issue 19b 4-11-14

12
T he 69th annual Rangerette Revels continues at 7 p.m. Saturday in Dodson Auditorium. The show is entitled “Get Your Move On” and resembles a combination of “Dancing With the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” A viewer could easily mistake sitting in Dodson Auditorium with feeling like a part of a live studio audience. “Get Your Move On” is dedicated to Joyce Pennington, president and CEO of American Dance/Drill Team and Honorary Lifetime Member of Rangerette Forevers. She has actively supported the Rangerettes for about 30 years through multiple projects. The Flare Vol. 77 No. 19 Friday, April 11, 2014 Austin Head, manager and Voice of the Rangerettes, and Kim Jackson Wheeler, former Rangerette, host the show. They play themselves instead of characters and keep the show rolling. “They wanted it to be real people that have a role in the organization,” Head said. “I’m The Voice of the Rangerettes, so I think it just fits better that way.” Ten teams consisting of dancers from drill teams across the state are being included in the show. During each performance, two teams will compete against each other and a panel of judges will critique their number. Brad Anderson, Shelley Wayne, jon Fisher, Afton Fox See PREVIEW on Page 8B REVELS B SECTION SPECIAL EDITION Sonia Garza / THE FLARE Taylor Mackintosh salutes the audience during “Anything Goes.” Get Your Move On Kristopher Dobbins / THE FLARE Jordan Baird ÅPWZ K\YPUN [OL :^PUNZ[LY KHUJL ¸*Y`Z[HSSPaL 4HZO <W¹ (UU\HS ZWYPUN WLYMVYTHUJL [HRLZ NHTLZOV^ MVYTH[ ASHLEY MORALES • Executive Editor

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The special Revels edition of Kilgore College's award winning student newspaper.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Issue 19B 4-11-14

The 69th annual Rangerette Revels continues at 7 p.m. Saturday in Dodson Auditorium.The show is entitled “Get Your Move On” and resembles a combination of

“Dancing With the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” A viewer could easily mistake sitting in Dodson Auditorium with feeling like a part of a live studio audience.“Get Your Move On” is dedicated to Joyce Pennington, president and CEO of

American Dance/Drill Team and Honorary Lifetime Member of Rangerette Forevers. She has actively supported the Rangerettes for about 30 years through multiple projects.

The Flare

Vol. 77 No. 19

Friday, April 11, 2014

Austin Head, manager and Voice of the Rangerettes, and Kim Jackson Wheeler, former Rangerette, host the show. They play themselves instead of characters and keep the show rolling.“They wanted it to be real people that have a role in the organization,” Head said. “I’m The Voice of the Rangerettes, so I think it just fits better that way.”

Ten teams consisting of dancers from drill teams across the state are being included in the show. During each performance, two teams will compete against each other and a panel of judges will critique their number.Brad Anderson, Shelley Wayne, jon Fisher, Afton Fox

See PREVIEW on Page 8B

REVELSB

SECTION

SPECIAL EDITION

Sonia Garza / THE FLARE

Taylor Mackintosh salutes the audience during “Anything Goes.”

Get Your Move On

Kristopher Dobbins / THE FLARE

Jordan Baird ÅPWZ�K\YPUN�[OL�:^PUNZ[LY�KHUJL�¸*Y`Z[HSSPaL�4HZO�<W�¹

(UU\HS�ZWYPUN�WLYMVYTHUJL�[HRLZ�NHTL�ZOV^�MVYTH[ASHLEY MORALES • Executive Editor

Page 2: Issue 19B 4-11-14

REVELSFRIDAY, APRIL 11, 20142B

MAEGAN MITCHELL

Senior Writer

The 69th annual Rangerette Revels, “Get Your Move

On,” is dedicated to Joyce Pennington, president, CEO and owner of the American Dance/Drill Team School headquartered in Salado.

Pennington has been an active supporter of the Rangerettes for more than 30 years.

Though Pennington is not a former Rangerette, she was named an honorary Rangerette Forever because of her support.

Some of her endeavors include raising money for Rangerette scholarships through the Gussie Nell Davis Dance Classic Competition, Rangerette Revelation Dance Intensive and several other support work efforts, totaling approximately $130,000.

The announcement of the dedication was made in January at the Rangerette Revelation Convention.

“It is something I will never forget,” Pennington said. “I know what an honor it is, and I am humbled they thought to dedicate the show to me.”

