Posts Tagged ‘dance competition’
DTU – Iowa
It was an awesome day at the Iowa Regional for DTU! I love judging for this organization! …
Read MoreNew Larkspur Services
We’re excited to announce the successful rollout of two new Larkspur services this year! The first is the administration of tryouts/auditions for dance teams. Having us come in and handle clinics and tryouts for your team will make a process that is oftentimes a strain and stressor actually more enjoyable for coaches. It will also…
Read MoreCongrats to the KC Classic Crew!
We are very lucky to have a very special group helping out at our competition called The KC Classic Crew! Most of them were former competitors at the KC Classic and now dance on their college teams. Congratulations to these dancers that are near and dear to our hearts! It was great cheering you on!…
Read MoreKC Classic Teams Year-End Recap
The school year is coming to an end so it’s a good time to take a look back and recognize some great achievements from the teams that came to The Kansas City Classic! Congratulations to all the teams on all their accomplishments! It’s been a joy cheering for you and watching you soar! Best of…
Read MoreIHSDTA State
A huge thank you to the Indiana High School Dance Team Association for having me out to judge this season! I LOVE THE HOOSIER STATE! They SHOW ME so much love! (See what I did there?) And now that I’ve had a week to decompress, and the opportunity to allow people who take better photos…
Read MoreMDTA State Championship
It was another great year at the Family Arena! Thank you to all the board members, coaches, teams, judges, staff, spectators…EVERYONE who made the day go so well! I love Missouri and its dance teams and I’m so proud to be a part of it. And I’m so proud of The Kansas City Classic teams!…
Read MoreDTU Nationals
What a weekend! I was so happy for dear friends who took some major risks and huge leaps of faith to start their own competition from the ground up. So much thought and preparation are behind just the vision itself, and what they wanted Dance Team Union to be. To see it all come to…
Read MoreDance Team Union
I was happy to judge for Dance Team Union again, this time in Louisiana. I fell in love with Baton Rouge! When some moms that were running concessions asked where I was from, and I told them Kansas City, Missouri, they said, “Oh, so you’re pretty much Southern.” I considered that one of the best…
Read MoreMiss Kansas Drill Team Festival 2018
I had a fantastic time once again at the Miss Kansas Drill Team Festival! I love this contest for so many reasons. It has such a rich history. I think the first MKDTF was in 1985 or maybe even earlier! There is so much dance team talent in the state of Kansas, and that talent…
Read More2017 Kansas City Classic
It was a great day for dance teams at the 2017 Kansas City Classic! Thank you so much to the teams who participated, the soloists, the duos, the ensembles, the Sapphires, their coaches, their parents, the judges, the KC Classic Crew, and all the spectators who came to support these wonderful dancers! Click here for…
Read MoreThe ONE Love Movement
I was so excited and honored to be a part of this fantastic event again this year at Olathe North! The O.N.E. Love Movement has been inspired by Kristin Sudeikis, an Olathe North alum who is now an artistic director and choreographer. Their mission is to unite local dancers in the Kansas City area in…
Read MoreDance Team Union
I had the best time last weekend judging for DTU! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of the Pella, Iowa competition! I can’t say enough good things about this organization. It was started by some really awesome people who are no strangers to the dance team world to fulfill a need…
Read MoreIHSDTA Fall Coaches’ Conference
Many thanks to the Indiana High School Dance Team Association for having me as a speaker at their Fall Coaches’ Conference! I enjoyed being a part of the judge training and talking to coaches on “upping their coaching game.” Thank you, coaches, for all you do! Your fantastic work with these kids is benefitting them…
Read More2016-17 State and Nationals Dance Team Recap
STATE This year brought so much growth to The Kansas City Classic teams and it was awesome to watch and, in some cases, participate in this growth! All the credit should be given to the dancers and their dedicated coaches. Congratulations to the following KC Classic teams on their placements at the Missouri State Dance Team…
Read MoreIHSDTA 2017
Many thinks once again to the Indiana High School Dance Team Association for having me as a judge this season! I always enjoy my time in the Hoosier State. So much talent and hospitality! I was very touched and honored when IHSDTA Judging Coordinator Kelly Berheide referred to me as an honorary Hoosier and when she says that I…
Read MoreMissouri State Dance Team Championship
It took me a couple of days to recover from my Site Coordinator job for the Missouri State Dance Team Championship this past weekend. What a great couple days of dance, highlighting all the fantastic talent from our fabulous state! My favorite moments: Seeing past and present Kansas City Classic dancers! They’ve gone on to…
Read MoreMiss Kansas Drill Team Festival 2017
I think the theme for Miss Kansas this year was flexibility, and if it wasn’t, then it should have been. In it’s long history, this is the first time the competition had to cancel due to an impending ice storm that brought the entire Kansas City area to a standstill, while we all waited for…
Read More2016 Kansas City Classic
It was a great day for dance teams at the 2016 Kansas City Classic! Thank you so much to the teams who participated, the soloists, the ensembles, the Sapphires, their coaches, their parents, the judges, and all the spectators who came to support these wonderful dancers! Click here for the results. It’s going to be another…
Read MoreIHSDTA Competitions
Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart to the Indiana High School Dance Team Association for having me and Kayla judge invitationals, regionals and state this year! There is so much talent in the state, AND I’ve met so many great people there as well. It was a fantastic competition…
Read MoreMissouri Dance Team Championship
We love Missouri and its dance teams! The weekend started on Friday with the solo competition. Kayla, Natalie and Fallon got to help judge 82 solos. I’m very proud of some KC Classic dancers who placed in the top half of their class: Freshman Solos: Katie Rhodus, Kearney 1st Alaina Lee, Liberty North 2nd JoAnna…
Read MoreKansas Competitions
I was so happy to be asked to judge the Miss Kansas Dance and Drill Team Festival this year! It’s such a neat contest! I love how the director, Gail Holder, always makes it about something more than trophies. This year the focus was on being present (put away those phones and really connect!), remembering…
Read More2015 Kansas City Classic
It was a great day for dance teams at the 2015 Kansas City Classic! Our fifth year was held in the brand new field house at Liberty High School. Thank you so much to the teams who participated, the soloists, the ensembles, the Sapphires, their coaches, their parents, the judges, and all the spectators who…
Read MoreAerial Sessions at Voler!
