We have hand picked the very best hip hop dance instructors in Iowa who are actively improving themselves as dancers too!
Is the founder of All The Way Up. His journey oddly began with a game called dance dance revolution (DDR) in which he noticed background dancers. Shortly after he got into popping for two years and then began venturing into breaking in which he was originally taught by Chuy (one of the instructors)! Since then, he has consistently been part of the breaking scene in Iowa and has translated his passion for breaking into other aspects of life especially business. Joel Keitsu has gone onto create several multi-million dollar businesses and have opened up the All The Way Up Studio as a social enterprise to give back to the community that was always there for him.
Liz's was born in Cedar Rapids, IA - however, was raised in the outside suburbs of Chicago. It was there that she was first exposed to the hip-hop/breaking scene in high school via friends. She practiced Traditional Thai Dancing through a non-profit organization called the Thai Cultural and Fine Arts Institute (TCFAI). Soon after high school, Liz moved back to Iowa and met the University of Iowa's UI BREAKERS. After that, the rest was history and the amazing, talented people she met became family. Along with J Keitsu, she too saw the need for unity and growth throughout the community and thus help founded ATWUS!
Is a Hip Hop dancer whose explorations into Modern dance and improvisation have cultivated an artist with a multi-dimensional approach to contemporary dance. Chuy started in his hometown of West Liberty, IA. First joining and then eventually becoming a central figure in the local Breaking and Hip Hop Dance scene. As a founding member of the Distinctive Nobodies dance crew and UI Breakers student organization he competed and performed throughout the country. Chuy pursued a BA in Dance from the University of Iowa from 2007-2009 - expanding his dance horizons to include Modern, Afro Cuban, Jazz, and Movement Improvisation. Since his exposure to the concert dance world, Chuy has performed works by New Territory Dance, Duane Holland, Rebecca Chun, Eloy Barragon, Armando Duarte, Katherine Vigmostad, Annett Schaedlich-Hendrix, Joanna Rosenthal, and Alan Sener.
Megan started taking dance classes when she was four years old and have loved it ever since! She has trained in a lot of different styles, but hip hop has always been one of Megan's favorites. Growing up, she was a super shy kid, and talking to other people always made her nervous. Dance has not just been an activity for her, but a way to express herself and communicate her feelings to people in ways her words never could. "I want my class to be a space where my students feel fully themselves and are able to express themselves and just have fun!"
Adam has been dancing for as long as he can remember. Dance has been an outlet and a passion for him and he wants to share that with others. Adam's style is a mix between lyrical hip-hop and contemporary. However, he does get inspiration from all types of dance. "My goal for being an instructor is to not only inspire but to make an impact on my students and to just have a great time."
Will Hernandez aka Egovert, is from Iowa City, Iowa, and has been dancing for 7 years and on going. Dancing will always be apart of Will. Whether it’s stress from work, coping with relationships, going through tough times, dance has been there for him whenever he need to create an escape. Breakdancing is an art, a dance, a lifestyle. It’s a hobby that has forever changed Will's life for the better and he can NEVER stop thinking about it. Whether it’s fashion (because of style for dancing), getting a job that will support himself, the studio or competing out of state in dance competitions - Breakdancing continues to influence his daily life. He states "I’m a person who has strong ambitions to become one of the best I can possibly be, and along my journey I have come across so many amazing talented people who now I’m close friends with, and constantly they give me a reminder of why I’m doing this to begin with."
Ben Ong is 22 years old, UI Student and is a popping dancer from Malaysia. Ben started dancing when he was 16 and from there his passion for dance began. He started out with popping and since then popping has been his all time favorite style of dancing. Ben like popping because he enjoys the movement and feeling of every pop that the muscles make. Once he catch a beat he can’t stop popping. Popping is a way for him to express his love for dance and music simultaneously. In Ben's class, he hope to share this experience with you. Ben wants to end with saying that, "I looking forward to see you guys in my class!"
Niko started learning hip-hop dance in New Jersey when he joined his high shcool's hip hop dance club. By the time he graduated, Niko had learned the foundations of popping, locking and breaking and was the captain of the team. As a student at Florida State University, Niko lead a student dance crew for 3 years, learning how to learn and create urban choreography. After college, Niko is part of another urban choreo crew, Homegrown Dance Crew, and recently joined the NBA's Atlanta Hawks as part of their Bboy team.
Chelsea is originally from New York and currently resides in Iowa City. She started dancing as a cheerleader because she wanted to follow her mom's footsteps. In high school, she started taking hip-hop and jazz classes at Broadway Dance Center in New York City. The following year she learned some skills and built up enough confidence to take a Zumba classes. Two years later she became certified in Zumba, but realized after a few WERQ classes she wanted to switch platforms. Now Chelsea is ready to turn #allthewayup with with you guys!