Pennington’s passion first started as a member of the Haltom High School Highsteppers.

“I was always looking for something growing up to spark a passion in my heart, and high school drill team did exactly that. I regret not trying out for the Rangerettes. I just didn’t have a mentor to tell me about them. I knew about them, but I didn’t know

enough to take the risk and try out,” Pennington said. “I always encourage my best dancers to try out because I know I missed out on a great opportunity.”

Pennington started the Rangerette Revelations to provide an opportunity for young women who have an interest in the Rangerettes to attend the Intensive.

“I wanted any girl who wanted to learn more to be able to attend the Intensive, which is directed by Rangerette officers and directors,” Pennington said. “I wanted to hopefully stimulate some interest and give them courage to try out.”

In 1958, Gussie Nell Davis and Dr. Irving Dreibrodt started the Salado school. In the 1970s, Pennington was chosen to be an instructor, making her one of the first non-Rangerette instructors.

In 1982, Pennington was asked by Davis to be the executive vice president and in 1984, Pennington and her husband, C.R. Pennington, approached Davis and Dreibrodt about purchasing the company.

“Miss Davis inspired me because she dedicated her whole life to the Rangerettes. We wanted to make sure that we carried on the legacy that they started,” Pennington said.

Pennington plans to attend all five shows along with family, friends and high school teammates.

“I can’t wait to see the show,” Pennington said. “I think it is fitting to focus on dance and its role in the media through television.”

Submitted photo / THE FLAREJoyce Pennington, right, has helped raised approximately $130,000 in scholarships for Rangerettes. She is shown here with Miss Gussie Nell Davis, and Dr. Irving Dreibrodt, founders of the American Dance/Drill Team School, of which she now is president and owner.

69th Revels dedicated to Pennington

Rangerettes

Front Row (from left): Austin Head, Josh Burton and Jesse Partin; Second Row (from left): Ryan Reinert, Zane Zimmerman, Cody Davis and Jacob Estel

(From left):�3[��4HKPZVU�/HUJVJR��3[��2HJPL�:[HUÄLSK��*HW[��1LUUH�/LSK\ZLY��3[��)YLHUUH�Burns and Lt. Ashlee Cloud

Managers

Directors

Photos by O. Rufus Lovett / SPECIAL TO THE FLARE

6MÄJLYZ

Director Dana Blair Assistant Director Shelley Wayne

Page 3: Issue 19B 4-11-14

REVELS FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014 3B

Captain shares Rangerette traditions with mother

Dancingacross

generationsELLEN REID

Staff Writer

There is something

special when there

is an experience

one can share

with someone else,

especially between a

mother and a daughter. Rangerette

captain Jenna Helduser of College

Station has been able to share

the opportunity of being a world

famous Rangerette and officer

with her mother.

Janet Helduser was a Rangerette

from 1974-1976, and served as Left

End Lieutenant her sophomore

year.

“My most favorite things that

my mom would tell me about

Rangerettes are all of her stories

about the fun she had living in the

dorm with her classmates,” Jenna

said.

Growing up with these

stories, and knowing about the

Rangerettes, Jenna said becoming

a Rangerette had been a dream of

hers as long as she can remember.

“The organization has always

played an important role in my

life, but I knew it was what I

really wanted to pursue when I

was a sophomore in high school,”

Jenna said.

Jenna has been dancing since she

was 3 but really started to immerse

herself in it and began competing

when she was about 8.

Her favorite thing about being

a Rangerette that she has been

able to share with her mom is the

football performances, specifically

the officer strut.

“It is such a rare and unique

feeling to hear the first ‘dada,’ do

the kick off, and stride down the

field,” Jenna said. “It is really

special to know that I share the

same overwhelming emotion with

my mom, and that she knows

exactly how I felt.”

Jenna also said that her mom

has given her numerous pieces

of advice when it comes to

Rangerettes.

“She always encourages me to

enjoy every second that I can,

whether it can be a trial or a

triumph,” Jenna said.

Not only does the Helduser family

have close ties to Rangerettes, but

they also are Aggie fans.

Janet is a senior program

coordinator for the School of

Rural Public Health at Texas A&M

University.

She manages research projects

and writes grants for the

university.

Jenna’s dad, Jim Bob Helduser,

was a football coach at Texas A&M

University from 2003-2007.

