Welcome to my web portal! This is my eighth year as a dance and drill team director for public schools and my fourth year here at Martin. I am so proud to be a Martin Warrior. I have been involved in dance and drill team my whole life and I love having the opportunity to teach my passion to such great students.
I started dancing at A Step in Time Dance Studio over 25 years ago. I am so blessed that dance is still a major part of my life! My drill team experience started at Mansfield High School where I was a Gold Duster. Then, I went on to TCU where I was a dance and business major. At TCU, I was I was also a part of the TCU Showgirls Dance Team. After I graduated TCU, I spent 6 months living in Paris, France and taking dance at Le Centre de Danse du Marais. Upon coming back to Texas, I taught full time dance and company at A Step in Time Dance Studio. Then, I started directing drill team at Granbury High School and the rest, as they say, is history.
Sundancers
Being a part of the Sundancers dance team is a very fun and rewarding experience for its members. The Sundancers perform at football games, pep rallies, competitions, basketball games, community service events and so much more! They have theme parties, lock-ins, sleep-overs, special gifts, and many more team bonding opportunities. The Sundancers are like a family where team members and parents alike work hard, play hard, and make friendships that are life-long.
Whether you have former dance experience or not, there is so much to be gained from being on Sundancers.
Commitment and dedication by the Sundancers and their parents are required to be a member. There are early morning practices, after school practices, late night games, all day fund raising events, parades, pep rallies, competitions, and so much more. In order to work as a team, each member is expected to attend and be highly involved in everything the Sundancers do.
Hard work and discipline are necessary to be the best at what we do, and that is always our goal. Being a member of the Sundancer Dance Team teaches the girls responsibility, self-discipline, maturity, and dependability. For a member of a team like the Sundancers, there is a time for glory and recognition, but also a time for conformity and sacrifice. I expect the Sundancers to have high moral standards for themselves and their teammates and to act responsibly in and out of uniform.
However, despite and because of all the above, being on the Sundancers Dance Team will be a rewarding experience that will give your daughter friendships, memories, and lessons that will last a lifetime. Your daughter will develop confidence and discipline as well as dance training. Being a member of an organization such as the Sundancers Dance Team has been and will be the highlight of many girls’ high school years. The feeling of accomplishment and hard work paying off with outstanding performances and increased technical ability are just some of the rewards that await each member of the Sundancers Dance and Drill Team.
Dance Class
Dance is an elective course open to all students at MartinHigh School. This class will fulfill a fine arts credit. No previous dance experience is required for Dance I. Students who enroll in this course have VERY high expectations to be hard working, responsible, and have a willingness to try new things. A strict dress code of a MHS Dance top, black jazz pants, and black jazz shoes is enforced for all dancers to be purchased at their own cost through the dance department.
The purpose of this course is to give students of varying dance abilities and experience the opportunity to enrich their kinesthetic awareness by learning several genres of dance (ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, social and cultural dance) as well as learning the anatomy of the human body, basic fitness principles, the history of dance, dance terminology, choreography, and dance production. At the end of the year, students will show off their hard work by performing in the Sundancer Spring Show. This performance is mandatory and will count as 2 major test grades.
Students will learn basic through advanced steps from a variety of dance forms, improve their physical fitness, as well as gain an appreciation of dance, the performing arts as a whole, and how dance and its discipline and creative nature can enrich all areas of their life and learning.