Posts by larkadmin
A Chat With Denise Heilers – LDCPS4E9
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Denise Heilers is the long time coach of the Forest Park Dance Team. They hold 23 state titles total in pom, kick, and hip hop. They are also climbing the ranks on the national stage as well. With this talent and quality of performances, one would assume that they come from a really large school…
Read MoreA Chat With Danielle Schneider – LDCPS4E8
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Danielle Schneider is what I consider a triple threat in our industry: coach, judge, and state association leader. She has been a coach in the state of Oregon for many years so she has many ideas on what has worked in the areas of team management and culture. She is also an experienced and knowledgeable…
Read MoreA Chat With Gretchen Noack – LDCPS4E7
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Gretchen Noack is one of my favorite dance team people! She’s so warm and friendly and so very welcoming to everyone. She also really knows her stuff, having taught for USA for years, and judging dance teams across the country for even longer. She shares her unconventional dance story, what makes USA so special and…
Read MoreA Chat With Jenny Matthews – LDCPS4E6
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Jenny Matthews is from Lafayette, Lousiana, where she began her training at a young age. She was trained in all genres of dance but her true love is teaching. She brings over 30 years of experience and has been teaching competitively since 2003. In high school, she was a member of the St. Thomas More Sparklers…
Read MoreA Chat With Jennifer Whitford – LDCPS4E5
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Jennifer Whitford is an all around expert in so many facets of dance team. She’s been a dancer, an instructor, a coach at the high school and college level, a choreographer and a judge. Jennifer is now serving as head coach to The College of New Jersey Dance Team. She’s also a wonderfully kind, generous…
Read MoreA Chat With Bianca Caryl – LDCPS4E4
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Bianca Caryl is the coach of a major powerhouse, the Arizona State University Dance Team. I think listeners will be pleasantly surprised and inspired by Bianca’s approach to competition, building team culture, and her team’s purpose. She shares so much insight and advice from her wealth of knowledge and experience! Follow ASU Dance Team:…
Read MoreA Chat With Mo Klug – LDCPS4E3
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Mo Klug has lived on both sides of the country, but eventually settled here in the Midwest where we are so fortunate to have her. She talks about her varied background and dance experience and shares all kinds of great insights and advice on coaching. There are so many takeaways from this episode with Mo,…
Read MoreThe Confident Dancer Summit with Dr. Chelsea Pierotti – LDCPS4E2
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Join us for The Confident Dancer Summit August 6th – 8th, a free online conference for dance coaches and teachers! You will gain knowledge and skills to teach your dancers to believe in themselves, help your dancers take the stage with confidence, boost your confidence as the educator, learn from a community of like-minded educators…
Read MoreThe World Goes On: A Collaboration with country music artist Jamie O’Neal
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We are so excited to announce the release of this collaborative project between Larkspur, Jamie O’Neal and college dance teams around the country during this pandemic! Jamie’s song The World Goes On was released at the height of Covid, and it inspired us to create beautiful movement, and to reach out and make connections with…
Read MoreA Chat With Gretchen Jost – LDCPS3E26
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Gretchen Jost is the coach of the national championship team West Fargo Packatahnas. We talked about all kinds of great dance team stuff including how she has handled the pandemic with her team, planning a “normal” dance team year, building team culture, teaching skills and conditioning, cleaning routines, virtual competition tips, improving performances before and…
Read MoreA Chat With Mishra Keller – LDCPS3E25
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Mishra Keller has been a competitive cheerleader, dancer, choreographer, instructor and judge so her perspective comes from years of experience. Her perspective is also unique because she through her company Nutrisults, she offers a holistic approach that beautifully translates into dance teams, individual dancers, choreographers, and coaches. We talk about choreography, improving routines and maximizing…
Read MoreApolla Performance
We created the sock we needed as dancers, and ended up with the best sock in the world for everyone. We’re an all female owned company that created this company from the ground up to change the world of what people wear on their feet. We’ve spent years developing the perfect, game-changing, sustainable sock. Our…
Read MoreA Chat With Apolla’s Brianne Zborowski – LDCPS3E24
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Brianne Zborowski has a lot of experience in dance as a performer, instructor, and cofounder of successful competition teams in multiple states. Brianne received her B.S. in Business Management with an emphasis on Management and Marketing from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan while teaching dance and working in the family business. She moved to Los…
Read MoreA Chat With Jodi Maxfield – LDCPS3E23
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Jodi Maxfield danced as a Cougarette at Brigham Young University back in the day, but as a coach of that program for 30 years, she built the program into the internationally celebrated and acclaimed powerhouse that it is today. This legend shared so many valuable pieces of advice, tidbits of info, and all kinds of…
Read MoreFLOURISH with Larkspur – Race Relations with Adrian Singletary & Book Club Follow Up with Iris Lynne Sherman
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I’m so pleased to have Dr. Adrian Singletary on the podcast! He’s been an athlete, a coach, an athletic director, and an administrator, but my favorite role of his is that of our Natalie’s husband. We spend a little time talking about what those of us in dance team want to know: motivating our dancers,…
Read MoreA Chat With Coree Smith – LDCPS3E21
