Elite Dance Collective offers local dance classes

By Shari Harris, Publisher

Elite Dance Collective opened in November on Main Street in Licking, starting with camps and clinics and beginning recreational dance classes for ages preschool through twelfth grade in January.

Rebecca and Allen Taylor, of Licking, and their children, Peyton, McKinzie, Wyatt and Arya, have worked together to make the dance studio happen. Allen and his father built a dance floor for the studio, and he and Wyatt help with maintenance of the studio. Rebecca, who has been in dance for over 20 years, teaches dance, and Peyton and McKinzie, who have been dancing since preschool, help run classes as well.

Currently, classes are being offered three nights a week. Monday evening is ballet, tap and jazz, for two age groups—preschool, and fourth through twelfth grade. Tuesday evening is also ballet, tap and jazz, for kindergarten through third grade students. Thursday is open to all ages, and includes acro, hip hop and lyrical. Schedules are updated regularly on the Elite Dance Collective Facebook page.

In addition to these classes, the collective has a competition team. Six girls are currently on the team. They have been competing in regular dance competitions in St. Louis for the past few weeks and have one remaining for this season. The dance team has seen some success; at one dance competition, the team won first place overall. In addition, Peyton Taylor received two awards for choreography; she choreographed all the competitive dances for the team. Tryouts will begin in May for the 2026-27 competition team.

A recital is being planned for the 25 dancers currently attending classes at Elite Dance Collective. It is tentatively scheduled for May 30, but this is subject to change. The recital will be held at the Melba Theatre in Houston, and tickets will be $10 each. Tickets will be sold at the studio or, if not sold out, they can be purchased at the door.

The dance season runs from August through the end of May, and Elite Dance Collective plans to offer clinics and camps on mornings and evenings during the week throughout the summer. Watch their Facebook page for special events and schedules.

In addition to their time at the dance studio, Rebecca Taylor is a full-time teacher for the Rolla School District and Allen Taylor is a social worker. Rebecca teaches special education classes, and has recently been hired by the Licking School District as a high school special education teacher for the 2026-27 school year. Allen Taylor recently started as a Social Worker at Three Rivers Hospice in Licking. Having both of their jobs in Licking will make it easier for the Taylors to grow their studio.

Future plans for Elite Dance Collective include adding regular adult classes, and additional classes for other age groups as more students enroll. Rebecca would also like to build up the competition team and offer competitive dance. She anticipates more weekend events, clinics and dance camps. Another potential offering for the future may be dance-themed birthday parties.

To see what Elite Dance Collective is all about or to welcome them to the community, they are located at 118 S. Main Street in Licking. They offer recreational classes for preschool through twelfth grade students on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 5-7 or 8 p.m. Or see their recital at the Melba in May. Also look up the Elite Dance Collective Facebook page, find them on instagram.com/elite_dance_collective, or at brand.site/elitedancecollective. You can email Rebecca at elitedancecollectivellc@gmail.com, or call (641) 990-7928 for more information.