ROCHELLE — Rise Up Dance Center in Rochelle recently had one of its competition routines named one of 500 winners out of over 40,000 routines performed at Star Dance Alliance events nationwide for the 2023 season, RUDC Director Christa McGrath said. 

McGrath was invited to represent the team on a cruise to the Bahamas the weekend of Jan. 13-14 and accepted the team’s induction into Star Dance Alliance’s Circle of Excellence. The winning routine, titled “Good to be Bad”, is a large group dance inspired by Disney villains. 

“It's a pretty big deal for these kids who are from a small town and studio,” McGrath said. “It was really a great achievement for them. I think it's just really a testament to the kids' hard work and perseverance. Really, it's all about them. I give them the idea and tell them what I think I want it to look like. I show them the choreography. And they really bring it to life. I think because most of them are ages 7-13, they really kind of took the Disney characters from their childhood and ran with it. They brought those characters to life. It was amazing for me to see them take my vision and make it their own and really bring it to life on stage.”

McGrath opened Rise Up Dance Center in September 2022. Last year was its first full season under the new studio with the competition team. Rise Up Dance Center has regular classes with 125 students currently enrolled. For its competitive team, auditions are required. Those kids are put into specific routines and they compete regionally, in the midwest, and nationally, over the course of the spring and summer months. RUDC has 30 kids in its competitive division.

RUDC’s other competitive accolades during the 2023 season include over 120 top-10 placements (32 routines performed at five events last season), 20 Judge's Performance awards, two Regional Title soloists and four National Title-winning soloists, five costume awards, four showmanship awards, four Excellence in Entertainment awards, two Video of the Week nominations for Star Dance Alliance, five scholarships for students to attend nationals and international events, an Excellence in Choreography award, five "Golden Ticket" invites to the World Dance Championships, and receipt of the Association of Dance Competition and Conventions’ "Studio of Excellence" award.

“We had a very successful year,” McGrath said. “I always tell the kids that it's not about trophies or points, it's about going out there and doing what you love and feeling good when you come off stage. We just really shot out of the gate and they did an amazing job. It was just extremely rewarding and fulfilling. While I was not expecting to have such an incredible amount of achievements last season, I have full confidence that these kids can reach any goal they set their mind to. Their passion, determination and enthusiasm amazes and inspires me everyday.”

McGrath said the weight of 2023’s accomplishments may not be fully realized by members of the team, especially the younger dancers. 

“I don't think they can really gauge how vast the competition is and what their accomplishment means,” McGrath said. “I think they're just excited to get recognized in any way. It's magical to see their reactions and seeing their faces light up on stage and when they scream and shout and hug each other. That's probably one of the best feelings I could have as a teacher, is seeing that on stage.”

Those that compete competitively for RUDC commit to their regular dance classes plus additional rehearsals, which McGrath called “a big commitment.” Dancing competitively allows students of different ages to interact with each other. 

“It gives the little ones someone to look up to and the older ones get to be role models and leaders,” McGrath said. “And it's time management. Some of the kids are in several routines. We usually have big rehearsals on Fridays and some of them are there for 4-5 hours. This year we have 36 routines we're taking to competition. It's definitely a lesson in time management. RUDC does cheer and tumbling as well. I usually choreograph over 100 routines every season. It's a lot for me too.”

RUDC is always looking for new experiences for its competitive team. Rise Up Dance Company has performed locally at Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival, at Hay Day and for the residents at Liberty Village. McGrath enjoys local performances because friends and family of dancers can come and watch, with many of the company’s competitions being out of the area in locations like Iowa and Wisconsin. 

RUDC will do its yearly showcase of its routines for the upcoming season on Feb. 10 at the Lincoln Arts Center in Rochelle. For 2024, McGrath would like to see the team earn more invitations to The World Dance Championships this year and compete more in different parts of the country like Florida. 

Locally, RUDC will be seeing expansion after opening in September 2022 in the May Mart shopping center. 

“We're expanding and moving our studio right next door to where we currently are,” McGrath said. “We're opening there Jan. 29. We're really excited about that, because we have a big, new beautiful space. We'll start classes there on Jan. 29 and we'll have a grand reopening in September for our second anniversary.”