Matt Steffanina: Turning Dancing Into a 7-Figure Community

If you’ve ever seen a viral hip-hop dance tutorial on YouTube, there’s a good chance Matt Steffanina is behind it. Matt is a professional dancer, longtime creator, and the founder of DNCR Academy, an online membership platform that teaches people of all levels how to dance. 

One of the most well-known online dancers, Matt has built an incredible following on all social platforms and has been a professional hip-hop dancer for over 15 years. He’s been on So You Think You Can Dance, Step Up, The Amazing Race, and has danced with celebrities like Taylor Swift and Jason Derulo. Here’s a glimpse at his business success: 

• Earned over 7-figures in revenue on Kajabi
• Grew YouTube audience to 21M subscribers 
• Generated 10M followers across Instagram and Facebook

The Challenge: Expanding a Brand Beyond Social Platforms 

As a YouTube pioneer, Matt has experienced his fair share of ups and downs on the platform. Since he posted his first YouTube dance video in 2009, Matt grew his first channel to over a million subscribers organically, had that channel shut down by the platform, had viral videos removed, and rebuilt multiple channels to the combined 21 million subscribers he has today. 

All that to say, he understands how quickly he can lose access to his YouTube audience and online community. While social media allows Matt to join trends and help people discover his brand, he knew he needed a way to communicate and connect with his audience on a deeper level. 

“When you follow trends, it’s great for views but terrible for community,” he says. “People discover your video because of the trend, but why should they like you or follow you? Why should they buy your product or dive deeper into your story? That’s where storytelling and community-building content come into play.”

The Solution: Building an Owned Community on Kajabi 

Teaching others how to dance has been the foundation of Matt’s career, so he knew he wanted to continue sharing his expertise. While his social media content had been successful, he wanted to build a community outside of the platforms. Enter: DNCR Academy. 

A friend of Matt’s recommended Kajabi when he started DNCR, and it’s been the community’s home since day one. 

“It was easy to use, had a lot of options for different templates to get me going quickly, and the price was very affordable,” he says. 

‍

The online membership offers a library of over 100 dance classes for dancers of all levels to enjoy from the comfort of their homes. Not only do members get instant and unlimited access to dance tutorials, but they can also participate in dance challenges and connect with other dancers in the tight-knit community. 

“It’s easy to get blinded by big numbers and clout, but eventually you realize that those numbers are empty,” says Matt. “It’s actually much more rewarding to positively impact a smaller number of people and build real connection rather than just ‘go viral’ again and again.”

Results: Scaling To a 7-Figure Business 

Since launching DNCR on Kajabi, the business has earned over 7 figures in revenue. This growth has enabled Matt to grow his business in other ways, like building a team. 

“With Kajabi, I can afford to have a production team help me on shoots,” he says. “I was also able to hire a social media manager and upgrade our whole team to better service our fanbase and DNCR community!”

The steps Matt has taken off of social media — building an email list, a texting list, and a digital community — have allowed him to break free from the pressures of the algorithms and given him the opportunity to freely create the type of content he wants to make.

“Kajabi allows me to have my community on my own platform, protects my business from the algorithms changing, and gives me the tools I need to build my business.”

Looking Ahead: Growing a Global Community 

Matt’s inspiring journey began as a solo creator on YouTube and has transformed him into a seven-figure business owner. His advice for other creators looking to grow beyond social platforms? 

“Leverage social media to build your community with the goal of getting them to a place where you have more control over the relationships,” he says.

As he continues to build his online dance community, Matt’s goals are to expand his reach and keep doing what he loves. 

“My main focus is to scale DNCR and make it the best place online to learn how to dance,” he says. “I also love fitness and want to incorporate more dance workouts into our library to really promote physical and mental health.” He adds, “We’re a really strong community of dancers from around the world that support each other — it feels like one big family rather than customers and company.”

Ready to break free from the algorithms and own your audience? See how Kajabi can help.