Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimmay Evans.
Hi Kimmay, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was still in college in 2008, I met Joanna Vargas, owner of Jayvee Dance Center in Alhambra. I began working for her both as a dance instructor at her studio and as the producer for her events company, called QueenVee Productions at the time. We produced everything from fashion shows to booze cruises to city-sponsored events to dance competitions, and under her I absorbed everything I could about being an efficient and prepared producer. In 2008, I also met Marc Miranda, another instructor at the studio who was the founder of the adult competition dance team Family Bizness. It wasn’t long before I joined FamBiz and Marc and I became great friends and co-directors.
One of my first projects with QVP was producing Maxt Out Dance Competition, originally founded by Joanna in 2001. I couldn’t contain my excitement because Maxt Out was the first competition I ever competed in, and the first time my parents had ever seen me dance. It had always held a special place in my heart, and I was thrilled to be on the planning side of it. I planned the event from A-Z, encountering a myriad of surprise setbacks and learning very quickly that a to-do list was my best friend. I’m happy to say the event went off without a hitch, and the adrenaline and energy of show day was intoxicating.
I continued to work for Joanna for years, until it seemed I had reached a natural point of progression, and I was ready for a change. I spent the next 7-8 years in Retail Management and Operations, but almost every year I would get the call from Joanna for Maxt Out to be day-of staff, and I could never turn it down. I loved being there. I had also continued dancing with Family Bizness until about 2018 and maintained my friendship with Marc.
In 2023, I received an unexpected call from Joanna; she was looking to sell Maxt Out, and I was on the short list of people that she felt would take good care of it. I ended the call after letting her know I would definitely consider it and without even a second thought, my fingers were already dialing Marc. I told him “You are never going to believe the call I just got.” When I explained the situation and told him I wanted to do this with him, his answer was simple: “This makes sense.”
We hit the ground running after that, and our background of previously directing a team together made our collaboration and communication so natural. We are truly yin and yang, with his charisma and connections to the Southern California dance community and my instinctive aptitude for operations and execution. This show would not be what it is without that perfect balance!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It seemed like Marc and I were destined to inherit this competition, simply because initially everything seemed to pan out in our favor regarding the logistics of the event. However, we realized that over the years, Maxt Out had grown disconnected from the heart of the community. Teams that we had once competed against were reluctant to participate and we had to listen to their concerns. The event had grown stale in a way, more focused on simply putting on the event as opposed to curating the event for the dancers and the changing times.
Marc and I were determined to take the feedback of the dancers and our peers in the community and make some needed changes, including higher profile judges, larger prize money bags, and better content for social media. I would say in our first year, we managed to execute a competition with no holes, no devastating issues, but overall knowing that we could do so much more if we had more time. We decided at the end of last year that we would really put our dancers in the forefront of our minds to give them an unmatched experience.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Maxt Out Dance Competition?
Maxt Out is one of the longest running dance competitions in Southern California, and we are proud of what it has stood for and what we will continue to provide, and that is opportunity. So many times in the community, competitions have a selection process where teams submit an application and wait to see if they are accepted. This usually involves sending videos for review and stating previous competition wins and placings. What I am proud to say about Maxt Out is that it will always remain a competition where we accept everyone. Our operating word is “Legacy” and it runs deep with our mission to be the epicenter for new talent in the SoCal dance community.
We are unique in that we offer our “Choreographers Division,” a division separate from the normal competing teams, where choreographers of any age can put their work on stage. This has given opportunity to fresh, young artists who may not have a platform otherwise. In the era of social media, dancers are able to broadcast their creativity in a more isolated sense, but there really is no placebo for a sold-out audience of 1500 people cheering for your moves! This is where the term Legacy originated.
Many of the dancers who have begun in this division have moved on to starting their own teams, becoming highly sought-after choreographers, and even appearing on daytime talk shows.
In addition to that, we host an All-Styles battle adjacent to the performance stage where we include our more freestyle-loving dancers to battle and honor the history of Hip Hop. Last year we had over 60 dancers compete in this battle!
I am deeply rooted in the belief that I want Maxt Out to be everyone’s FIRST community competition. I want to be the standard in what they should expect from the shows they participate in, and I want each dancer to feel mine and Marc’s love of the community. We would not be here without them. The Legacy Starts Here!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
As I mentioned previously, Joanna Vargas deserves the credit for being my mentor and for instilling wisdom that continues to influence my style of leadership. Her phrase “Run through the finish line, not to the finish line” echoes constantly in my head. I also have to give all of my praise to my father, who somehow manages to respect me and my decisions as a business owner while still giving me the loving support of a dad.
Marc and I have so much love and appreciation for Tu DeVera and Beau Fournier, owners of Elements Dance Space, who are pillars in the community, overall wonderful teachers, and a great example for us to look up to. I know Marc also has unending gratitude for Kelly Palmer, the longtime dance program director at Glendale High School who has transitioned him from dancer to team captain to coach, their relationship spanning over 20 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: maxtoutdance.com
- Instagram: maxtoutdance
Image Credits
Leonard Oxford
