larkadmin – Larkspur Dance

Savannah Miller has had a baton in her hand for about as long as she can remember, and through tremendous dedication and hard work, she has won numerous titles on the national and world level, and was the featured twirler at the University of Arkansas, entertaining thousands. She also has worldwide acclaim when videos of…

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Rachelle Kiehle is the coach and choreographer for the Eisenhower Dance Team. This powerhouse program from Michigan has been national champions eight times over, and has achieved the honor of double national championships in jazz and hip hop for three of those years. Rachelle passed on so much great advice, tips, and pointers on building…

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Katie Groven is a certified personal trainer, a dancer with 25 years of dance experience, holder of two world championship titles and has coached for ten years. She is also the owner of Dancer Fitness, an extensive exercise library with training plans she’s carefully created with coaches and dancers in mind. We talked about important…

Briana teaches a fun and fast hip hop combo! If the song she chose is too fast for all team members, the choreo is super adaptable and will go with something a tad slower.

Kayla Kernel, our resident makeup artist and skincare expert, and I discuss the use of makeup in the dance team world: how it can enhance your routine, the difference between game day looks and competition, and how to master those pesky false eyelashes. The last part of the podcast is dedicated to anti-aging and Kayla breaks…

In an effort to keep this topic at the forefront, our second episode in our FLOURISH with Larkspur series of the podcast discusses the sensitive topic of race again. This time I sit down and chat with Yvonne Cole, the longtime coach of the Lindbergh Flyerettes and Missouri Dance Team Association founder and board member,…

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Mallori Walker is not only the coach of the Purdue Dance Team, she is also a former member of the team. She is so passionate about dance team and the team she coaches, and she passed on so many tips for not only how the team is getting through Covid, but how they are utilizing…

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One of the most listened to episodes of the podcast was at the end of Season 2. It was during a very uncertain time of the pandemic, and I just picked up a microphone and started talking. This episode is done in that same spirit. I’m joined by Larkspur members Kayla and Natalie (our precious…

Rob Miller has influenced and guided the most successful and significant dance team coaches through Proactive Coaching, an organization that works with coaches to help them create character-based team cultures, provide a blueprint for team leadership, develop confident, tough-minded competitors, and train coaches for excellence and significance. He is one of my favorite speakers, and…

Kathryn gives some tips for turns in second, and suggestions for turn variations and combinations. The tutorial is followed by a super sassy and fun jazz combo to Waka Waka by Shakira. The combo has a double pirouette, and it’s also a great tempo to add one of Kathryn’s turn combos from the tutorial.

Kathryn gives some tips and tricks for turns that can be applied when working on Briana’s lyrical combo.

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Savannah Miller has had a baton in her hand for about as long as she can remember, and through tremendous dedication and hard work, she has won numerous titles on the national and world level, and was the featured twirler at the University of Arkansas, entertaining thousands. She also has worldwide acclaim when videos of…

The coaches of Millard North share their journey with this team that has been climbing the ranks at UDA Nationals! They share how they’ve gotten successful results, built a support system, and how they perfect routines. Planning their dance year: “We usually get our choreography in August or September. We are busy with football…

Lindsey Lococo is the coach and choreographer for the University of Illinois – Chicago Dancing Flames, but her fantastic choreo can also be seen on other high performing teams. She shares with us her choreo process, what she does to keep things fresh for game day, how she cleans routines, and she also shares some…

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In an effort to keep this topic at the forefront, our second episode in our FLOURISH with Larkspur series of the podcast discusses the sensitive topic of race again. This time I sit down and chat with Yvonne Cole, the longtime coach of the Lindbergh Flyerettes and Missouri Dance Team Association founder and board member,…

Check out DTU’s new virtual championship series, a brand new experience held virtually! You can compete with teams all over the country and there is no streaming fee for your fans! You’ll still get a master class, awards, interviews, highlights, and fan vote! Be bold, be authentic, be YOU! https://www.danceteamunion.com

Tasha Ruble shares her experience on many levels: talented dancer and performer, coach at the Big 12 powerhouse, the University of Kansas, and dance team competition judge. She’ll share tips on how to up your team’s game-day experience, how to prepare for and succeed at national competitions, and how to utilize male dance team members…

T.J. Maple’s dance team story is full of perseverance, hard work, and an untiring pursuit to better himself and the teams he works with. He also has an ability to create some of the most stunningly visual routines that win national titles. He is so generous with his knowledge and experience, and gives us so…

Kathryn gives some tips and tricks for increasing strength and technique for beginner level hip hop tricks that can be applied when learning Melanie Benner’s Hip Hop combo.

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Rob Miller has influenced and guided the most successful and significant dance team coaches through Proactive Coaching, an organization that works with coaches to help them create character-based team cultures, provide a blueprint for team leadership, develop confident, tough-minded competitors, and train coaches for excellence and significance. He is one of my favorite speakers, and…

I’ve heard from many coaches, choreographers, dancers and pretty much anyone involved with dance team who need some clarification on what exactly judges at a dance team competition are looking for. With the help of good friend and Larkspur colleague, Kayla Kernel, I break down categories that are present on just about every dance team…

Kathryn gives some tips and tricks for increasing strength and technique for pom motions that can be applied when working on her Pom Sideline.

