COMPANY

Who We Are

The company formed in 2016 based on a mutual passion for integrating faith in movement.
Since then, they have shared sacred dance in various congregations and continue to share
their passion with others through their workshops.

Karolina Stark
Artistic Director & Founder

Karolina Stark grew up in Pepin, WI. She trained primarily at Prairie School of Dance (Eden Prairie, MN) in ballet, pointe, jazz, and sacred dance. She also briefly trained with Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (Winona, MN). In May 2017, she graduated magna cum laude with degrees in Religion and Dance Honors from Gustavus Adolphus College. While at Gustavus she had the opportunity to choreograph and perform as a member of the Gustavus Dance Company in concerts and Christmas in Christ Chapel. Sacred dance continues to be her passion, exploring the intersection of faith and movement, which became her inspiration for forming Grace Upon Grace.

Through Grace Upon Grace, and work on her own, Karolina strives to integrate movement into worship services by embodying God’s everlasting promises of love, joy and grace to all of us as well as to share the joy of dance with people of all ages and abilities.

She is very thankful for the many people who have walked with her, guiding, loving, and supporting her in the creation and continued growth of Grace Upon Grace.

Company Members

Sydnie Bertrand McIntire grew up dancing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She discovered her greater passion and pursued instruction from a variety of teachers. In high school, she was able to partake in a studio company. They gained experience in performance, class etiquette, and completing intensives. Sydnie entered her first year of college as a dance major at Minnesota State University Mankato. Although the city was not her match, she continued school at South Dakota State University. That path led her to following all her ambitions; apparel merchandising major, dance minor, and business minor. The dance program offered a student-led company in which she performed and choreographed pieces. She also shared the joy of dance through college dance club where she led as the club’s vice president. Sydnie graduated magna cum laude. Wanting more artistic career opportunities, she moved to the Minneapolis area. She found work as both dance teacher and fashion consultant. Sydnie is thankful for the chance to dance with Grace Upon Grace, combining passion for faith, performance, and dance education.

Lexie Billins began dancing at the age of three and received the majority of her dance training at The Dance Connection in Rosemount, MN. She trained and competed in various styles of dance including tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, and lyrical. Since graduating from Farmington High School in 2015, she has been attending Gustavus Adolphus College where she is pursuing a double major in Dance and Nursing. She is an active member of the Gustavus Dance Company where she is granted opportunities to train in the modern dance style, mentor younger dancers, choreograph, and perform in shows. Her first experience with Sacred Dance was through her participation in Karolina’s sacred dance honors project where she discovered an eye-opening new faith journey. She feels honored and blessed to be able to share God’s word in a uniquely expressive way as a member of Grace Upon Grace.

Rachel Lux started dancing at the age of eight at QC Dance in Blaine, Minnesota. She trained and competed in many styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical. Since graduating from Blaine High School in 2014, she began attending Gustavus Adolphus College, where she is a double major in Dance and Elementary Education. She is also an active member of the Gustavus Dance Company, and has had many opportunities to perform and choreograph. Rachel is also a staff member at Impulse Dance in Mankato. Rachel is excited to be a part of Grace Upon Grace Dance Company, and is proud to have the opportunity to spread the love of God through dance.

Ellen Schulte began dancing at the age of 3 in Redfield, SD. Her training included Cecchetti, non-syllabus ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, modern, character/musical theater, Celtic, and dance team. Ellen attended South Dakota State University where she studied Early Childhood Education and minored in Dance. During college, she gained experience in performance, choreography, and teaching. Currently, Ellen lives in Burnsville, MN, with her husband Brian and dog Winston. She enjoys teaching Vinyasa Yoga at Fusion Yoga in Eagan, MN, and dance at Prairie School of Dance in Eden Priairie, MN. Ellen is excited to be involved with Grace Upon Grace and to collaborate with other artists who love sharing their passion for dance.

Madelyn Schwartz has been dancing since the age of three. She received her training in tap, jazz, ballet, and lyrical, at her local studio, Fourth Street Dance Center in White Bear Lake. Twelve of her years dancing were spent competing as a part of the studio’s competition line. Since graduating from Hill-Murray in 2015, she now attends Gustavus Adolphus College with a double major in Exercise Physiology and Dance and a minor in Public Health. She is a member of the Gustavus Dance Company and was invited to be a part of Karolina’s Honors Project featuring three sacred dance pieces. From this opportunity, her heart was drawn into the world of sacred dance, where she could spread God’s message in a new and powerful way.

Marissa Williamson has been dancing since the age of three with Creo Arts and Dance Conservatory and Tonka DanceWorks, where she trained in ballet, jazz, tap, and lyrical. Since graduating from Chanhassen High School in 2016, Marissa haas been attending Gustavus Adolphus College where she is pursuing a double major in Dance and Elementary Education. She is a member of the Gustavus Apprentice Dance Company where she is given the opportunity to perform and create. Marissa started creating sacred dances with her two younger sisters while she was in high school to share with their home church. She is excited to work with Grace upon Grace and share her love of God through dance.