Other kids might be out on Saturday night causing a scene.
Not the kids from J&J Hip-Hop Dance & Performing Arts Company's Street Legends dance crew. They have more to do and more to do, and a chance to earn a third golden ticket to the World of Dance competition in California this summer.
On a January night, a dance team of 20 teenagers and 20-somethings stretched out on the studio floor, quietly listening to studio co-owner Joseph Cantu. That includes Cantu's four children, his three sons and his one daughter, ranging in age from 14 to 23, who teach at the studio. Cantu, who many of his children call Pastor J, talked about the WOD auditions that the faith-based studio will be hosting in April, and ended with a prayer of encouragement and love.
“Give these children the strength to make this their second home, a place where they can escape through transportation, and a place where they are loved by everyone,” he says.
After qualifying for the competition the past two years, Street Legends placed 11th in the U.S. last year. Romeo Cantú was named WOD Youth All Style Champion last summer. This big win earned him a golden sneaker award, which is now displayed in the lobby.
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After the pep talk, it was time to work on a six-minute hip-hop piece. Joseph's son LJ takes over, a lithe figure in a black jacket and a red bandanna wrapped around a mop of black curls. The music he and his two younger brothers mixed blares from the speakers, and dancers face mirrors and begin moving to the beat of the bass. They soon have the music stop and LJ practices the choreography bit by bit, producing crisp, powerful, synchronized arm and leg movements that swell with emotion.
“This team of street legends and our company has never been about dance,” said Joseph, who owns the studio with his wife Stephanie Cantu. “It's about inspiring, building character and giving kids a home and an escape, along with great training and dancing.”
This dance team is one of several in the company and is a serious undertaking for those who audition. Zion Moore travels every weekend from Fort Collins, where he attends college.
“I've grown so much as a dancer,” the 18-year-old said. “There's a real family here.'' That aspect appeals to me. Other studios don't have that. We express the gifts God has given us through hip-hop. It has made me a better person and my faith in God is ten times stronger. I became a better person. Thoughtful, caring, sacrificial, dedicated, and driven. ”
Elijah Lockett started taking classes at the studio four years ago as a way to regain his confidence after being emotionally devastated playing soccer at school. The 16-year-old Village High School student eventually rose to become a member of his team of street legends.
“I didn't love myself,” he said. “As soon as I got here, my mood changed. People lifted me up instead of tearing me down. It made me more comfortable with who I was.”
While his son directs the group, Joseph hovers around his surroundings, observing carefully, making observations, and stopping once again for inspiration.
“You have to give it your all. You can't do it half-heartedly,” he says. “Go into athlete mode.” This is a dream for many people. Remove all doubts about yourself from your mind. Achieve the dreams you are fighting for. You have to learn to fight for yourself. I don't know who it's meant for in this room, but I feel like someone needs it. ”
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Joseph speaks from experience. The same words that are now pouring out of his mouth would have been helpful to him, having grown up in an unstable military family that moved around regularly. His mother often abandoned her family and was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. His abusive military father often forgot that his two sons were just little boys, not soldiers who needed constant discipline.
That instability led to suicidal thoughts at age 10, and he joined a gang as a teenager. But there was a little bit of good in his life. Despite her instability, his mother was a Latin ballroom dancing instructor for Arthur Murray. Joseph was a kid who used to watch her do ballroom dancing and ballet in the corner of the studio.
“I thought it was cool, but it was the '80s and I was looking more into hip-hop culture,” he said. .
In the mid-1990s, Joseph landed at a high school in Santa Barbara, California, where racial riots were a regular occurrence. But it was here that dance penetrated even deeper into his bones. He saw how it helped save, heal, and give people hope.
Tired of the death and violence caused by gang warfare, the staff decided to use hip-hop culture to unite students. They brought in a DJ every Friday lunchtime and instructed ethnic groups to fight their way through dancing, not fighting. done.
“That inspired me. I thought, wow, they solved the riot with dance,” Joseph said. “A lot of my friends are freestyle dancers, and they tried to push me into it. I was told your mom was a dancer, but she said, 'You can do it.'” I did some freestyle. It scratched the dance itch inside me that wanted to come back to life. ”
When his family moved to Colorado in 1998, he spent several years at Widefield High School, where the hip-hop culture was much different than where he was from. But he persevered, earned his high school diploma, and spent the next few years teaching dance classes at church and working as a youth pastor.
“I felt like my life was meant to inspire others,” he said. “To give people hope through dance and a message of inspiration.” My story did not exist in vain. ”
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He was inspired to start his company more than 10 years ago after meeting Stephanie, a Springs native and Mitchell High School graduate who also had a passion for music and dance, at church. Their mission is to welcome children from all walks of life, especially those from difficult backgrounds, and provide them with a place to find community and self-expression.
“If you met some of these guys outside the studio, you'd never imagine them acting like that,” Joseph said. “A lot of them are quiet when they first come to us because of their own lifestyles and backgrounds and family situations. At school, they're probably the ones that no one thinks they have much to do. So what does dance do? It speaks much louder through movement than it does with voice or facial expressions. Dance is therapy.”
Building their company has been a series of struggles and triumphs. The two taught classes here and there until it officially opened in 2013. Joseph worked full time while Stephanie sold real estate. But when the number of children grew from 15 to 150 in 18 months, she quit to teach full time.
They had so many classes in so many locations that when the opportunity came to take on the lease of a closed dance studio, they decided to take it. This was an opportunity to provide more opportunities for children on the waiting list for the class.
This risky choice, combined with Stephanie giving up her real estate income, left the couple and their children homeless for about a year. They flew around, staying with friends and family while continuing to put their energy into new buildings and businesses, and eventually returned to their homes.
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At the time, Stephanie wondered if they had made the wrong decision.
“But we saw what it did to the kids,” she said. “After a year, not only did we have the classroom space, we had to tear down walls and the student population had grown to 300 students. We had been doing very well for many years. More Programs , more teachers, different styles, and then COVID hit.”
Although the number of students was cut in half, the school survived thanks to grants and donations, but was hit hard again a year ago. After he spent seven years at the studio on Oroblanco Drive and North Care Free Circle, they had to relocate to their current location in a small strip mall eight minutes south of North Academy Boulevard.
They are getting used to their new space and still need mirrors and floors, but the numbers are good. There are about 370 students, not far from his 400 students pre-pandemic. 32 classes for kids, teens, and adults in styles including ballet, tap, contemporary, lyrical hip-hop, crump, musical theater, and contemporary. And there are 17 instructors.
“I feel like we're finally turning the page that it's going to be okay,” Stephanie said. “Many of the families we work with are disadvantaged, so many children don't have the funds that other dance studios have. We offer scholarships when we have the means. There's still a lot of need, but it's getting better.”
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For many years, this dance company has been one of the city's top studios for professional performances. Their dance team performs at Harlem Globetrotters shows at the Broadmoor World Arena, at halftime of Denver Nuggets and Switchbacks games, and at events sponsored by organizations such as the Pikes Peak Regional Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado. I have performed at.
But most importantly for them, they become a safe haven for children who need stability and a positive atmosphere.
“If we weren't here today, these kids wouldn't have a home and some of them wouldn't be alive,” Joseph said.
“That's how intense it is. Some of them are fighting for their lives and their mental health issues, and even though they're on the verge of losing that battle, they still feel like they don't have a home to go to. We're being reminded of one thing: We don't get down easily. We're fighters. We love what we do and we know it changes lives, so I will continue to stay here.”
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