Podcast Notes

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…