Sometimes it only takes one person to make a difference in someone else's life. Sometimes it takes a few people to make an even bigger in difference in more people's lives. And sometimes it takes a group of people to make a difference in an entire community. This group of people is known as The Renegades Elite Company from Dallas, Texas; let me just say, that they've not only made a difference in my life, but the entire dance community of Dallas and beyond.

The Renegades Elite Company was born in the year 2013 originally known as The Renegades, and in 2014 changed to The Renegades Elite Company. When they made their first debut in 2013 at World of Dance Dallas, many people (including myself) didn't know what to expect from a group of people who came from different crews. Their first performance, known as, "The Freshmen Set," was so mind blowing that they set a high bar for the rest of the competing teams -- no one would ever forget their name or their performance.

This new dance company placed third alongside two elite dance teams from Houston and Austin (Redefined Company placing second and Wyldstyl placing first). From there on, no one ever forgot who they were and even those that knew them before they became an elite team, still support them to this very day.

Photo: Tristan Hershey

Since their debut, each of these members have improved their skills as a group, as well as in their own individual styles. Many of these members are instructors and always push their students (like myself) to go out of our comfort zones and push ourselves not just as dancers, but as artists and share our crafts with the world. Many of them have gone to places such as Los Angeles to not only share their craft, but learn from others outside of their home. One of many things that The Renegades Elite Company have taught us is to never give up and to go for things that may seem impossible.

After their first year as a team, they continued to shock us with their second performance at World of Dance Dallas 2014. This set was known as, "Enough Said," which reached new heights that I've never seen in Dallas. This set said so much about the team becoming a family and how much blood, sweat, and tears were put into their set. Every move had a purpose and was shown throughout their entire performance --not one moment was there silence. From the intro to the outro, everything was astonishing and nothing was ever made like this before. That year they achieved both second place as well as "Crowd Favorite." Even with this victory, they stayed humble and still gave back to their community, no matter what.

Photo: Andyy Win

I remember the summer of 2014 both my friend Nicholas and I were talking about how much we love and how much we wanted to be a part of The Renegades Elite Company for everything they've done, and will continue to do. We were both reminiscing when we first saw them and that was before World of Dance Dallas, but during their rehearsals. From that moment we fell in love with that crew for what they stand for. At that time, we truly didn't know by the look they had in their eyes it was something amazing that they not only wanted to do for them, but for the Dallas community. Now my friend Nicholas is not only a part of this amazing team, but this group of people he calls his family.

Not long after the summer ended, The Renegades Elite Company did something I never thought would happen. They were going to compete at World of Dance Chicago and with it, they gave birth to one of the biggest dance events in Dallas, known as The Rebellion. You may think it's another World of Dance, but the fact that it's not at home makes it much more difficult for a team. At the time, Nicholas recently became a member and alongside The Renegades, they created an incredible Chicago set. This included many new members as well as veterans to bring this home. They brought home the fourth place trophy, just a few points away from the rest. Seeing them make such an accomplishment motivated more people to push themselves to their limits and create more teams that wanted to make a difference in the Dallas dance community. Not only did The Renegades bring the house down, during the entire event they were receiving training from many new friends that supported the Dallas, Texas team.

Photo: Ramon Grande

Since World of Dance Chicago, this team never stopped going for what they want and this time, because of the huge impact this team gave to the Dallas community, many new teams were created, which blew everyone's minds. The fact that each and every single person had a goal and purpose allowed many new teams to do the unthinkable, and it all started with World of Dance Dallas 2015.

This time, so many incredible teams competed and went blow for blow, but still supported and respected each other, because that's what a community does. These teams pushed themselves and the other teams to their breaking points and even beyond that in order to show that the Dallas community was not a force to be reckoned with. This recent set did so much for me and the community that it pumped everyone up in order to push even harder.

Photo: Nicholas Truong

The Renegades Elite Company has done so much for this community, from competing, to teaching, to inspiring. They're pushing themselves as well as everyone else to do and be better without even knowing it or realizing that they are. To me, they've been a huge impact on my life, and just like my friend Nicholas, I hope to one day be a part of this team and work for what they stand for.

This team has proven that anything is possible if you work hard for it, and it's true because now, they've been invited to compete at World of Dance Finals in Los Angeles on August 15 and 16.

Thank you Renegades for everything and good luck at the World of Dance Finals; we can't wait for the things you do there.

#RNGDS4LYFE #GetRECd

Video Credits: World of Dance