There are two things that unite the members of dance studio and video production group Bob’s Dance Shop (other than a love of dance): Brazil and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Two members, Coco and Lito, fell in love with dance in high school, and quickly made a name for themselves as frequent Jackson tribute choreographers. As for the Latin American connection, Lucas is a native of Brazil, and Kameron with a K (he emphasizes the K) is from Milwaukee, but learned Brazilian dance choreography while studying abroad in the South American country.
These interests started the group’s passion for dance and led them to link up in Los Angeles before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Fast forward a few years, and Bob’s Dance Shop teamed up with EDM duo Sofi Tukker Saturday at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Even though the group had just flown in from Mexico, all four members — who all go by a mononym — appeared in colorful outfits and a cheerful mood during a pre-show interview on Saturday. It was clear by the end of our conversation that Bob’s Dance Shop is more than four people who dance, the members are bringing an uplifting experience to anyone they meet.
“We are vibe creators, firestarters and we melt the ice,” Coco said. “We give permission, even though you don’t need permission. We invite the entire crowd and the entire space to warm up and be themselves, and that’s the energy you can’t write on paper. You have to showcase it, and we depend on other people giving us the opportunity to showcase that energy,” Coco said.
Lito described the “synchronicity” of Sofi Tukker and Bob’s Dance Shop.
“Brazil is incorporated into Sofi Tukker’s music, and that’s inspired a lot of Kameron’s journey and that’s where Lucas comes from. Me and Coco have come to love Brazil, and I’m married to a Brazilian,” Lito said.
The group lived and worked together during the pandemic
In 2019, Coco lost his job, couldn’t afford to pay rent in Los Angeles and embarked on a nationwide hitchhiking trip. While on his Kerouacian journey, he decided to start a business — Bob’s Dance Shop. He moved back to Los Angeles with Lito and Lucas as his roommates and started doing a live dance class on the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was looking for something to give me joy that didn’t feel like work,” Lucas said. “There’s so much pressure in the dance industry, and when we got connected to Coco, who had this idea of Bob’s Dance Shop, I decided to do it with him. I’m really good at video editing and that whole year, I edited the videos and we started getting seen.”
Kameron later moved into the garage of Coco’s house.
“One of my friends knew Lito and invited him to come hang out with us for a weekend. While we were at the pool party, our group was vibing and there was only one other group that was dancing, and that was Coco and his friends. We saw each other across the pool and started dancing together,” Kameron said. “Coco invited me to L.os Angeles to shoot a video, and then I moved in.”
Not only did the members take advantage of the pandemic to bond with each other through movie nights and sharing meals together, but creating content and showing the world what Bob’s Dance Shop could do.
“What I really miss from that time period is the camaraderie, even if we push each other’s buttons at times, it’s still fun,” Coco said.
Bob’s Dance Shop has over a million followers on TikTok, and has also appeared with The Chicks at the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Purple Disco Machine at Lollapalooza. The group has also gained the attention of many brands, and have partnered with the likes of Kiehl’s, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and more. Coco said the group is getting an experience many professional dancers and dream of.
“That’s something we don’t take for granted,” Coco said. “The festival stages have made us step up our professionalism because we were doing it for fun for the longest time. When you step on a stage and you’re not only representing Bob’s Dance Shop, but you’re representing Sofi Tukker, which forces us to show up in a way that we haven’t previously. It’s conditioned us to be performers in a short period of time, because once we jumped on with Sofi Tukker, it was one after the other from live shows to DJ sets.”
Kameron said he enjoys the freedom he and the rest of the group have to express themselves on stage, and even through the choreography, there are “moments to shine” for each of them.
“We all have our own styles and it’s beautiful to able to do that, and as the time goes on, we work harder to be better and grow. I think it’s been an amazing journey,” Kameron said.
Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.
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