Steffan Clark and Ellis Birkhead are on a mission to get Owensboro moving — and grooving — in a whole new way. With their new venture, The Groove Lab, the longtime dance partners are bringing hip hop, funk, and commercial dance styles to a city they say has never had a dedicated space quite like it.
For years, Clark and Birkhead built a dance following from the unlikeliest of places: a cramped backyard shed that was sweltering in the summer and freezing in the winter. They honed their craft there, teaching, creating original choreography, and amassing millions of views online. Now, they’re trading those sheds for a studio of their own.
Next month, Clark and Birkhead will officially launch The Groove Lab, a hip-hop, funk, and commercial dance studio in Owensboro aimed at both kids and adults. Their goal is simple: create a hype, fun, family-friendly space where anyone can learn to dance — and feel part of a community.
“We’ve had people asking us for years when we were going to open our own studio,” Clark said. “We didn’t want to wait any longer. The hype is there, the work is there, and we want to create something positive and wholesome for the community.”
From small stages to big crowds
Clark, 32, traces his love of dance to a moment in middle school when Owensboro High School’s step team, led by the late Diane Hunter, held a camp for younger students. At the end of the camp, he took a chance during the freestyle segment, and the crowd went wild.
“It was a feeling I can’t explain,” Clark said. “For the first time, I felt like I had a purpose in something. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Birkhead, 25, first saw Clark perform when a local dance crew visited his elementary school. A birthday party with a dance theme soon followed, and Birkhead left with a routine he practiced until he convinced his mom to sign him up for classes. Clark became Birkhead’s teacher, and the two have been connected ever since.
Even after Birkhead spent two years in Los Angeles training, he stayed in touch, swapping stories about classes and new techniques. When he returned to Owensboro, the pair began training together regularly, sometimes meeting at 7 a.m. five days a week.
Over the years, their work has gone beyond the studio. They’ve performed with DJ Shay (Shaina Tinnell) at events ranging from Friday After 5 to sold-out concerts at the Beaver Dam Amphitheater, opening for acts like Nelly, Vanilla Ice, and *NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick.
One of their favorite memories is from that Nelly show, where they turned crowd engagement into a game — teaching a move mid-performance and seeing thousands of people in the back rows mirror them.
“To give people that energy and get them feeling what you’re feeling, it’s unreal,” Birkhead said.
While live performances helped them connect locally, social media opened a global stage. Clark began posting consistently on TikTok in 2019 after initially resisting the platform.
“I posted over 100 videos before one went viral,” he said.
That breakthrough came when he taught five foundational locking moves in a short tutorial, which racked up over a million views. From there, both his and Birkhead’s accounts took off, now totaling around 100,000 followers and millions of monthly views.
Their most successful videos, Clark said, are about more than showing off.
“They provide tangible things people can use to make their dancing better — so they can enjoy themselves on the dance floor,” he said.
Changing perceptions
Growing up, both say male dancers in Owensboro often faced a stigma. But the rise of social media — and professional dancers achieving celebrity status — has shifted perceptions. They hope The Groove Lab will further normalize dance for boys and men in the community while also inspiring the next generation.
“We want to be the place where, if a kid had a rough day at school, they come in and everything’s good again,” Birkhead said. “They know this is their space.”
Clark added that adults will have just as many opportunities.
“Most studios either don’t offer adult classes or only have one hour a week,” he said. “We want three or four different classes, from beginner to advanced. There are so many former dancers here who just stopped because there was nowhere else for them to go.”
The name and the mission
The name The Groove Lab came from a concept Clark picked up from his own teachers: finding the “groove” — the bounce and torso movement that brings life to any style of dance. Originally considering “Groove Motion,” the pair quickly changed course after a candid phone call from Birkhead’s brother.
“He said, ‘That doesn’t even sound like a place,’” Birkhead recalled with a laugh. “The Groove Lab felt right — a place where we can groove together and grow together.”
The duo is finalizing a location now, with plans to start classes by mid-to-late September. Enrollment will open in mid-August, and they’re encouraging anyone interested to join their “launch list” for first dibs on spots and bonuses. Join the launch list or learn more here.
Classes will cover hip hop, funk, and commercial dance for all ages, with options for both recreational and more dedicated students. And yes, there will be opportunities for private group sessions, and even field trips for adult classes to test their new skills on a real dance floor.
Whether someone wants to train seriously or just feel more confident at a wedding, Clark and Birkhead say the philosophy is the same.
“It’s about giving people the tools to loosen up, relax, and have fun,” Clark said. “We want The Groove Lab to be that safe space where anyone can walk in, feel welcome, and leave better than when they came in.”
