At Rising Star Dance Academy, Everyone is a Star!

Rising Star Dance Academy prides itself on providing professional instruction in a positive and nurturing atmosphere. We strive to make each class unique and challenging for our students, giving them the opportunity to grow according to their own needs and natural abilities.

We offer an extensive curriculum for all levels and ages - from the beginner to advanced - from the very young, to the young at heart. It is our goal to provide a comprehensive dance education to all our students and to help them develop an understanding and love of the Art of Dance.

Director, Maryann Porter, has over 25 years of teaching experience in the Southwest metro area. She is a member of the National Dance Association, Minnesota Association of Dance Teams and is a Certified Head Coach in the state of Minnesota. She has won numerous awards and honors in her career including just recently being named the Minnesota River Conference Coach of the Year. She enjoys working with all levels of dancers from beginner to advanced.

Rising Star Dance Academy has 2 studios located in Waconia. Classes are held in a beautiful, fully mirrored studio with a special floating floor. Children and young adults are still growing and their bones and joints can be stressed by dance movements that are not done on a cushioned floor.

We are proud to say that our facility is equipped with an all purpose dance floor appropriate for all forms of dance. The actual floor grid is not attached to the side walls of the studio. This creates the floating floor, which allows the floor to move as the dancer leaps and lands, which in turn enhances the safety and shock of landings for the dancer’s legs, back and feet. Many hours were spent in the careful planning and the installation of the floor to ensure that our students' comfort and safety come first.

Our small class sizes, which range from 10-16 students depending upon age, offer a fun and interactive learning environment, where dancers can develop their skills and love of dance. Our unique team teaching approach gives students the added benefit of two instructors in the classroom, so students receive more individual attention and class ratios are 1:5 for younger students and 1:8 for older students.

Our system of teaching follows the content standards of the National Dance Association, which promotes and supports quality dance programs. Our program is designed for the different stages of your child's development and allows them to progress each year in the areas of movement elements, choreographic principles, and most importantly self-expression.

We are the only studio in the area to have an open studio format, so you can sit in class and observe whenever you would like. Parents like knowing exactly what we are working on in class, so they can help their child at home and can see how their child is progressing each week.

Our classes are scheduled with breaks in between, so you can talk to the instructor and get your questions answered right away, and our monthly newsletter and website keeps you up to date on holidays, special events and other important information.

Our performance is held at a local area school the month of May allowing you to get a head start on enjoying your summer activities. Each year we have a theme and beautifully staged show which is 75-90 minutes in length, making it enjoyable for everyone to watch including younger siblings. Our recreational dancers perform in one show only and our company dancers perform in more than one show depending on the dances they are in.

At Rising Star we believe in giving back to our students and communities. Over the years we have collected shoes for Haiti, donated dance shoes to various organizations and this year we raised over $2,000 for the Waconia Food Shelf by putting on a community performance in January.

Each year we do community performances at a variety of venues including community festivals, fundraisers, schools and other events. If you are interested in having us perform at your event, please contact Director, Maryann Porter.