About Us

Dance FX Studios… Real dancing for real people.

Over a decade ago, the concept for Dance FX Studios was imagined by co-founders Adam and Nicole Dekavallas. Adam and Nicole’s vision for Dance FX Studios stemmed from a strong desire to develop couples and singles into comfortable and confident social dancers. Additionally, they wanted to create a FUN and RELAXED environment in which to learn to dance.

While competitive ballroom dance studios seemed to be the only place to learn to dance at the time, Adam and Nicole found that what most people really wanted was to become great social dancers. The everyday person simply wanted to learn to dance for social events like weddings, date nights and cruises.

Coming from a more traditional ballroom dance studio themselves, Adam and Nicole knew that they would have to modify their entire way of teaching to make this concept a reality. After two years of developing an unparalleled system of instruction that could make anyone a great social dancer, Dance FX Studios was established in 2001.

Since 2001, Dance FX Studios has set the bar for quality social dance instruction in the Phoenix valley. With the motto “Real dancing for real people” in mind, the staff at Dance FX Studios has helped thousands of Arizona residents to learn to dance with ease.

Over the years our concept has been attempted to be replicated by other studios- which we take as a true compliment. Our commitment to you is that we will continue to evolve and grow our unique and original product to stay ahead of the pack. It is our mission to positively affect the life of each and every person that comes through our doors. Hence the name “Dance FX” and our first, albeit cheesy, tagline: “Dance FX Studios… because dance FX YOU!”.

The entire Dance FX staff is sincerely grateful to each and every student for allowing us to share our passion with you!

What Others Have To Say About Dance FX Studios…


“This is such a fun place to learn to dance. We have been taking private lessons for a while now and are learning so much. Adam, Nicole and Rachel are awesome teachers. We wanted to be able to go out on a dance floor and do more than just sway. We didn’t want to learn show dancing, we wanted to dance for fun, socially. Dance FX is teaching us just that. The studio is beautiful and a great place to spend the time to learn to dance. If you want to learn to dance and have a good time at the same time this is THE place to go. I can’t say enough good things about them.”

-Rebecca Albrecht


Dance FX Studios is located in Mesa, Arizona and borders Tempe and Chandler. We are proud to provide private, group and wedding dance instruction in Ballroom, Salsa, Swing, Tango and Country dancing to Phoenix singles and couples in the East Valley and beyond. For adult dance lessons near Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Queen Creek and Gold Canyon, Dance FX Studios is the place for you.

Our Concept

What makes Dance FX Studios unique? We are glad to tell you! In the last 12 years, Dance FX Studios has led the pack among local dance studios. From creating the first purely social dancing studio for adults to creating customized social dance programs to offering progressive group classes, dance parties with live bands and Zumba® Fitness classes, we have become trend-setters.

We know that learning to dance can be an intimidating and scary process so we are here to ease your fears and give you the skills needed to shine on the dance floor. To enable you truly enjoy dancing, we have developed an exclusive approach to creating great leaders and followers on the dance floor. Rather than teaching you to memorize steps and patterns, we provide solid dance tips on how to have a connection with anyone on the dance floor. Keep in mind that we are all about having FUN while you learn, so our techniques are “out-of-the-box” yet effective. Instead of withholding information from our students so that you are dependent on us, you will receive solid dancing tips from day 1 on your introductory lesson that empower you to become a great social dancer.

Have you ever gone to a ballroom dance studio and been taught a dance that you will NEVER use out socially? Your plan was to look good at an upcoming wedding yet you are being taught an outdated dance that does not meet your needs. This never did make sense to the owners, Adam and Nicole Dekavallas, either. That’s why here at Dance FX Studios we have created our signature social dancing syllabus which includes practical dances like Country Two Step, Salsa, Argentine Tango and Swing. Learning these popular social dances will enable anyone to become comfortable at parties, on cruises in the clubs or at a special event. We pride ourselves not only on our approach to teaching, but on WHAT we teach so that you can make a great investment in yourself-one that you will use time and time again throughout your life.

Each client that we work with has a different set of reasons for learning to dance. Whether it be to build social confidence or to impress an onlooker, we take the time to listen to your intentions and personalize each of our dance programs to meet your needs. Our unique style of instruction is customized for both your learning style and your dancing goals. Through this, you will gain the ability to dance with ease at any social event.

Did you know that Dance FX Studios is one of the few remaining studios that offers full hour-long lessons? Somewhere between 5 and 6 years ago, many studios shortened the length of their lessons to 40 minutes so that more lessons can be taught in a day. We know that 40 minutes into your lesson is when you are at your peak. You have unplugged from your day and you are finally “in the zone”. Why stop there? Here we offer 50 minutes of instruction and 5 to 10 minutes on wrapping up the day’s lesson, which includes a review of what you learned and homework (when you’re ready for it ). When considering lesson package rates, keep in mind that extra time on the dance floor will get you to your dancing goals sooner, saving you both time and money.

