Stepping Ahead into World Dance Competition

Hello, my name is Rylison.

Dance is something I've always loved to do from preschool to high school. I've taken ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and now since August 6, 2020 Country Ballroom dancing. So, how did this all happen? In January of 2020 I had surgery on my right knee and in April surgery on my left knee which stopped all my activities. I played tennis, ran 5k for Girls on the Run, played basketball (although not my favorite), and just about every activity bicycling, walking, trampolining. You get the idea. ;-) However, after over 12 months of PT and little relief I wasn't sure if I could ever return to the activities I enjoyed.

In August of 2020 my grandma asked me to attend a country two step class (at A Step Ahead dance studio) with her. I was like, seriously... country? Given I couldn't do much else, I agreed to go...and loved it! I continued attending classes until Christmas when my grandma bought me my first pair of dancing boots and signed me up for one-on-one lessons.

My coach (Jason Thornton) was patient and helped me strengthen my legs and knees. I found out I not only loved country dance but I picked it up quickly. After four months of private lessons, I competed in my first Country Dance competition and have continued over the last 2 years competing in Oklahoma, Colorado, Tennessee, and Texas. It is an incredible honor to qualify for The WORLDS Dance. Dancing has strengthened my knees, allowed me to be active, gave me confidence, and showed me that I can persevere. (A link to see my dance videos from the Dallas 2022 dance competition- Dallas 2022)

My grandma continues to pay for my lessons and my parents of course take care of the rest. I wanted to help pay for dancing and didn't know how I could. So, I created this account to help raise money for my 2nd World competition.

The World Dance competition will be held January 1-8, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. I will be competing on Tuesday Jan 2nd in the evening. My mom will post video of my dances to her Facebook and Instagram as she has done for all my competitions. To help with expenses, only my mom and I will be traveling and we are staying 3 days (Dec 31-Jan 3). Below is a breakdown of the expected costs to attend Worlds.

COST breakdown

Dance- $750.00

Hotel- $550.00

Travel/food- $700.00

TOTAL: $2000

Thank you, to those who have followed me along this journey, for your words of encouragement and prayers... they mean so much to me. I am grateful and blessed to have this opportunity.

Blessings to you,

Rylison