“That’s how we ended up in

College Station,” Jenna said.

Jim Bob passed away during

Jenna’s sophomore year of high

school, when she was 16.

Jenna goes back to drill team and

explains that it is another reason

it is so special to her; drill team is

what helped get her through that

time.

“My high school drill team was

my rock,” Jenna said. “That is

something that is so incredibly

special about drill team. The

support you find in your fellow

classmates is unmatchable in any

other organization.”

Jenna said that her parents

instilled in her a strong faith,

which is a major part of who she

is today. She tries to make her faith

the backbone of everything she

does.

“They also instilled in me to

work hard toward my goals,

which has proven true so many

times in Rangerette,” Jenna

said. She said her parents they

taught her to love others and to

make relationships count, which

she says is also important in

Rangerettes.

With her sophomore year coming

to a close, Jenna will be returning

to College Station in the fall to

attend A&M as a kinesiology

major with a minor in dance. She

said once she graduates, she plan

to get her master’s degree.

Jenna said that being a

Rangerette has provided many

valuable lessons.

“First to strive every day to

be better than you were the day

before in all aspects of your life,”

Jenna said. “Secondly, one of the

keys to success is to surround

yourself with people who are

supportive and positive.”

Kristopher Dobbins / THE FLARE

Rangerette Captain Jenna Helduser performs her solo “Collecting Days.”

Kristopher Dobbins / THE FLARE

Rangerette Captain Jenna Helduser holds the “Kilgore College Rangerette 50 Years of Excellence 1940-1990” featuring the year her mother was Left End Lieutenant Rangerette.

Page 4: Issue 19B 4-11-14

Tory Van Blarcum / THE FLARE

Randi Vinson-Davis / THE FLARE

Afton Fox-Beadles, jon Fisher and Shelley Wayne give the boot to “Get Your Move On” hopefuls.

Making Revels history

10 high school drill teams to share stage

^P[O�9HUNLYL[[LZ�MVY�ÄYZ[�[PTL�PU�OPZ[VY`DEZIRAE BURNETT

Assistant Editor

For the first time in Rangerette Revels history, the Rangerettes will share their spring show with 10 high school drill teams.

On Jan. 25, a special announcement was made on all Rangerette social media accounts, inviting high school teams across the state of Texas to audition to be featured as special, guest performers in the show.

Each team was asked to audition by video submission.

Guidelines for audition routines were not made public; however teams were instructed to only submit an audition tape featuring the routine that they would perform in the show, if chosen.

The deadline for video submissions was Feb. 14.

On Feb. 27. the final decision was posted on Rangerette social media accounts.

The 10 guest teams are: • Langham Creek HS• Westlake HS• Lufkin HS• Allen HS• Westbrook HS• Lake Travis HS• Kilgore HS• A&M Consolidated HS• Robert E. Lee HS• Bowie HS

For each Revels performance, two of these teams compete against each other as part of the Dancing With the Stars/So You Think You Can Dance style of the show.

After each team performs their routine, they assemble, center stage, to receive live critiques from the panel of three judges: Assistant Director of the Rangerettes Shelley Wayne, guest

choreographer Afton Fox-Beadles and former Revels host jon Fisher/guest judge Brad Anderson

Before intermission, the teams return to the stage for the announcement of the winner.

The winning team for each performance will be presented with a memorial plaque, commemorating their making history as a first for Rangerette Revels.

REVELSFRIDAY, APRIL 11, 20144B

CHECKUS OUT ONINSTAGRAM'[OLÅHYLVUSPUL

Page 5: Issue 19B 4-11-14

Kristopher Dobbins / THE

FLARE

Randi Vinson-Davis / THE FLARE

Laura Hernadez / THE FLARE

Maria Zapata / THE FLARE

Randi Vinson-Davis / THE FLARE

Randi Vinson-Davis / THE FLARE

Ally Honeycutt

performs during the Sophomore Swingster

routine “Crystallize Mash Up.”

A Freshman Rangerette performs “Step Out.”

*HW[HPU�1LUUH�/LSK\ZLYsalutes during “Anything Goes.”

Ally Honeycutt hits her ending pose during “Move Like You Stole It.”

Shadows spread across the stage from a pair of tap dance shoes during “Anything Goes.”

