Throughout the year, dancers prepare for one of the most exciting times: competition season. With this past weekend being Upstage Dance Academy’s last competition, many emotions and preparation for what’s coming next have been circulating.

“I think this year I have come more out of my shell,” sophomore Brittney Wambeke said. “I wasn’t scared to go all out.”

During competition season, many think that the competition part is the only reason for going to such things, but there are many different benefits to going to these events.

“I like that our small-town dancers get to go and meet a lot of other people,” dance teacher Ms. Mariah Lang said. “I think watching other dances is going to make everyone better.”

The sister-duo dance teachers at Upstage Dance have noted separate things they find important for their dancers at these competitions.

“It pushes our dancers for a reason other than just to perform in front of people,” dance teacher Mrs. Katelyn Lang said. “It gives them a reason to really take corrections and point their feet because it’s for an actual score instead of just an opinion. [It’s not] just for their mommies.”

Students on the competition team also have their own motives for joining said team.

“It gives you a chance to present yourself, and especially coming from a small town like this,” PMS eighth grader Cayleigh Douzenis said. “It gives a really big chance to be like ‘this is what I can offer,’ even though you’re coming from a place that not a lot of people know about.”

After a successful competition season, Upstage Dance continues to see how they can improve and what they can get for next year’s competition season.

“My goal in life is to get a choreography award,” Katelyn Lang said. “One day I am going to get one. If it takes five years, I’m getting it; if it takes 25 years, I’ll get one.”

These awards are still not the only thing that the teachers at Upstage wish to receive. They also deeply care about their students and want to help them in different ways in their life.

“One really important thing to me is to teach dancers to have confidence in themselves and their dancing abilities,” Katelyn Lang said. “To get them to the point where they know that they are amazing and that they are doing what they should be doing.”

Similar views are shared with Katelyn Lang’s sister who loves to make sure everyone is included.

“Dance is for everybody, no matter where they come from or what they look like,” Mariah Lang said. “We can all find a lot of common ground and bonding through stuff like dance and stuff like theater and music and everything. Dance is for everybody.”

Students going into high school next year are getting excited about how they may improve and what new opportunities they can get.

“I’m really excited to join [the] high school dance team,” PMS eighth grader Justyce Engesser said. “I get to go with my team, and my team is also my friends, and it’s awesome.”

With many new students coming to the studio this year, the dance team has grown a lot and others can’t wait for the growth coming up next year too.

“I’m excited for more opportunities to come my way and the studio’s way,” Douzenis said. “I just think we’re growing a lot as a studio, and I’m just excited for what’s yet to come.”