Platinum Dance balances professional goals, family atmosphere

It's a world filled with challenge, grace, beauty and opportunity. Jessica O'Banion was welcomed into that world when she was just 2 years old and has been dancing ever since. Her best friend, Rachael Park, was inducted at age 3 and has never lost her passion for the art.

And since deciding to join forces and create Platinum Dance Center (PDC), the two have succeeded in bringing the world of dance to the Sky Valley.

Park and O'Banion opened Platinum Dance Center (14582 172nd Drive S.E. No. 6) in 2010 with a distinct vision in mind: to enhance the lives of their students through artistic movement and introduce them to the opportunities that exist within the world of dance. Park handles the business end, while O'Banion concentrates on choreography and teaching.

A variety of dance

PDC curriculum includes pre-dance, ballet, lyrical, jazz, acrobatic, turns and leaps, hip-hop, ballet/jazz combo and tap. Aside from O'Banion, PDC employs seven instructors to teach classes that are divided up by age and skill level. Platinum Elite, the studio's competition team, is divided into several categories, including Petite Elite (ages 8 and younger), Junior Elite (ages 9 to 11), Allstar Elite (teenagers) and the Elite Company (various ages).

Positions on the competition team are available by audition only.

As the business manager, Park handles the studio's everyday logistics, including the accounting, costumes orders, competition travel arrangements and hiring and supervising support staff. According to O'Banion, Park makes everything behind the scenes flow smoothly.

"Rachael is this amazing support system,GÇ¥ O'Banion said. "We're such a good team because we both have our purpose, and she's also an excellent dance parent.GÇ¥

Park's two daughters, Alyssa, 16, and Aubrey, 8, both dance at PDC, as does O'Banion's 8-year-old daughter Hailey. Hailey, who was born with Down's syndrome, is an integral member of the PDC family.-á

"She's a big part of this place,GÇ¥ O'Banion said. "I wanted a place where she would always fit in, and the kids here treat her like their own. She competed this year for the first time; she's pretty awesome.GÇ¥

As the studio's artistic director, O'Banion focuses on teaching and ensuring that her dancers are versatile and exposed to new challenges. An award-winning choreographer, O'Banion can often be found in the studio hashing out new routines to be used during recitals, at conventions and in competitions. Out of the 41 routines that are performed by the Elite Company, O'Banion choreographed 21 of them.

The Platinum Elite competition team is where PDC dancers have truly begun to shine. They're in the studio at least five hours a week, while members of the Elite Company practice for more than eight. Additional hours are spent rehearsing on the weekends. When they're not busy competing, members of the Elite company spend time auditioning and honing their skills. -á -á

"It's a big commitmentGǪ We dive in with them,Gǥ O'Banion said. "I try to make as many things happen for them as I can.Gǥ

O'Banion started the competition team primarily because she wanted her students to have the opportunity to experience the world of dance on a more comprehensive level. She's worked to expose them to high-profile guest choreographers who are able to help broaden their skill level. Last winter, she reached out to Casey Askew, who appeared on Season 11 of the network television series "So You Think You Can Dance.GÇ¥

In December, Askew visited the studio and taught the dancers a piece that he had choreographed himself. -á

"The dance he choreographed has won first overall at almost every competition,GÇ¥ O'Banion said. "It's really wonderful.GÇ¥

Competition and choreography

Lyrical-style dance, which is O'Banion's niche, incorporates ballet, jazz and modern movements. Lyrical is currently the competition team's strongest program.

"Every year, I sit back and think, what do we need to do? Where do we need to grow? Where do we need to get stronger? For us, our lyrical contemporary program is strong GÇô it's where we're winning. Every dance we have does well,GÇ¥ O'Banion said. "We've won two technique awards this year, which to me is the ultimate.GÇ¥

O'Banion strives to constantly improve and refine her technique as a choreographer, and one way she's been able to accomplish that is through her work with the Starpower International Talent Competition Team. Serving as a judge at dance competitions around the country has helped to broaden her perspective and even inspired her to makes changes at her own studio.

"This is the first year I required my company kids to take tap,GÇ¥ O'Banion said. "Tap is so important. You can tell the kids that haven't ever tapped because it teaches that separation of sound and how to hear music.GÇ¥

Platinum Elite competition dancers are required to take ballet, jazz, lyrical and a turns-and-leaps class. Dancers in the Elite Company are required to take every style.

"They're the ones that want dance for life. This is the first year we've had that particular group,GÇ¥ O'Banion said. "It's been phenomenal. They're so talented and so fun.GÇ¥

In "Nothing but the Water,GÇ¥ a visually striking and emotionally charged lyrical combo piece performed by the Elite Company, dancers demonstrate skill and fluidity. Choreographed by O'Banion, the piece was chosen as a standout routine at the Artists Simply Human workshop, received an Outstanding Choreography award at the Starpower Dance Competition and an Outstanding Technique award at the Energy National Dance Competition.

"We have really talented kids here,GÇ¥ O'Banion said. "People are starting to say, "I'd love to work with your dancers' or "I'd love to come to your studio,' and that's really, really exciting for us.GÇ¥

National recognition

And PDC dancers are starting to get noticed on a grander scale.

This year, Park's daughter Alyssa and another PDC student, Noelle Gregorini, 13, were both accepted into summer intensive programs with the Joffrey Ballet School. The Joffrey, a world-renowned school of dance, holds summer intensive programs every year. The girls will travel to New York City to participate in the program: Noelle was accepted into the ballet intensive, and Alyssa was accepted into the jazz and contemporary intensive. -á

"They're earning it all on their own,GÇ¥ O'Banion said. "I'm so proud of the training they're getting here that's setting them up to go out there and not be afraid. Auditioning is scary.GÇ¥

Although the competition season is winding down, summers are busy at PDC. The Platinum Elite team will participate in one more regional competition in May and then will travel to Las Vegas in July for nationals. They've also got their spring recital coming up at the end of June.

O'Banion and Park are proud of the studio's high-caliber students.

"I think I'm most proud of the human beings that are coming out of this place,GÇ¥ O'Banion said. "They embrace who they are and that's awesome.GÇ¥

Monroe resident Chrissy Carswell, a PDC instructor, says that the studio's success is largely due to Park and O'Banion's cohesive partnership.-á

"One of the many things I love about Platinum is that it's a great balance of professionalism and that "part of the family' feeling,GÇ¥ Carswell said. "Because of Jessica's fearless guidance and Rachael's compassionate leadership, they've created something amazing that Monroe is lucky to have. They're the true dance-studio dream team."

Carswell's two daughters also take classes at the studio, making it a family affair.

"It's inspiring to have myself and my family be a part of something so incredible,GÇ¥ she continued.

For more information, visit www.idance247.com-á or www.facebook.com/pdcmonroe.