Rachele Brooke Smith tackles everything she does with a passion.
And that passion is never hotter than when it comes to dance.
“I was a gymnast from age 6 to 13. That’s when I started competitive dance. Because most of the dancers had started their training when they were 2, it made me work harder. It killed me because I was not the best,” Smith says.
Her desire to be the best meant it became the norm for her dance instructors to kick Smith out of their studios in the wee hours of the morning.
Smith used that drive to be accepted in the dance world as a basis to play her role in the new Oxygen Channel movie “Center Stage: Turn It Up.” Peter Gallagher and ballet star Ethan Stiefel co-star.
Smith plays Kate Parker, a street- tough dancer who can handle many forms of dance. She wants to be accepted to attend a prestigious ballet school.
But Parker quickly discovers spunk can only take one so far.
The 21-year-old Arizona native has made a few film and television appearances while working through an online program with the University of Phoenix. She is pursuing a master’s degree in human services and management.
She has danced in various commercials for Sketchers, Capezio Dancewear and Nappy Tabs Hip-Hop Gear. She also has hoofed her way through films such as “A Christmas Carol” and “Bedtime Stories,” plus TV shows like “Eli Stone.”
But she views the cable film as her big break.
“Some of the days of filming were packed with dancing. Other days there were only acting scenes. The dance days got tiring. But those were also the fun days because it was like a big party,” Smith says.
In the movie, her character takes a job as a waitress but becomes a club star because of her energetic and free-form dance moves. Three choreographers worked on the film, but Smith was given liberties to show off her own dance moves.
Though she loves dancing, she is driven to act. Her next big role is in “Bring It On 5.” The cheerleader-oriented film gave her a chance to play the mean girl. But no matter where her acting career goes, Smith says she will never be too many steps away from a dance floor.
“I feel dance is very therapeutic. If I have had a bad day, I will put on my headphones and just dance. I will feel so much better. It can be a great way of letting go,” Smith says.
She picks tunes to dance to based on her mood. She likes hip-hop on good days, classical on bad days.
These days her favorite song is Chris Brown’s “Forever.” In it he sings, “And dance forever-ever- ever.”
The show airs Saturday evening on the Oxygen Channel.