The aerial sessions for the Overall High Point Winners at The Kansas City Classic have begun! A huge thank you to our good friend Rachel at Voler for being so awesome and supportive of Larkspur and The Kansas City Classic since day one, AND for being such a great teacher! During the sessions, she taught the…
Read MoreThank you, IHSDTA!
I’m so grateful to the Indiana High School Dance Team Association for having me again this year to judge invitationals, regionals and state! It was like I “wintered” in Indiana, and I loved every minute of it. IHSDTA has really grown into quite the powerhouse organization, and I always learn so much from some really…
Read MoreMDTA State Solo Competition
Kansas City Classic teams were also well represented in the first ever Missouri Dance Team Championship Solo Competiton! In the Sophomore Division, Tanner Frisbey from William Chrisman High School won 1st and Megan Bishop from Blue Springs South won 2nd! You can see a great piece Fox 4 did on Tanner right here. In the…
Read MoreMissouri Dance Team Championship
Congratulations to all the Kansas City Classic teams who participated in the Missouri Dance Team Championship (commonly referred to as “state” in these parts.) We are so pleased with how well our teams did, whether they used our choreo, had us out for a perfecting session (“cleaning” in these parts), or just came to our…
Read MoreMiss Kansas Drill Team Festival
Many thanks to Gail Holder and the Olathe South Golden Girls for having me back to judge the Miss Kansas Drill Team Festival January 16th and 17th! I loved it again this year! It’s my favorite non-competition competition. 🙂 I think there were 45 teams from Kansas, and at least a million solos. I’m exaggerating,…
Read MoreMDTA Coaches Conference
It was a pleasure presenting at the Missouri Dance Team Association’s Fall Coaches Conference! I saw some fabulous familiar faces, and met some new ones as well. Thanks so much to Brett Elder, President of MDTA, and the executive board for having me again. Below are links to my presentation “What Judges Are Looking For.”…
Read MoreLarkspur Scholarship Winner Ashtyn Scruggs
Congratulations to Ashtyn Scruggs for being selected as the 2013 winner of the Allyn Schwinn Scholarship! Ashtyn has not only overcome a physical deformity at birth that made doctors doubtful she would ever be able to dance, but also a broken back, the result of an accident her sophomore year. With hard work and dedication,…
Read MoreSummer of 2014
Summer flew by and I was a terribly lazy blogger, so I’m going to just do one big, fat blog post now. Kayla and I choreographed a pom routine for an adorable team that we love. Here’s what the choreo sessions looked like: I did actually snap a photo of all the Hello Kitty stuff…
Read MoreThank you, Headliners!
I had a really great time judging for Headliners in Orlando, Florida! What a great company! Here’s a link so you can check it out. So many great things! National titles, agency representation, college scholarships, charity involvement. The list goes on and on. And it’s run by some wonderful people! The following is a PDF…
Read MoreKC Classic Teams’ Aerial Sessions at Voler
Teams that compete at the Kansas City Classic have the opportunity to win placements in their division. And if they win 1st, they get a complimentary aerial session with our good friend Rachel McMeachin at Voler Aerial Academy. These sessions are so much fun! I’m so pleased to be able to share this really cool…
Read MoreDance Team Judging
It was a busy season! Thanks so much to Shelley McCain at Lee’s Summit North for having Cassie, Kayla, and Fallon judge solos again at the LSN Invitational. And many thanks to the Indiana High School Dance Team Association for having me judge the Kahler Invitational, North Regional, South Regional and State! I really, really…
Read MoreMissouri State Dance Team Championship
Congratulations to The Kansas City Classic teams who earned well-deserved trophies at the Missouri 2014 Dance Team Championship this past Saturday, February 16th at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri! Barstow: 2nd Place 1A Hip Hop, 4th Place 1A Dance Pembroke Hill: 2nd Place 2A Dance, 3rd Place 2A Pom, 3rd Place Overall in 2A…
Read MoreMiss Kansas Drill Team Festival
Many thanks to Gail Holder, coach of the amazing Olathe South Golden Girls, for asking me to judge the Miss Kansas Drill Team Festival! It was a great experience! I had never had the opportunity to judge in Kansas before, so that was pretty neat. They don’t rank their teams over there as 1st, 2nd,…
Read More2013 Kansas City Classic Highlight Reel
Check out photos taken by Camera Girl Images at this year’s Kansas City Classic! Ordering info at the end of the reel.