The Rangerette sign drops at the end of every performance

REVELS FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014 5B

momentsMoving

Page 6: Issue 19B 4-11-14

FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 20146B REVELS

Sara Holmes / THE FLARE

Freshmen Rangerettes lean back in unison during “Step Out.”

Kristopher Dobbins / THE FLARE

Sonia Garza / THE FLARE

Emily Dheil leaps high during one of the “Alice in Wonderland” productions.

A line of tap-dancers hit the stage during “Anything Goes.”

Sara Holmes / THE FLARE

Ally Honeycutt leads a line of caterpillars during the Caterpillar/Chesire Cat segment.

Page 7: Issue 19B 4-11-14

REVELS FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014 7B

Inside LookGet Your Move On

Sara Holmes / THE FLARE

Freshmen Rangerettes lean back in unison during “Step Out.”

Sonia Garza / THE FLARE

A line of tap-dancers hit the stage during “Anything Goes.”

Randi Vinson-Davis / THE FLARE

Shelby Ragland / THE FLARE

Sara Holmes / THE FLARE

Laura Hernandez / THE FLARE

Michael Brown / THE FLARE

Director Dana Blair provides advice during a rehearsal.

Heather Manskey and Marli Kimball get their move on during “Crystallize Mash Up.”

Ally Honeycutt leads a line of caterpillars during the Caterpillar/Chesire Cat segment.

Tori Boaze and Robin Richardson beguile the audience during “Eyes.”

Abigail Jamar, Sarah Doman and Emily Dheil perform during “Teach Me How to Be Loved.”

Michael Brown / THE FLARE

Kim Jackson Wheeler and Austin Head are emcee and master of ceremonies respectively for Revels.

Page 8: Issue 19B 4-11-14

Freshman Rangerette shares her experiences in the KH`Z�SLHKPUN�\W�[V�OLY�ÄYZ[�9L]LSZ�WLYMVYTHUJL

Kristopher Dobbins / THE FLAREMagnolia freshman Jordan Baird shares her thoughts, experiences and emotions during her journey [V�[OL������9HUNLYL[[L�9L]LSZ�

JORDAN BAIRD • Staff Writer

Fresh perspective

FOLLOW JORDANTo read more about her Rangerette experience, go to www.wonderbread74.tumblr.com

REVELSFRIDAY, APRIL 11, 20148B

It becomes more real every single day. We have spent hours on every dance. We have cleaned and cleaned and cleaned again all of the things that we thought were perfect months ago.

As the week that seemed to go on forever ends, and we enter the week of Revels it is hard to even fathom what we are about to go through as freshmen Rangerettes.

...Not a Rangerette was stirring… What am I kidding? All the Rangerettes are on edge. We are finishing door decorations and catching up on homework so we don’t fall behind this week. We are making memories and laughing together before it ends. We are living these moments like they are our last.

It went by so fast.. all the sophomores tell you at the beginning to live in the moment and to enjoy every single second of being a freshman because you never get to do it again. As a freshman you think they are crazy, because of the rules we must obey and the things that come with time. But looking back I would do it all over in a heartbeat. It was the best year of my life, and I can’t even begin to explain to you why. The times when I thought I could not physically go on and the moments where I just wanted to be back home with my family, But I made it and I can honestly say it was all worth it.

April 6, 2014

Almost there

’Twas the night before the week of Revels

Day 2 of Revels week.I survived. It was so surreal, walking on to the pitch-black stage. As the music

began the lights shined down on my skin. Staring out into the empty auditorium, as I completed each movement with care and precision, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to dance to a sold-out auditorium.

Well, I’m sure to find out in two days. The first day of Revels week was a success. It’s hard, I won’t lie to you. But it’s amazing. I feel like nothing can tear me down from the high that it gives me. Dancing with my class, dancing with my sophomores and dancing for myself; it’s unreal how much hard work I’ve put into this one show, but it’s worth every minute.

I woke up tired and weak, but there’s no time to pity myself. The hard work starts now.

April 8, 2014

1 day until Revels

Those days when you get lucky; well, today 71 girls stood on stage. Happiness pulsed through our veins as Mrs. Wayne said we didn’t have to

kick “production” twice. As a dancer, you get to experience something that no one else does. Your

entire body being used for three minutes or longer. You tighten your core. You squeeze your arm and legs muscles. You must remain smiling. You hit each movement with a force that few other humans could imagine doing. Rangerettes live for this thrill, and it is a totally different aspect of intensity. I have never understood how a team could be so in sync with one another, but once you step inside the world of a Rangerette you understand that the breaths and the hearts of all dancers come together as one. We clean and we polish each movement over and over and over again to make absolute perfection. I never truly understood what it was like to be on a team that worked this way, but I get it now.

