The co-founders of Elektro Dance Academy initially made a splash as The Elektrolytes on “America’s Best Dance Crew” when they took the trophy home during the show’s seventh season. They also won the Hip Hop International USA 2011-Adult Division and took seventh place in the World Hip Hop International 2011 Finals.
Those founding members have gone on to create a comprehensive dance school in Gilbert where both younger and more seasoned students learn dance technique, current hip-hop dance and continue to grab the attention of reality television dance shows. “The dance academy didn’t officially get started until 2019,” explains Elektro Dance Academy’s Kyle Price, owner who co-founded Elektro Dance Academy with fellow members of The Elektrolytes.
Each of the co-founder’s wives are also involved in running the school. Price says, “Everyone has a different role. My wife and I are focused on leadership and finances, one of the other couples is focused on day-to-day operations and the other two couples are focused on choreographing and teaching.”
Price hails from Southern California from a family of dancers. “I have two sisters that danced their whole lives growing up,” says Price who has called Gilbert home since 2005. “I took a couple dance classes as a kid – tap, jazz and a little bit of ballet. Then I stopped dancing until I was 15 and took my first hip-hop class here in Arizona.”
Although he wasn’t heavily classically trained, Price considers himself largely self-taught in hip-hop, as are the other three Elektro Dance Academy co-founders. “We all started doing hip-hop as teenagers and since then, three of us have only done hip-hop," he says. Other founders are clasically trained in dance, so they handle much of the school's instruction.
“By the time the show ‘World of Dance’ came around, we were on this new path of investing in younger dancers and raising up the next generation of dancers,” explains Price. There have been many dance teams that have gone on to appear on NBC’s “World of Dance” under the direction and tutelage of the crew at Elektro Dance Academy. In fact, four different Elektro dance teams have appeared in different seasons of the show and the school is constantly on the “World of Dance” radar. “They reach out to us every year and we’re sending a couple more teams out this year to see if we’re the right fit for them. They know that they can find good quality talent and people through us,” says Price.
Elektro Dance Academy offers a variety of classes for many ages of students. “Our contemporary program is just as big if not bigger than our hip-hop classes,” Price explains. Classes are available for kids as young as 2-years old all the way through the age of 18. Classes range from entry level to elite. There is also an adult program that includes both young and older adults.
“Our vision for the organization is to be the very best place where people can find their best friends and become the best versions of themselves, because that’s what happened to us four guys once we started exploring dance,” says Price. Although the pandemic has put a damper on some performances and competitions, the school incorporates the filming of extravagant video performances to give its students a taste of choreography and performance.
The school is accepting new students, and all are welcome to join anytime throughout the year which is a bit different from other dance studios. “We constantly growing our team and wanting people to come in, find their spot and find their home!” finishes Price.
Elektro Dance Academy is located at 451 E. Juanita Avenue, Suite 8, Mesa. Call 480-271-6262 or visit http://www.elektrodanceacademy.com for additional information.