After Ronnie Abaldonado’s breakdancing studio spent more than 70 days closed during the statewide coronavirus shutdown, Distrct Arts isn’t just open to the public; it’s thriving.

In 2008, the dancer, known as Bboy Ronnie, and his dance troupe Super Cr3w won the second season of America’s Best Dance Crew on MTV. He’s also a Red Bull BC One All Star, having won his first-place seat at a competition in South Africa in 2007.

Today, Abaldonado competes with a number of breakdancing crews (Full Force, Super Cr3w, 7 Commandoz and SuperWockeez), and for the past 12 years, the b-boy has taught kids of all ages how to breakdance like the best.

Abaldonado first launched his studio, Distrct Arts, in the same East Tropicana Avenue shopping center that housed the now-defunct Liberace Museum. Since opening in 2012, Distrct Arts has moved locations—across Tropicana to Fort Apache in the west Valley—but no previous move could have prepared Abaldonado for what 2020 had in store.

In March, Distrct Arts closed for more than two months as the city entered COVID-19 lockdown. Abaldonado moved all of his studio’s programming online and continued to offer virtual classes, hosting Zoom workshops and even online competitions.

“During the pandemic, we were just catering to our local students,” Abaldonado says. “We created a summer breaking camp that Red Bull helped sponsor, and we collaborated with other dance studios around the USA.”

The content was free to students, he adds, and breakers were able to learn from some of the best b-boys and girls from all over the world—a rare and unique opportunity that arose from isolation.

Distrct Arts reopened to the public in May with limited capacity and added social distancing guidelines, so students could once again practice breaking inside a real studio. “We were able to bring the students back that were comfortable,” Abaldonado says, adding that online classes are still available for those who are immunocompromised or simply wish to limit their interactions during the pandemic.

On top of breaking, Distrct Arts also provides youth ballet and jazz dance classes and hourly studio rentals for yoga instructors, choreographers and more. It’s also where Super Cr3w holds its rehearsals, and choreographers for Mariah Carey and Britney Spears have both been known to pop in. “They would come to our studio and create the choreography you see in their shows on the Strip,” Abaldonado says.

Coming to the studio, he says, can provide a more dynamic experience than what students and dancers can get online. “It’s a more intimate energy, and the motivation is a lot different in person. You get a firsthand feel of what the move will look like.”

Abaldonado says students are looking to hone their skills even more after having been at home for most of 2020. With the Summer Olympics set to take place in Paris in 2024, it could be the first year that breakdancing is considered an official Olympic sport.

“Everyone really wants to practice and elevate their games,” Abaldonado says. “The Olympics are around the corner, and we’re really trying to mentaly prepare [the students] for these future world competitions.”

Ultimately, Abaldonado says, Distrct Arts is about community, from teaching the youth to providing a space for dancers of all backgrounds to express themselves. “We’re really just trying to support the community the best way we can,” he says. “Knowing that a lot of studios have closed, we’re really trying to reach out to anyone that’s willing to come join us.”

DISTRCT ARTS DANCE STUDIO 9710 W. Tropicana Ave. #100, 702-489-2300, distrctarts.com.