Start It Up

"Start It Up" is the pilot episode of the American television series Shake It Up, a female buddy-show with a dance concept, starring Bella Thorne and Zendaya. As the series' opening episode, it introduces the main characters in the series, and follows Rocky (Zendaya Coleman) and CeCe (Bella Thorne) as they try out for "Shake It Up Chicago", after being encouraged by Deuce (Adam Irigoyen) and Ty (Roshon Fegan). Also in this episode, Flynn (Davis Cleveland) tries to avenge CeCe and Rocky for his breakfast. The episode premiered on the Disney Channel on November 7, 2010. It was directed by Shelley Jensen and written by series creator Chris Thompson. The episode features four original songs recorded for the series. It was watched by approximately 6.2 million viewers, becoming Disney's highest rated series premiere in the history of the channel’s run and surpassed the series premiere of Hannah Montana on March 24, 2006. The episode was also the seventh most-watched cable event on television on the Sunday it aired. Plot The episode introduces the characters of Rocky Blue (Zendaya) and CeCe Jones (Bella Thorne). They appear in a group of people waiting at a subway stop, as Rocky plays her boombox and they attempt to dance for money. They give a rousing performance, which gets everyone in the crowd dancing as well. When they are done, the performance is received with applause, however, after receiving the hat they passed around, Rocky sees that they have only earned a dime. After telling the crowd that they want money for cell phones, and an operation, they pass around the hat again, only to see that their dime is gone. Next, the girls get ready for school, and CeCe does her daily ritual of yelling out her apartment window for Rocky, who lives on the floor above, to get ready for school. While preparing for school, "Shake it Up Chicago" appears on television, and CeCe dances along to it. CeCe's mother, Georgia (Anita Barone), who is a police officer, and her brother Flynn (Davis Cleveland). When Georgia orders CeCe to fix breakfast for Flynn, Rocky arrives through the window, to rush CeCe to catch the subway for school. In a rush, the duo prepare a "one-minute breakfast" for Flynn, mixing his cereal in a blender and putting it in a bag. As they arrive at school, their friend Deuce (Adam Irigoyen) is introduced, offering them bootleg Lady Gaga concert tickets.