Each year, members of the community fill the auditorium of the Rifle High School in support of the ArtillumA Dance Company’s Dance Expo and Little’s Festival, and the public is invited to do so once again this year.

The annual event, which showcases the studio’s hard-working dancers and incredible choreography, kicks off today at 6:30 p.m. at the high school.

From infancy to adulthood, dancers at ArtillumA Dance Company are encouraged and developed, creating a “family” of like-minded lovers of movement.

“Family” is a big word for ArtillumA, because it is where it all began, said Taylor Churchill, dance company director. In 2008, the Churchill family formed ArtillumA LLC, a company that — as its name suggests — seeks to illuminate the arts. ArtillumA’s span of performing arts include Lil’ Man, a tailored theatrical performance; Gracenote, a musical therapy program for Grand River Hospital; and ArtillumA Dance Company.

The dance company has more than 300 students and offers a wide range of classes including tap, ballet, jazz, contemporary, stomp, hip-hop, fitness classes, ballroom and more, according to Churchill.

For the Churchill family, it’s about creating a class environment where students feel welcomed, encouraged, inspired and ready to come back. Every teacher at ArtillumA has an infectiously happy personality because they love what they do, they care about what they do and they are a part of a community of dancers — they are all one big happy family, Churchill said.

With a lot of hard work and dedication from every individual involved with ArtillumA Dance Company, all the beautifully choreographed dances of the semester culminate in the spring Dance Expo and Little’s Festival. The Churchill family doesn’t charge the community to attend the event, as they want anyone and everyone to come and enjoy the hard work each dancer and teacher has put into it, Churchill said. Donations are always welcomed and are put toward the ArtillumA Dance Company’s Scholarship Program.

You can come to the Rifle High School auditorium at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday to view the dancers from ArtillumA Dance Company’s older classes, or you can join them at 10 a.m. Saturday at the auditorium and see the Little’s Festival, featuring the youngest delightful dancers.