Tucson's BreakOut Studios offers dance, fitness and community

He's been able to expand class offerings and fitness instruction to go beyond traditional dance. 

"We have currently over 80 classes right now per week. That ranges from fitness classes to dance classes ... ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and all different types of things," Wilson said. 

BreakOut Studios started as Tucson Dance Company, a studio that Wilson's mother created with one of his dance teachers. The studio taught children from the mid-'90s through 2010. 

Wilson continued his dancing career in Tucson, taking dance classes at the University of Arizona in his teen years, before moving to Los Angeles when he was 19.

“My restless feet wanted to get to L.A., so I moved out there, and I did the L.A. thing. I worked a bunch of jobs, I took classes, I got an agent and I just started booking gigs,” he said.

Wilson did various jobs involving dance, from cruise ships to dancing in Korea for some time. Eventually, he realized performance wasn't his passion.

“I always felt like I was an anxious performer. I didn't love being on stage. I think with any artist there's a certain excitement about presenting yourself, in that way,” he said. “But for me, I found that I loved choreography. I loved being behind the scenes.”

Wilson would drop by Tucson occasionally. During one particular visit home, his mother told him she wanted to stop operating the dance studio.

“While I was visiting, I proposed to purchase it and to take it on and started to make Tucson my home again,” he recalls. 

He bought the company and moved the studio to Fourth Avenue under the name BreakOut Studios. Then it transitioned to a space at Stone and University, which brought in a lot of new clients. 

"We had tons of clients, a lot of university kiddos because we were at Stone/University, and it was really just popping. We were doing very well," Wilson said. 

However, a series of unfortunate events with the studio space put a cloud on its success. 

"We were hit by the city with some building issues that we had to remedy, and then we weren't getting any help from the owners, and with air conditioning, with plumbing, with electrical, like everything, we were basically having to do ourselves," he said. "We kind of got into a hole ... and they locked us out of the building."

After those struggles, he moved the studio to Speedway, where it stayed through the pandemic. But it lacked space, with just one room, a small lobby and two bathrooms. Wilson wanted to go somewhere better for clients. 

That opportunity came last July when BreakOut Studios moved right down the road, to 5311 E. Speedway. The new space is 10,000 square feet, with five studios, a big lobby and four restrooms. Wilson describes the new studio as "the model that adult dance and fitness studio has to have."

"A lot of our clients, they walk in and almost immediately connect with other movers and they create bonds," he said. "It's great to see that there's connection beyond the class (members)."

"There's been a lot of community support," he said.

The studio had a funding campaign before moving to the new location, which many clients supported, Wilson said. 

"The thing that has helped us throughout all these different transitions has been the community stepping up and seeing our value," he said.

BreakOut Studios originally started for ages 13 and over and has since transitioned to 16-and-over dancers. 

"It's important for adults to have a space to go to that becomes a safe space to release stress and to you know find their tribe to their bodies to feel good about their bodies," Wilson said.

Wilson says BreakOut Studios is made to fit everyone and their needs. However, it also provides opportunities to grow in strength and skill with dance. 

"The thing that really sets us apart is the diversity in our classes, having so many different styles, and we really try to connect with instructors who are experts in their fields, and we want to get the best of the best," he said.