We’re very excited about new FLOURISH themed episodes for this season’s podcast that will involve other important aspects of our lives besides dance. In our first FLOURISH episode, I welcome back my dear friend Iris Lynne Sherman, who gave us all some great advice from her long and varied career as a performer during a…

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Lindsey Lococo is the coach and choreographer for the University of Illinois – Chicago Dancing Flames, but her fantastic choreo can also be seen on other high performing teams. She shares with us her choreo process, what she does to keep things fresh for game day, how she cleans routines, and she also shares some…

Sara Heptig is the former head coach of the Olathe North Eaglettes, who have been national champions for not only NDA, but for DTU as well. She is the most passionate and caring coach I know and she was able to motivate her team with focus, positivity and an unparalleled service component that is sure…

Teri Rowe’s dance team experience goes way back! She has coached and judged dance teams at the middle school, high school, college and all-star levels for over 30 years. Her teams earned numerous state, national and world championships, and she has also served as the President and Vice President of the Washington State Dance/Drill Coaches…

Kathryn gives some tips and tricks for increasing flexibility that can be applied when working on a kick combo taught by Courtney.

Briana teaches a beautiful lyrical combo, demonstrated by Maegan, to Free Fallin’ Live at the Nokia Theatre by John Mayer.

Melanie Benner from Lindenwood Lion Line teaches a fun hip hop combo to What’s Poppin’ Remix

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T.J. Maple’s dance team story is full of perseverance, hard work, and an untiring pursuit to better himself and the teams he works with. He also has an ability to create some of the most stunningly visual routines that win national titles. He is so generous with his knowledge and experience, and gives us so…

We give each and every one of our customers a unique opportunity to represent themselves, their beliefs, and interests. We recognized a growing trend in the customization market but a void in the footwear department. We wanted to bridge that gap and open up the world of custom slides. Stand In What You Stand For is the…

Help your little dancers to be able to roll the bag themselves, and be able to change costumes in a private setting! Glam’r Gear’s mission is empowering dancers, performers, athletes, gymnasts, cheerleaders, pageant contenders, and MORE! Those expensive dance costumes deserve an awesome bag, right? Introducing Glam’r Gear! Glam’r Gear luggage is the new…

In this episode, I got to talk with Shan Stavropoulos, choreographer and coach for the Millard West dance team, which has been placing at the top level at UDA nationals for years now. I talked to Shan about how her very first year at nationals went and what she did to climb to the top…

Probably like anyone who is reading this, I have been a big fan of Karl Mundt and his work for a long time. This will go down as one of my absolute favorite podcast episodes because he did not disappoint me on any level, which you can’t always say about someone that you’ve admired when…

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We’re very excited about new FLOURISH themed episodes for this season’s podcast that will involve other important aspects of our lives besides dance. In our first FLOURISH episode, I welcome back my dear friend Iris Lynne Sherman, who gave us all some great advice from her long and varied career as a performer during a…

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Teri Rowe’s dance team experience goes way back! She has coached and judged dance teams at the middle school, high school, college and all-star levels for over 30 years. Her teams earned numerous state, national and world championships, and she has also served as the President and Vice President of the Washington State Dance/Drill Coaches…

On this episode of the podcast I talked with my dear friend Brett Elder. Brett and I go waaaaaay back. I busted him when he was a coach and I was a camp instructor and he broke the rule about getting food delivered to the dorm. He eventually started working for the company, and the…

When Carrie Smith offered to interview me so I could be the one to share my dance story, I was honored and thrilled! And then I was nervous. Right before I pushed send on the call where we were going to record the episode, I felt downright nauseous. A huge shoutout to any of the…

Kathryn teaches a pom sideline to Sweet Child of Mine, but it will fit a variety of songs.

We are so pleased to be partnering with Support Fund, a fantastic fundraising opportunity for teams that not only raises money, but also teaches team members valuable life skills! Below is an interview I did with Jacob Kent of Support Fund that highlights what this great company has to offer teams and coaches. Melanie: Our…

Have you noticed yet that dancers are a specific type of athlete and that they should be trained like one? At Dancer-fitness.com you can find hundreds of exercises and training plans designed exclusively for dancers. Whether its for more consistent turns, higher jumps or a stronger core, from beginner to advanced, dancer-fitness.com has you covered.…

In Your Parents Basement Productions is one of the industry leaders in music production for dance teams with unbeatable pricing and top notch quality music! Sept 4th – Nov 4th $40 off all music mixes! inyourparentsbasement.com IYPBProductions is a music production company that specializes in music for dance teams! We aim to provide a high…

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Karl Mundt has choreographed some of the most beautiful and memorable national championship routines for so many teams at the high school and college level. Not only is he amazingly talented, he is also amazingly generous and humble. I picked his brain and he provided so much knowledge and information! We talked about his dance…

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I’m joined by Carrie Smith, who was kind enough to offer up her services as interviewer so that I could finally share my own dance story, along with advice and tidbits of info that I’ve learned along the way. We talk about how I got started, my high school and college experiences, teaching dance camps…

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The first episode for Season 3 of the Larkspur Dance & Choreography will be uploaded next Tuesday, September 15th! Here’s a little preview of what to expect for our third season! Connect with Larkspur at the following links: Website: https://www.larkspurdance.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larkspurdance/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LarkspurDance/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LarkspurMelanie

Courtney teaches a fun kick combo to Icona Pop’s Clap Snap!

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It’s just me, Melanie, on the podcast today sharing what has inspired me during the pandemic and some more coping mechanisms. I got such a positive response to the first episode I did where it was just me, so I decided to share some more things that have really helped me. So glad others are…

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Carrie Smith’s dance team experience is vast, and includes coaching at Carlsbad High School and San Diego State, working for UDA for many years, and starting the National Dance Coaches Association. She is the perfect combination of insightful and hilarious, and there’s no question that she is amazingly generous and loves talking dance team and…

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For this episode, it’s just me, Melanie, sharing what I have done to cope with the pandemic for myself and my family, in hopes that this might help someone else. Connect with Larkspur at the following links: Website: https://www.larkspurdance.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larkspurdance/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LarkspurDance/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LarkspurMelanie