Hard work is the only way that you can be good and there is no such thing as perfection. There is always room for improvement.

March 26, 2014

‘We are the lucky ones’

FROM PAGE 1

Beadles serve as judges.KC’s twirlers are also featured in

the show.“This is my first year in Revels,”

said Amanda Kessler, Gladewater

freshman, keeper of the twirlers. “It’s a wonderful experience. Everyone is so excited.”

There are a small number of tickets available in the balcony for 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday.

To purchase tickets, call the Rangerette Box Office at 903-983-8179 or online at www.rangerette.com.

The box office will open one hour before each show if tickets are available.

PREVIEW!�;PJRL[Z�H]HPSHISL�MVY�-YPKH ��:H[\YKH`

Revels is finally here and I do not know exactly what emotion I should be feeling. Even though I am exhausted, sore and slightly nervous, I am filled with an undying excitement to be experiencing my very first revels. Looking back, I can not believe how fast time has flown by. Just yesterday I was sitting on the auditorium stage tears streaming down my face, holding a strangers hand who is now one of my very best friends. As I saw my number

in the middle of the sign, I knew I was the lucky one. Now I am the one standing on the stage in my beautiful red, white and blue uniform at the very end of the show.

This year has taught me to put others before myself, to respect people and dance like every moment is my last. Each memory and friend I have made I will cherish for the rest of my life. As a Rangerette, you only get to experience everything as your first and then your last. This is my first Revels and I can not wait to take the stage tonight with my 70 sisters. We are ready to show everyone just how hard we have all been working this semester.

“Lift your head and hold it high the Rangerettes are passing by.”

April 9, 2014

Today is the day

:OLSI`�9HNSHUK���THE FLARELauren Gier WLYMVYTZ�OLY�ZVSV�LU[P[SLK�¸>VUKLYM\S�¹

Joshua Roché / THE FLARESophomore Rangerettes perform their ZVWOVTVYL�U\TILY�¸/VTL�¹�

Page 9: Issue 19B 4-11-14

ASHLEY MORALESExecutive Editor

Forty-eight years ago, Betsy Cadenhead was a young woman dressed in red, white and blue.

Betsy had taken dance classes when she was a young girl, learning ballroom, waltz and fox trot dances.

Betsy, originally from Henderson, was persuaded to try out for the World Famous Kilgore College Rangerettes by the influence of her friends.

“All my friends were trying out, so I went, ‘Me too, me too!’ “Betsy said. “Hardest work I’ve ever done in my life.”

She was under the direction of the creator of the Rangerettes, Miss Gussie Nell Davis, in the 27th line — 1966-67.

“She was tough, but she put [the Rangerettes] on the map, so she had to be tough,” Betsy said.

In the midst of a halftime performance Betsy did a “romper room no no.”

A ‘Rette in front of Betsy picked up too many flags from the managers’ arms before getting in line to go out onto the field and dropped the ones she did not need. Instead of letting the manager pick up the flags, Betsy bent over to get them.

“If something goes wrong, you go on like nothing happened, and when the girl dropped them I could have used one in the manager’s arms, but it was the last one and there were girls behind me,” Betsy said. “So I just picked them up and strutted out onto the field. [Miss Gussie Nell Davis] was very upset with me, as she would be with anyone. Drill teams aren’t supposed to make mistakes. We were supposed to be flawless and practice enough that that kind of thing doesn’t happen. With Gussie, every performance was the grand performance. It was a big deal,” Betsy said.

Betsy remembers marching in the Cotton Bowl Parade in the cold weather.

“A lot of us were purple, because we couldn’t wear tights or panty hose,” Betsy said. “I remember Sonny and Cher were in the parade. Other than freezing to death, it was fun.”

The team also traveled to Savannah, Ga. to perform in another bowl game and performed at a Houston Astros game.

“Any time I performed I was terrified,” Betsy said.

After graduating from KC she went to Texas Tech University and majored in interior design.

After graduating from Tech, one of her classmates, Jeanette, asked Betsy if she wanted to be her roommate in Houston.

