South magazine [80] The Style Issue | Page 24

S O U T H E R N S T Y L E / H I P H O P D A N C E R [AKA B-RYAN] Miss Bryan Leigh Smith Want to Schedule a Dance Lesson? Ready to get your groove on but have two left feet? Visit DanceHowIWantTo.com to book a hip-hop pop fusion dance lesson with Miss b-RyaN in either Savannah or Los Angeles. You may know her from Dancing Stars of Coastal Georgia — but most know her as b-RyaN. IT ALL STARTED ON HER FRONT YARD IN SAVANNAH. Twelve-year-old Bryan Leigh Smith would choreograph and perform her own dance routines for anyone who would watch. Now she’s moved west to Los Angeles to advance her dancing career. Bryan cheered for both Calvary and Cheer Savannah. She would often get in trouble for “inappropriate” dances. “There was a lot of hip-shaking,” Bryan said. “Teachers would say ‘You girls look like strippers.’ It hurt me and knocked me down, but it also built a fire.” Now, Bryan performs as b-RyaN. She was cast in LMFAO’s “I’m Sexy and I Know it” music video, as well as Rihanna’s “Diamond.” In 2012 she made a mix tape called “Dance How I Want To,” which has grown into her custom dance classes called “Dance How I Want To” for adults as well as kids, hosted in both L.A. and Savannah. In 2017, Bryan danced with Chris Cook, aka the Imprincenator, in Dancing Stars of Coastal Georgia, which benefited the Savannah CASA. • ON B-RYAN... YELLOW LEATHER JACKET / CARRIE HOXTON TOP / PRETTY LITTLE THING PANTS / PRETTY LITTLE THING WRITTEN BY CHRISTIAN BORIO / PHOTOGRAPHY SAVANNAH MURRAY 24 24 SOUTH August|September 2019 SOUTH MAGAZINE August | September 2019