To complete the preparation process of becoming a competent dancer, Dance FX Studios offers dance parties with live music as well as monthly deejayed dance events. Both social dance opportunities will give you a sense of what it will be like in the “real world”. We are proud to also be a part of giving back to our troops as 100% of monies earned from raffle items at our dancing events are donated to charity. This year, our charity of choice has been the Wounded Warrior Project. We thank our sponsors and gift card donors for their assistance in helping us to make a difference in the lives of our American troops.

Last, and most certainly not least, we are honored to be a part of so many brides and grooms first dance at their wedding. With our customized wedding dance packages, we have choreographed thousands of first wedding dances over the years. It is a joy to bring a couple closer together through dance-especially during stressful wedding planning times. We love our wedding couples and are blessed to be a part of the biggest day of their lives.

We could go on as to what makes Dance FX Studios one-of-a-kind, but we think we have made our point. We are in the business of dance because we sincerely want to make a positive difference in the lives of each person that comes through our doors. Dancing is the gift that we can give to you that keeps on giving. You will see your life begin to transform in so many ways with a newfound confidence and style through your dancing journey. This journey is what we hope to be a part of as your dance instructors at Dance FX Studios.

Dance FX Studios’ Founders

Adam and Nicole Dekavallas have been professional dancers and instructors for over 15 years in Phoenix, AZ. What started out as a friendship between two co-workers at a local ballroom dance studio over 15 years ago blossomed into a business partnership and marriage within 4 short years.

Trained by the world’s top dance masters in their fields of expertise, Adam and Nicole have absorbed a wealth of knowledge over the years in everything from Argentine Tango (their favorite dance) to Salsa and beyond. For the everyday dancer to enjoy, they took their insight and created a style that can be used out on any social dance floor. Hence the concept of Dance FX Studios! Great dancing combined with real leading and following techniques (not memorized steps) meant that it was possible for ANYONE to dance with confidence.

Adam and Nicole have a shared love for dance and business combined with a passion for helping others to grow in ways they never would have expected. This was the catalyst for the creation of Dance FX Studios over a decade ago.

Still going strong, Dance FX Studios has been a literal “mom and pop” dance studio that is constantly growing to stay ahead of the pack amongst its competitors. From expanding Dance FX Studios in 2009 to include 5,000 sq ft, to revising and updating their dance syllabus regularly, Adam and Nicole plan to forge into unknown territory in the evolution of ballroom dance studios taking Dance FX to new heights in the next ten years.

Rachel
Meet Rachel, a Dance FX Studios veteran! For 8 out of 11 years, Rachel has dedicated her time to creating amazing social dancers at Dance FX Studios. Rachels’ passion for dance and the benefits of dancing can be seen and felt on each lesson. Below is her impressive and extensive background in dance. Rachel began dancing at the age of three with the Young Dance Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She spent the next eight years expanding her knowledge in the areas of tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, pointe and musical theatre while also focusing on technique, performance, teamwork and competition. Over the years, Rachel participated in countless regional and national based competitions, consistently walking away with top honors while with her dance company. She explored other opportunities and became a member of the performing company for Accent On Dance Studios in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, continuing to compete and receive top awards with her group. In 2000, Rachel joined The Dance Repertoire and became a member of the Rep Performance Company. Her next four years were spent studying tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, lyrical and musical theatre at an advanced level. Soon, Rachel was recognized as a soloist in tap and musical theatre and decided to compete against other soloists nationally in her categories. Rachel received full ride scholarships to dance programs in both New York and Los Angeles. While also at The Dance Repertoire, Rachel started her teaching and choreography career by teaching tap, jazz, hip hop and musical theatre to children ages 5-16. She showed them how to put dance pieces together in a full routine to be performed at the recitals and the end of the year. Immediately Rachel became passionate about sharing her knowledge with others and decided it was a must-have in her life. After graduating high school, Rachel and her spunky personality decided to come to Arizona to pursue school and teaching opportunities. She found Dance FX Studios in August of 2004. Looking to open up some tap, jazz, hip hip and musical theatre classes, Rachel found herself intrigued with the style and teaching methods of Dance FX. She started to take some lessons and eventually was asked to be trained for an instructor position. She has been with the Dance FX staff ever since. In 2005, Rachel has been a core/ principal dancer in Broken Toyz, a co-ed Hip Hop dance crew who performed and competed throughout the southwest and Washington D.C.. She was also an assistant director/ captain of Nd2k, an all female Hip Hop dance crew in the valley. Rachel has studied all forms of movement including African, Punking, Hip Hop, House, Abstract, Lyrical Hip Hop and Jazz Funk. Now as the Dance Director, Hip Hop Director, Wedding Choreographer, Advanced Private Lesson and Group Class instructor, Rachel has proven time and time again to be a favorite of the students here at Dance FX Studios.


Jayme
I love to dance because it brings me true happiness. I feel free and expressive when I’m moving around the dance floor. Dancing is how I stay in shape and tone my body. It’s relaxing and exciting all at the same time. More than anything, I love the feeling of being in sync and moving as one with my leader. It’s a beautiful thing.