Back from The Edge!

The senior dance team at Breakout Studios recently took a trip to Los Angeles to take classes at The Edge, a world-renowned dance studio.  I sat down with Todd Wilson, owner and director of Breakout Studios, and got the low-down on why the Edge trip was so important to them.

First off, because I think you have an interesting take on it, tell us about the senior dance company.

The company program used to be a for-profit youth dance company that would take dancers in the community, train them, and take them to competitions. It was based more on the competitions, whereas now it's more education and performance.  There's a positive side to competitions, of course, but it’s a machine that can become more about product than quality. This year we're only doing one competition and that's where the Edge trip came from.  The idea of the Edge trip was to do something more based on education and exposure than actually going to a convention.  That's sort the standard, that's how kids get out there, but you're one of 400 in a ballroom.  You don’t get individual attention. The Edge is an actual studio, so it’s quite different.

What makes The Edge special?

From my personal point of view, I was awarded a two week scholarship to go there when I was twelve, which was amazing for me. It was a big deal!  The Edge at that point in my mind was a mecca of dance where you have the best choreographers and teachers in the commercial industry all teaching in one place.  Now you have more options in L.A., but back when I was dancing, fifteen years ago, that was it.  So, I started taking classes there, and at 17 I got a full summer scholarship to train there called "Dance with the Force." “Dance with the Force” comes from their touring competition that they used to have.  They were based more on dance education versus the newer ones which are more "compete! compete! compete! ...and then we'll have a few classes."

So, would you say that that kind of program is more community-based?

There are still a few around that are more based in education. I'd say yes, it's more community driven if you look at it nationally, but there's really nothing like L.A. Dance Force.  That's where I got my foot in the door as far as the work that I ended up doing in Los Angeles.  So, I got that summer scholarship and I performed in their end of the year showcase, which is reserved for their year-round scholarship students.  They take approximately 20 students, train them all year, they get to work with the best in the industry, and at the end of the year they perform for producers and casting agents. So, we were treated like superstars, and only ten of us got to do that summer program.  Some of us are still working actively in the industry, producing major things.  That program, in particular, has spawned some really successful performers.

The team raised over $1,100 to help fund the trip!

It seems like their program is pretty open, like, if you have an interest in dance...you can take their classes.

It is really open.  I would say they aren't as beginner friendly as we are, not that we’re in the same market at all, but they definitely have programming for a wider range of people than most of the studios in L.A.  And that's why we were able to take these girls from Tucson to one of the best studios in the country and set them loose. They got ten class cards and they had no problems getting those babies knocked out.  

Were there any teachers, in particular, that you wanted them to study with?

Yeah, there were a few people that I trained pretty heavily with.  Bill, the owner, teaches technique classes, and he's been a mentor of mine for years.  It's neat to see your students take from your teacher.  Just thinking in my head, they might not know now, but they will realize later how amazing this moment is.  Bill has shaped the future of many of the best dancers of the world for the past 20 years.  I know how much of an affect he's had on me and my success, so that was important.  And another person, Adam Parson, who I actually worked for professionally when I lived in L.A.  All in all, it was a really nostalgic experience.  It was so weird to relive such a big part of my evolution and it brought me back to so many things. Watching choreographers, being in the studio, feeling the carpet, smelling the smells, riding the elevator...it brought me back to a time when I was more attuned to texture in everything, detail, and being "on".  It was really inspiring.

Having any sort of experience like that puts you in a place not just to create, but to receive the creativity of others.

Oh, totally. And with that said, we had a really successful weekend with our podcast production and we got to talk with Robert Schultz, which was incredible.

Tell us about Robert Schultz.

Robert is a working professional.  His successes of late are the big flash mobs you see on t.v.  He did the "Modern Family" one, he's done a lot of great work.  He's been all over the place as far as the commercial world.  So we got his take on dancing, choreography, direction, all sorts of things.  He brought it to the place we want our podcast  to be which is that it's relatable to everyone.  Movement is beyond just a professional career, movement can affect anyone.  So we're eager to get out there again for just a production weekend.  

And we’re eager to see who you rope into the podcast booth!

It was a little bit tough at first for me to go back because I hadn't seen a lot of these people in a while.  I go back for work, but I have a really different window into the entertainment world.  A lot of the work I’ve done is through Canyon Ranch, so I have a direct access to the individuals who make the decisions on major entertainment moves, products, and fashion for ten years.  I haven’t really had to be in that world.  I’ve been able to skip a few steps, which is great, but I really haven’t had the exposure that I would have had if I was working in L.A. and had an agent...to my peers at least.  So it’s like you have to re-tell your story, and I was nervous about that.  For me, a large portion of my success are these girls we brought on this trip.  For others, it’s what is this job, who are you booking, who are you dancing for, who are you directing for,  what can you give me, so I was worried about putting myself into the meeting place of all that at The Edge because there’s that constant flow of people in the industry...but it was fine!

Our own Michael Montoya working on the podcast.

So you put yourself in that space to deal with it and you didn’t happen!

Oh, I was armored up.  Not only was it fine, but it was great to see everyone and neat to see how many people were already tuned into Breakout and were following already.  I didn’t have to explain much.  Beyond that, we have so much up our sleeves that we haven’t shown yet. It was a fantastic weekend.  I’m itching to get back.

When are you going back?

We have so much going on, so it’s hard to get past the day of Breakout versus the week or month, but we’re thinking April.  I actually received a text from a person we interacted with and they’re already lining people up for podcasts.  And we didn’t even ask them to!  They’re as excited about it as we are.  I would love to even set something up at the studio and make it more interactive where we can just pull people in and ask them questions.

That sounds amazing! I know I probably speak for everyone when I say I’m excited to see what Breakout has in store for us in the future.

--Jolie Roberson