The founders, two local dance teachers, wanted to make competitive dance more accessible to teenagers in low-income neighborhoods.
“The opportunities, especially to compete, are a lot harder to offer in this area because it’s extremely expensive,” said co-founder and coach Jackie Gaytan. “To enter into a competition and to perform one routine for three minutes is around $600-800.”
Following a summer of unrest, the coaches questioned whether it was the right time to launch the program. Ultimately, they decided to give kids a creative outlet and somewhere positive to focus their energy.
“All these kids need an outlet especially because our team is mostly brown and black kids. We wanted to give them something to look forward to and be able to do together,” said Gaytan.