Regional Dance Company of the Week: EPIK Dance Company, AZ

In this week's 'Featured Regional Dance Company', we turn to Phoenix, AZ, to get to know the EPIK Dance Company!

EPIK Dance Company is a non-profit organization dedicated to uniting and uplifting people by sharing their love of music, movement, and the arts. With a strong core of strong, multi-faceted dancers trained in a variety of disciplines, EPIK has been able to combine classic technical training with urban styles to become one of Arizona's premier street fusion dance companies.

The EPIK Dance Company vision was put into motion in 2007 by Luis Egurrola and Sarah Dimmick, who shared a love of music and a passion for dance. With the simple goal of promoting the public's knowledge of dance and fostering their appreciation for the arts, Egurrola and Dimmick began recruiting fellow dancers who shared their love and passion for the performing arts. By finding dancers whose strengths and passions covered a broad range of training and experience, Egurrola and Dimmick were able to establish EPIK as a company that truly appreciated and respected the differences amongst its members. The collaboration that resulted is what allowed EPIK Dance Company to begin to stand out in the artistic community. And they haven't turned back since.

In November 2007, EPIK Dance Company was established when they were named Choreography Champions at the Furious Styles Crew 14th Anniversary Battle - one of the premier dance battles on the west coast. In the year that followed, they performed at a number of events such as WNBA Phoenix Mercury halftime shows, the Mary J. Blige/Jay-Z Pre-Show at U.S. Airways Center, Golden Lion's Celebration of Dance, and other street battles throughout the state of Arizona. Most recently EPIK was named one of the two finalists in the 2008 Phoenix's Best Dance Crew Competition and performing during the pre-show for the "America's Best Dance Crew" concert at Dodge Theater.

Unable to keep their excitement and passion for dance and the arts to themselves, EPIK continues to make community outreach a priority.

Whether it is their inspiring and energetic performances or their hands-on workshops, EPIK is committed to increasing the public's knowledge and appreciation of the arts well beyond the realm of dance. Regardless of age, ethnicity, or background, EPIK is dedicated to contributing to giving every man, woman and child an opportunity to develop as a student of the arts and as an artist themselves.