturdays, is above her mother Cheryl’s store, Red Raven (462-9144), in downtown Dowagiac.

She started small two weeks ago, working with five students headed to competitions in April and May in Grand Rapids. “This is my 13th year dancing,” Gabrielle said Monday.

“I started when I was 3 in (upstate) New York. Then my dad moved us to Alabama, and I danced there for a few years. I’m the captain of the St. Joseph pom team.”

A team that included her parents, her boyfriend, both of her brothers, best friend Logan Warsko of Dowagiac and her brother transformed the space into a dance studio in a week and half.

“We pulled it together quick because if we spent a month on it, my kids weren’t going to be able to go to competition,” Gabrielle said.