You can be sure that there's one thing I'll never do on this show, and that's dance.

You'll never see me dance on this show.

I don't know why you never get, you know.

But I am here with Epic Dance Studios.

I'm here with Stephanie, who's the director, and also KJ a hip hop instructor.

Dance instructor.

Right.

Yeah.

And so you're director because this is actually a nonprofit organization.

It is?

Yeah.

And so can you tell me why it's a nonprofit versus just a studios that's for profit?

Yes.

So we are devoted to making dance available to everyone.

So we provide dance instruction to students with special needs free of charge.

We offer over $20,000 a year in scholarships for students who need financial aid, to be able to study dance.

And then we have outreach programs with our community.

So, like with Epic Holidays will be performing a school show, for students free of charge.

We will be, doing some community performances as well.

And, and then we provide dance instruction for after school programs, through the Tolson Center.

Just.

Yeah.

So that's why we're nonprofit.

Not rolling in the money.

But but.

Yes.

I get it.

Although this is a beautiful, dance studio that you have here.

So, you know, if you're doing really well.

Oh, yes.

December 6th.

That is a big day for you at the Lerner Theater.

What's going on there?

Yes.

Epic Dance City also will be performing on December 6th.

In about two weeks.

The Lerner.

And it's a matinee and a 2 p.m.. It's part of Elkhart Winter Fest with the Elkhart Parks Department.

So families can come out.

They can go ice skating, they can do some shopping downtown.

They can, see the show in the afternoon.

And in the evening there's a parade and tree lighting ceremony.

So there's just a lot of really fun hallmark small town moments on December 6th.

KJ what's your role in this December 6th performance?

Oh, that's a good question.

So my main role is, been choreographing a lot of dances for little people.

So you'll see a lot of little kids and pajamas and snowman costumes, dancing our hearts out for this holiday season.

And it's going to be pretty epic.

I struggle to get one two year old to do anything I ask her to do.

How do you get a lot of kids to.

I mean, I don't know how young they are, but you said little, so how do you get them to do all that and follow some kind of rhythm?

Or is a chaotic depending on the age?

It can be a little chaotic, but for the most part we took them into having games and fun.

So we do freeze dance and freeze dance, get some, listen to music and start dancing.

And so it's a good, good alternative.

Where did your passion for dance come from?

Well, it started, just trying to get girls at high school.

That's what you.

I mean, fair.

And so today it's a different, different motivation today, right?

Exactly.

So I just try to get girls in high school.

I knew I'd have to be funny.

There was no way I was going to get girls in high school or something.

Is this where your passion was that you're.

That was my passion.

No, that was not okay.

Should.

I started dancing when I was a preschooler, actually.

It was kind of physical therapy for some physical limitations I had.

Yeah.

And, then went on to perform, for cruise ships.

I was a commercial dancer for a number of years and then came back to my community, and, I was working at Concord High School, which is when I met K.J.. So he became one of the dancers at Concord, where I was working.

And we created a program there which kind of kept growing and eventually we found that we needed to have our own space, which was epic dance studios and, and create this program for the total community instead of just the Concord district.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And with the epic holidays on December 6th, is this behind anything to do with it, or are you just decorating?

Yes.

So this performance is so fun and it's fast paced and it's energetic.

And, we dancers built out.

It took about ten minutes to build it.

Dancers do that while they're dancing.

Oh, cool.

And then a short piece, called Junkyard Snow, which is a celebration of the times where you wait for this.

The temperatures get too low to go to school so you can go outside and play and, and so the whole show is just kind of like that.

It's tongue in cheek.

It's Black Friday shopping, baking with grandparents.

Dolls.

There's tons of dolls coming to life.

It's the music of Duke Ellington's Harlem Nutcracker, which doesn't get enough publicity.

It's fantastic music.

And but it's not The Nutcracker.

This is not the Nutcracker.

It is a fun, exciting, sparkly production.

And so the hope of having it on that day during the festival that's going on, is that just to kind of really showcase what epic dances are doing in the community, or is it a fundraiser, or is it all the things?

It is.

It is just a celebration of dance.

And it is utilizing Elkhart dancers.

So they're, preschoolers through, senior citizens.

We have the Rockerettes where you have to be 60 to be able to perform.

And, we have a deck performing with us.

We have the little people.

And then, older dancers.

That'll knock your socks off.

We have some guest artists who will be performing as well, so it's just.

And the faculty, you'll see when we do Office Party and talk about all the silly things that happen at Office Party.

So it's really a fun exploration of the holiday season and the kicker to that is you'll see the girl I was dancing for.

Oh, you will see he married her.

I married her.

That's also a hip hop dance.

So it works at this as a teacher, it works.

Yeah.

She's like, there's just no way I can resist his dad's moves.

Like, I'm not sure that that would be a quote, but but but yeah.

So they teach together and they've been married ten years or something now.

Crazy.

Something.

Yeah, I get it.

It feels like a different number than the actual number.

And who's going to and what.

And when you talk about being a hip hop dance instructor is that reflected in this performance with music, with the music not being hip hop or like, like, how do you mix that?

Or what do you call yourself that kind of instructor?

Or is it like, do you mix it all together or what?

Oh, it's kind of challenging.

But this time we took a spin on that.

We're going to have a chill Grinch.

So you're going to see what a children's looks like with some hip hop moves.

And actually the music in the first half is the Harlem Nutcracker.

The second half we have hip hop and contemporary tap and all the different dance forms.

So yeah, and you talk about it all from like young kids, preschoolers all the way up to like, senior citizens.

Yes.

That's must be quite a challenge to get everyone together to write.

They they, the instructors pour their heart out to the students, and the students pour it right back at them.

And so, they are alive and vibrant and ready to take on the day and to share their gift of dance at the performance.

So it's it's actually, it's not as hard as you might think.

And so, even though you mentioned being a nonprofit and giving out scholarships and obviously getting fundraising and different things, if people want to come, they can afford to come.

They just pay, right?

Yeah.

So just contact the Lerner Theater.

No.

But I mean, if they want to come to Epic Dance Studio.

Oh, sorry.

Yes.

As a as a student, yes.

We're a full we're a full, genre dance studio.

So we offer dance classes for all ages in most generous and, for students who can pay.

Yes, they pay.

And then students who need financial aid are given scholarships.

So it's kept separately.

Yeah.

And then, of course, the Lerner Theater tickets for December 6th.

Sorry.

Yeah.

So the tickets are available for the show at the Lerner Theater.

You can go there by their website, or you can contact them by calling and get your tickets.

And are the tickets just for your show or as a part of the whole Winterfest that's going on, or just a concert?

The Lerner would be just another show.

Yeah.

Awesome.

Well, thank you so much.

I didn't know you were out here, but I like the epic vibes.

You know, I like the red.

I like all the epic love epic dance, epic holidays.

And we have some upcoming epic opportunities for people.

We have a Friday drop in class for adults.

And that is, pop, pop up hip hop.

So we bring in guest artists, one of the guest artists, they come in and they teach and you can come in, drop them, pay $10 and take one class just to try and try it.

And he's very good at breaking it down and making everyone feel welcome.

And then we also have signups for our spring session starting up in December, so you can get your fault, in breaking it down.

But like, I also heard, like, breaking it down, like, you know, like.

So he's really good at breaking it down.

You know, I yeah, he he could teach you.

Yeah.

Then it would cost more than $10.

Trust me when you're done with me.

But I thank you so much.

Best of luck with your epic holidays.

And, yeah, check out the Epic Dance Studios here in Elkhart.