Jeanette’s parents had already found an apartment and furnished it so she just needed Betsy to show up.

“All I had to do was pack my Samsonite and show up, and that is exactly what I did,” Betsy said. “I was beyond cloud nine. The term ‘reality check’ was not in my vocabulary or conscience.”

She did not own a car, have a job or know anyone besides Jeanette in Houston, yet she was bound to the city.

“I was the poster child for ‘ignorance is bliss’ combined with ‘blind faith’ and the immaturity of a naive small-town 21-year-old female,” Betsy said. “I was fearless, but my parents were scared to death.”

When she was in Houston and began looking for a job, she soon found one working in inventory control a for posh furniture store.

“We lived in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, and I only got paid $325 a month. We were the original Laverne & Shirley,” Betsy said.

Soon Betsy found herself unhappy with the inventory job.

“It was not my cup of tea,” she said. “It was capital B-O-R-I-N-G!”

Later she worked in different furniture stores, as an interior designer, among other things before moving to New Mexico.

Her sister, Lynnda, lived in New Mexico, and her husband had a brain tumor so Betsy went for support.

In 1977, Betsy was back in Houston and on the hunt for a job. One day she was on her way to an interview for a pipe-inspecting job in the oil field when she was stopped in her tracks by a train. She only had to go over the tracks to reach her destination, but the train apparently was not going to move anytime soon.

“I knew that is one thing you are never supposed to do: Be late for a job interview,” she said.

After a little time went by, she decided to crawl under the train dressed in her dress, heels and stockings

Former Rangerette has had a

colorful career since performing

in Miss Davis’ 27th line

Heavens toBetsy!

Randi Vinson-Davis/ THE FLARE

Sonia Garza / THE FLARE

Kaytlynn Stalcup curls her hair prior to a rehearsal earlier this week.

Betsy Cadenhead decided to try out for the Rangerettes because several of her high school classmates were going to.

Stay connectedCheck out The Flare

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REVELS FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014 9B

to make it to her interview on time.

“Once I was on the other side a man came up to me and asked, ‘Did you just crawl under that train?’ And as I was brushing off my dress, I said, ’No!””

She got the job and worked there for some time before moving on to her next endeavor.

Betsy also worked as a cocktail waitress, among other things before deciding to go back to school.

“After I had tried everything, I decided to give teaching a try,” Betsey said.

Teaching was something her father always told her she should do.

She attended the University of Texas at Tyler in the 1980s, earned her master’s in special education and received a teaching certificate.

Her first teaching job was at Harleton and lasted one year before she moved to Pine Tree in 1992.

While working at Pine Tree, her friend who had been trying to set her up with a friend finally accomplished her sneaky plan.

Betsy became married to Jim Cadenhead after five years of dating, and has been married for about 27 years.

Betsy also taught at Hallsville, Henderson and Marshall schools.

She retired three years ago and decided to take a photography class because of her love of art.

Betsey is planning to continue taking classes and hopes to get up the nerve to take art classes.

“I’ve always loved [KC]. It’s a special place in my heart,” she said.

Page 10: Issue 19B 4-11-14

REVELSFRIDAY, APRIL 11, 201410B

Page 11: Issue 19B 4-11-14

Hanus headed back to her hometown of Magnolia to operate studio where she learned dance

ELLEN REID • Staff Writer

Blastfrom the

Girls in the family go “— Kaitlin Hanus

Magnolia sophomore

REVELS FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014 11B

Girls in the family go to Dance Connections and the boy plays baseball,” jokes sophomore

Rangerette Kaitlin Hanus on her hometown of Magnolia.

As Hanus describes the old and new part of Magnolia, she explains that the dance studio Dance Connections she now owns is in the old part.

The studio is a 6,200 square-foot building with three dance rooms. It is now all in her name as of December, when the deal closed.

The plan of owning her own studio has been in action before this past December. She said she has always wanted to own her own studio.

Hanus said there has been no Plan B when it came to deciding what she wanted to do with her life. In her heart she has always wanted to teach dance.

“My mom found a paper from writing class in fourth grade that said I wanted to be a ballet teacher,” said Hanus.

Hanus has been dancing since she was 3-years-old She really

never did any other activities. “My life was always dance,”

Hanus said. She has also been helping teach dance classes at Dance Connections since she was in sixth grade. In addition, Hanus teaches a drill team prep class every Wednesday at In Step Dance Company in Kilgore and gives private dance lessons.