Read More2013 Kansas City Classic Results
It was a great day!!! 33 teams, 400 dancers, 8 hours of dance! Photos coming soon! In the meantime, here are the results for the 2013 Kansas City Classic. 2013 Results
Read MoreLarkspur Scholarship Winner Olivia Wheat
Our smart little philanthropic dance powerhouse from Lee’s Summit North High School, Miss Olivia Wheat, will be going to Drury University this fall where she will pursue a degree in Elementary Education (I know! This former teacher is so excited!) with a minor in Special Education and Spanish. Olivia was a member of the awesome…
Read MoreHeadliners Dance Competition
I was very excited to be asked to judge a regional competition for Headliners! It’s a national company that has a lot of regional competitions, and then a national competition at the end of their season. I loved that it’s a family business run by a former dance studio owner, and how the awards weren’t…
Read MoreIHSDTA State Championship!!!
Many thanks to the Indiana High School Dance Team Association for having me out to judge this competition season! I thoroughly enjoyed going to the Chicago area for the Munster and Lake Central Invitationals and the Indianapolis area for Crawfordsville and State. (Got to hang out with Donnette and Mishra at State, but not near…
Read MoreMDTA State Championship!!!
Congratulations to The Kansas City Classic teams who earned well-deserved trophies at the Missouri 2013 Dance Team Championship this past Saturday, February 23rd at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri! Maryville: 2nd Place 1A Kick, 2nd Place 1A Pom Pembroke Hill: 4th Place 1A Mix, 4th Place 1A Pom, 2nd Place Overall in 1A…
Read More2013 LSN Invitational
A big thank you to Shelley McCain for having Larkspur judge the Lee’s Summit North Invitational again this year! 51 dance teams from Missouri and Kansas, a ton of solos, ensembles, and even more team performances. It was a great day! And a big congratulations goes out to all the Kansas City Classic teams! They…
Read MoreThe 2012 Kansas City Classic
It was a great day at the 2012 Kansas City Classic! A huge thank you to all the teams, their coaches, parents, judges…..we are so grateful to everyone who made it successful! You can see highlight reels and results on the Kansas City Classic page by clicking on the photo of the logo to the…
Read MoreMDTA Fall Coaches Conference
I was very happy to present a session called “What Judges Are Looking For” at the first ever Missouri Dance Team Association Fall Coaches Conference! It was so much fun hanging out with local dance team coaches and learning from them. I decided last year after working with so many awesome coaches that The Kansas…
Read MoreLarkspur Performance at 2012 Silpada National Convention
Many thanks to our good friend and aerial instructor Rachel McMeachin of Voler-Thieves of Flight for including us when she was tapped to put together performers for the 2012 Silpada National Convention! We had so much fun, and were so proud to perform alongside amazing aerialists from Voler, dancers from Alvin Ailey, bungee performers from…
Read MoreGood Luck to Larkspur Scholarship Winners!
We’re so proud of our scholarship winners who are headed off to their first year of college! A big congratulations to Melody Roberts of Raymore-Peculiar High School who was awarded the Larkspur Scholarship. She takes her diabetes in stride while she made excellent grades, worked part time, danced at a local studio, and performed with…
Read MoreSwingin’ From The Rafters With Ray-Pec!
At our dance team competition, The Kansas City Classic, the lovely and talented Raymore Peculiar Prowlers earned the most points making them the overall grand champions! As their grand prize, we provided them with an introductory aerial lesson with our good friend Rachel McMeachin of Voler-Thieves of Flight. They came to Rachel’s loft on a…
Read MoreCongratulations to The Kansas City Classic Teams! pt. 2
We got the opportunity to work some fabulous teams who participated in The Kansas City Classic by choreographing for them, or helping them prepare their routines for competition. We wanted to give them a special “congratulations” and let them know how much we enjoyed our time with them, and how proud we were of their…
Read MoreCongratulations to The Kansas City Classic Teams!
Wow! What a day! There was a great showing from teams who participated in The Kansas City Classic at the Missouri 2012 Dance Team Championship! So proud of each and every one of them! Congratulations!
Read MoreWe Don’t Judge….well, we kinda do….
The dance team competition season has come to a close, and we were so blessed and fortunate to be a part of a lot of great competitions this year serving as judges, watching teams perform our choreography, and helping to prepare teams for competition day! I am always so amazed at the talent level of…
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