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Coree Smith has extensive dance team experience as a performer, choreographer, instructor, and judge. Although she is an expert in this field, she is still a very enthusiastic, lifelong learner when it comes to dance team, and her positivity is contagious. Her routines have won more than 65 state championships in Iowa alone over the…
Read MoreMelanie’s 50th Birthday Episode Pt. 2
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I’m joined by the wonderful Nick Clement as guest cohost as we’re continuing to celebrate this milestone birthday. We talked about surprises that this podcast has brought and some choreo successes and failures. Then I spilled the tea or brought the juice or whatever the cool cats are saying these days, by sharing some details…
Read MoreMelanie’s 50th Birthday Episode Pt. 1
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On today’s episode of the podcast, my dear friend, talented choreographer, king of kick, and guest cohost extraordinaire Nick Clement asked me the questions and I gave the answers! It’s a very forward looking episode, as I spent a great deal of time talking about where I see Larkspur in 10 years and things I’d…
Read MoreA Sequel Chat With Sara Heptig – LDCPS3E18
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Sara Heptig coached the Olathe North Eaglettes for years, leading them to national championships for two different brands. She is now coaching the Kansas State University Classy Cats, a role she cherishes because she too was a Classy Cat during her time at K-State! We talk about her journey to secure that coaching position, which…
Read MoreCovid Coping Mechanisms – What’s Next? LDCPS3E17
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In this episode, I talk with my dear friend, long time educator, guidance counselor and dance team coach Shelley McCain about what she has seen that has worked when dealing with the Covid pandemic, the effects on our dancers we’re going to witness, and how to deal with this situation both in the present and…
Read MoreA Chat With Dave Sanchez – LDCPS3E16
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Dave Sanchez, also known as Dazzman, ran a wildly popular Yahoo Group dedicated to dance team, and he was known for accurately predicting outcomes of competitions on a national level. Many did not know that Dazzman is also a Harvard educated attorney whose passion for dance team started in a really unique way. He’ll also…
Read MoreVideo Tips For Virtual Competitions – LDCPS3E15
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Missouri Dance Team Association President and experienced dance team judge Brett Elder and I share helpful tips and advice for showing your team’s routines in the best possible light via video for virtual competitions. You can submit routines for video feedback only or to have them considered for the Show-Me State Showcase for $60/team…
Read MoreA Chat With Kate Ridge – LDCPS3E14
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Kate Ridge is from Australia, and that’s where she currently resides, but she spent years here in the United States, and during that time she was a performer, instructor, choreographer and judge. Her experience isn’t limited to America and Australia though. She has also worked in other countries including China and Korea. I picked her…
Read MoreSavannah Miller
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…
Read MoreA Chat With Rachelle Kiehle – LDCPS3E13
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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…
Read MoreA Chat With Katie Groven of Dancer Fitness – LDCPS3E12
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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…
Read MoreHip Hop Combo 2
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.
Read MorePerformance Makeup and Skincare with Kayla
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…
Read MoreFLOURISH with Larkspur – Race Relations With Yvonne Cole
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,…
Read MoreA Chat With Mallori Walker – LDCPS3E11
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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…
Read MoreBONUS Episode: Pumpin’ The Brakes With Larkspur
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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…
Read MoreRob Miller
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…
Read MoreAdvanced Turns
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.
Read MoreBeginner Turns
Kathryn gives some tips and tricks for turns that can be applied when working on Briana’s lyrical combo.
Read MoreA Chat With Savannah Miller – LDCPS3E9
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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…
Read MoreAndrea Feltz & Mila O’Brien
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…
Read MoreLindsey Lococo
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…
Read MoreFLOURISH with Larkspur – Race Relations with Yvonne Cole
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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,…
Read MoreDance Team Union
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
Read MoreTasha Ruble
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…
Read MoreT.J. Maple
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…
Read MoreHip Hop Tricks
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.
Read MoreA Chat With Rob Miller – LDCPS3E7
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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…
Read MoreWhat Judges Are Looking For
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…
Read MorePom Motions
Kathryn gives some tips and tricks for increasing strength and technique for pom motions that can be applied when working on her Pom Sideline.
Read MoreFLOURISH – Iris Lynne Sherman
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…
Read MoreA Chat With Lindsey Lococo – LDCPS3E6
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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…
Read MoreSara Heptig
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…
Read MoreTeri Rowe
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…
Read MoreFlexibility
Kathryn gives some tips and tricks for increasing flexibility that can be applied when working on a kick combo taught by Courtney.
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