Best friends CeCe Jones and Rachel "Rocky" Blue have dreamed about becoming professional dancers ever since they were little girls. Their big break finally comes when the girls land roles as backup dancers on a local Chicago TV dance show, "Shake It Up, Chicago!". As the girls pop, lock, and learn challenging dance moves for each week's show, they revel in their newfound status but also quickly learn they'll need more than fancy footwork to match wits with the show's other dancers, notably the highly competitive siblings Gunther and Tinka. At the same time, with their best friend Deuce and Rocky's brother Ty, they must quickstep through the complex twists and turns of an average big-city high school as well as Windy City family life, including their obligation to babysit CeCe's mischievous younger brother, Flynn.