A Perfect Place for Every Dancer!
About Our Studio
At UpStage Dance Academy, we believe every dancer deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and feel proud of what they can accomplish. Locally owned and directed by Mariah Lang and Katelyn Rickert in Powell, Wyoming, we are dedicated to providing quality dance education in a positive, encouraging environment.
Our goal is to help dancers build strong technique, confidence, creativity, and a genuine love for dance. Whether they are stepping into the studio for the first time or working toward advanced training, we want every dancer to feel seen, supported, and inspired to reach their potential.
At UpStage, every dancer has a place—and every dancer has a chance to shine.
What We Offer:
RECREATIONAL DANCE
Our recreational program is great for dancers who want to learn, have fun, build confidence, and discover their passion for dance!
We offer rec classes to girls and boys ages 3-18. Younger dancers dip their toes into the world of dance with ballet, tap, and jazz. As they get older, they have the chance to add contemporary, acro, pointe, and jumps/leaps/turns classes.
COMPETITION DANCE
Our competitive program gives dedicated dancers the opportunity to grow as performers, build confidence, and challenge themselves in a supportive team environment. Through competitions, conventions, and performance opportunities, dancers gain valuable experience while creating lasting friendships and memories.
Our team has earned numerous 1st-place awards, along with three Studio Sportsmanship Awards, Choreography Awards, Studio of Excellence honors, scholarships, and invitations to special dance opportunities. Our dancers have also had the opportunity to travel and compete in cities including Denver, Nashville, Las Vegas, and Palm Springs. We represent Powell at regional competitions in Billings, MT each year.
From group routines to solos, duets, and trios, we provide dancers with opportunities to showcase their hard work, learn from talented industry professionals, and take their dancing to the next level—all while being part of a team they’re proud to call their own.
PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES
All of our recreational and competitive UpStage Dance Academy dancers get to perform in two recitals per school year! Our September-December, fall season, ends with our Holiday Showcase before winter break. In the spring season, January-May, dancers celebrate their year of training with our annual Spring Recital!
Our competition team dancers also get to showcase their solos, duets, trios, and group routines in our annual Competition Showcase at the end of the comp season.
We sprinkle unique performance opportunities into our summer sessions, with each summer bringing something a little different! From productions like Encanto Dance Production, summer parades, and performances at the Park County Fair, to our Student Showcase and national competition opportunities such as our time at FLY Dance Competition in Las Vegas and Spotlight Dance Cup in Palm Springs, our dancers get to experience the excitement of performing on stages both near and far.
Meet the Directors
Mariah Lang & Katelyn Rickert
Co-Owners & Directors of UpStage Dance Academy
We are sisters, lifelong dancers, and proud Powell locals! We each began dancing when were were just 3 years old in Billings, Montana, before moving to Riverton, then Powell during elementary school. We both graduated from Powell High School, and we are proud to now own and operate a dance studio in the community we grew up in.
After high school, we continued our education and training in dance. Katelyn earned her Associate of Arts in Psychology from Northwest College, and we both attended Casper College on dance scholarships, graduating with Associate of Arts degrees in Dance Performance.
Our college training gave us the opportunity to further our education in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, modern, contemporary, choreography, dance composition, dance history, performance, and teaching methods. We are passionate about continuing to grow as educators and bringing quality dance education to our students.
Most importantly, we love being able to share our passion for dance with the community that has always been home. As the owners and directors of UpStage, we are also the teachers and choreographers working with our dancers every week. We are grateful for the opportunity to watch our students grow both as dancers and as individuals, and we strive to create a studio where every dancer shines!
Start Your Dance Journey Today
Ready to dance with us? Contact us to learn more about our classes and find the perfect fit for you or your dancer.