Sarah Nydam, Artistic Director / Owner

Sarah Nydam received her B.A. in Dance with a minor in Psychology from Dean College in 2006. She was one of those kids who went to dance as a toddler and cried and stopped dancing, but at age 8 she went on a school field trip to Boston to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and came home and said “I want to be a dancer when I grow up!” She signed up for dance classes and has never looked back! She is trained in many genres of dancing including ballet, modern, pointe, jazz, lyrical, tap, contemporary and hip hop. She choreographed and performed throughout her college years in a variety of shows. Sarah has taught many levels and styles of dance throughout Massachusetts for many years until finally landing at Get Up and Dance where she started as a teacher, then assistant director, director and finally is now the owner and couldn’t be happier! Sarah is also a certified Zumba instructor and loves sharing the joy of dance with adult dancers. Sarah is a proud Mother and feels blessed by both her family and being able to teach dance, something she truly loves every day. Sarah continues to explore the artistry of dance while sharing her passion and individuality with others.

Katie Huminik

Katie began dancing at various studios in the Maynard area at the early age of 3. She finally found her love for dance when she joined Hudson Dance Academy back in 1992. She was then given the opportunity to become an assistant for the director of the studio where she fell in love with teaching. By the age of 16 she was teaching her own classes. Katie has taught all different styles from tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop and also acrobatics. She’s danced and performed in competitions and shows throughout Massachusetts. Katie decided to pursue a career in dance and attended Dean College where she studied Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and Hip Hop with great teachers such as Mary Anne Kodzis, Nailah Randall-Bellinger, Jil Matrisciano, Lisa Pari, and Bob Thomas. Katie graduated with her Associates degree in Dance in May 2005. She was a part of Stylized movement dance company where she was a co director, choreographer and dancer for 4 years. Currently she is on faculty at Center Stage Dance Studio in Hudson MA where she has been for 12 years and has joined the faculty at Get Up and Dance this past year. She currently teaches Tap, Jazz, Ballet, and hip hop. Katie is very excited to start her new chapter here at Get Up and Dance and share her love of dance with all the students.

Rachelle Lyons

Rachelle is a passionate instructor who loves sharing her knowledge of dance with her students. She began dancing at just 5 years old and hasn’t stopped since. She grew up dancing at Kara Anderson’s Dance Studio, training in all different styles including ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and tap. Through KADS, she traveled around New England, competing and taking classes from several fabulous choreographers. She began assisting classes in middle school and found that she absolutely loved it. After graduating, she went to Western New England University and studied Biomedical Engineering, minoring in Mathematics and Education. Through college, dance was still her passion. After joining the WNE dance club for a year, she returned to KADS as staff. For several years she taught a range of classes from the tiny tots to teens. This past year she was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to cover for Miss Sarah’s maternity leave, and is very excited to join the Get Up and Dance staff! She looks forward to being able to share her passion for dance with each of her students and help them to embrace the art of dance and speaking through their movements.

Caitlin Cunningham

Caitlin began dancing at Get Up and Dance at the age of 3 in 2006. She only took recreational classes until she was 16 and started competing until the 2020 pandemic. Caitlin always had a love for taking the acrobatics and jazz classes, in which she now teaches. She began assisting in classes in middle school and absolutely loved the interaction with learning minds. She graduated from Pathfinder Regional High School in 2021, and started attending Western New England University where she is majoring in psychology. Caitlin is excited to be teaching at the same place where she dedicated 15 years of dance to, and help dancers grow and flourish.

Dress Code:

The dress code must be followed in all classes for the student to receive proper dance training.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Policy & Rules

• It is important for students to arrive on time and prepared to participate.
• Please, no gum chewing in class.
• No refunds for absence due to weather, sickness, vacations, or any other obligations. Make-up classes may be available; please see dance instructor for more info.
• There will be a $20.00 late fee for tuition paid after the 15th of each month.
• The student will not be able to attend the next dance class unless the late fee is paid by the last day of the month.
• All accounts must be paid in full in order to participate in the recital.
• If a student decides to withdraw from a class, please contact the studio to let us know. There may be a credit owed on a paid account.

Recital Costumes:

Recital costumes range from $65.00–$100.00 (including a costume deposit of $35.00 for each registered class). Costume deposits are due October 15th. Costumes will not be ordered if deposits are not received by October 15th. All costume balances are due on November 15th. All students participate in the finale dance at the recital and will need a $20 recital T-shirt to wear as their costume.

Arrivals and Departures:

• All students are recommended to arrive 5 to 10 minutes before their scheduled class.
• After departing class, students are to wait inside of the building until the parent and/or legal guardian arrives. We are not responsible for dancers hanging around outside of the studio.

Dance Dos and Don'ts:

• Do come to class on time, prepared in proper dress code.
• Don’t chew gum or bring food into class.
• Do be respectful and kind to your fellow dancers.
• Don’t talk in class: “Dancers don’t talk, they dance!”
• Do listen to your teacher. Remember, corrections are a compliment, it means your teacher wants you to become a better dancer!
• Do practice at home.
• Don’t hang on the barres.
• Do go to the bathroom before class.
• Don’t wear jewelry in dance class!
• Do inform your teacher if you are going to be absent.
• Don’t give up!
• Do dance, smile, breathe, and love it!

Competition Team:

Competition Team provides exciting dance opportunities for dancers and parents in the classroom and beyond. Competition dancers perform at several regional competitions and local events in addition to our annual recital. Competition dancers are selected based on their ability, work ethic, attendance, love of dance, and overall stage presence.

• All students interested in becoming part of the competition team must audition and/or be selected by the studio director.
• Being part of the competition team is a time-consuming commitment that requires 100% dedication.
• Members of the competition team are required to attend all rehearsals.
• All students on the competition team are required to take a certain number of classes based on their level and summer classes to remain as an active member.
• This year, all competition dancers will perform at 3 regional competitive events.
• Studio warm-up suits will be required for all competitions and local events.

Competition Dancer Requirements

Teen & Senior Competition Dancers must take 6 hours of dance class a week. Ballet, Modern, and Jazz are required classes. The other classes are of your choosing (Lyrical, Tap, Hip Hop, Pointe, or Acro).

Junior Competition Dancers must take 5 hours of dance class a week. Ballet, Modern, and Jazz are required classes. The other class is of your choosing (Lyrical, Tap, Hip Hop, or Acro).

Petite Competition Dancers must take 4 hours of dance class a week. Ballet and Jazz are required classes. The other class is of your choosing (Modern, Lyrical, Tap, Hip Hop, or Acro).

Mini Competition Dancers must take 3 hours of dance class a week. Jazz is a required class. The other class is of your choosing (Ballet/Tap, Acro, or Hip Hop/Jazz).

Competition Dancers: please note that you may take your required hours of dance in either competition-level classes or recreational-level classes. However, to be in a competition-level class, you must first be approved by the teacher.

Example: You can take either the Recreational Modern or Competitive Modern, and it counts for 1 hour of class time. However, to be in Competitive Modern, Miss Sarah must approve that you are ready for that.