As to how the proposal to buy the studio came about, Hanus said, previous owner Gina Demings “was very persistent with me. She is such an awesome person.”

Hanus explains that she babysat Demings’ children, grew up with her as her dance teacher, and was very close to her.

Demings would tell Hanus in high school that if Hanus made Rangerette, she wanted her to buy her dance studio. Hanus said she would think about the possibility,

but did not take it seriously. However, last April, near the end of her freshman year, Demings said she was serious about the deal and wanted to sit down with Hanus’ parents because she wanted to sell the studio to Hanus.

With Demings having two children, she really wanted to focus on being a mom.

“It was a hard decision, but me and my parents prayed about it, and realized this was a God thing,” Hanus said. ”My parents have really been there every step

of the way.” Hanus said she was kind of

worried about not continuing with school and getting her bachelor’s degree but decided she was going after her dream.

One of Hanus’ best friends in Rangerettes says she can do this.

“Kait is probably one of the most r e s p o n s i b l e and headstrong people I have ever met,” sophomore Rangerette Heather Manskey said. “Out of anyone I know she is the only person I can see going straight out of college and owning her own studio and being successful

with it.” Freshman Rangerette sister

Jessica Hensal concurs.“My favorite trait about Kaitlin

is her optimism,” Hensal said. “Even when things get difficult, she continues to find the best in each situation.”

Another reason Dance Connections has always been close to Hanus’ heart is because it is a big part of why she is a Rangerette.

Deming was the Rangerette captain in 1996.

Another influential instructor at Dance Connections for Hanus was Samandra Young Nail, who was a Rangerette from 2000-2002.

“If it wasn’t for them I probably wouldn’t have tried out,” said Hanus. Hanus said those teachers have inspired her to be a better dance teacher because they danced and taught with grace and class.

“Rangerettes has definitely taught me responsibility,” Hanus said. She said it has also sharpened her dance skills and made her more mature.

Hanus says she is very excited about her classes totaling more than 230 girls. There will be jazz, hip hop, tap, ballet, mommy and daughter, and tumbling classes. She will also have competition teams. As to whether becoming a Rangerette will be promoted in her studio, Hanus grinned and said, “Oh yes.”

to Dance Connections and the boys play baseball.”

Kristopher Dobbins / THE FLARE

Kaitlin Hanus purchased the Dance Connections studio in her hometown of Magnolia this past December.

past

Page 12: Issue 19B 4-11-14

Tory Van Blarcum / THE FLARE

,TPS`�+OLPS�HUK�)YLHUUH�)\YUZas Alice and the Rabbit perform during “Alice in Wonderland.”

REVELSFRIDAY, APRIL 11, 201412B

Act by ActEpisode 1

Move Like You Stole It – RangerettesHome – Sophomore Rangerettes

Step Out – Freshman RangerettesContestant 1 –

Special Guest PerformersMix It Up – Rangerettes

Can you Do This – KC TwirlersAnything Goes – Rangerettes

Contest 2 – Special Guest PerformersCrystallize Mash Up –

Sophomore SwingstersTeach Me How To Be Loved –

Rangerettes

Episode 2

Alice In Wonderland Production – Rangerettes

Collecting Days – Captain Jenna Helduser

Wonderful – Sophomore Lauren GierEyes – Rangerettes

One Crowded Hour of Glorious Life – Freshman Swingsters

:RQGHUZDOO�²�5DQJHUHWWH�2IÀFHUVLadies Choice –

Rangerette ManagersThe Rangerette Extravaganza

– Rangerettes

Kristopher Dobbins / THE FLARE

Karyn Sage / THE FLAREGabby Jordan performs during the “Alice in Wonderland”

production. Kelsey Johnson hits the ending pose during “Eyes.”

Kristopher Dobbins / THE FLARE

Rangerette managers

performing “Ladies Choice.”

Sonia Garza / THE FLARE

Tory Van Blarcum / THE FLARE

Dezirae Burnette performing during “Teach Me How To Be Loved.”

Marli Kimball as the Queen of Hearts performs in “Alice in Wonderland.”

Randi Vinson-Davis / THE FLARE

A trio of Rangerettes perform in “Alice in Wonderland.”