Erin Harold Alvarado

Coach Interview: Erin Harold Alvarado, Texas Tech

Erin Harold Alvarado is in her ninth year as the Pom Squad coach at Texas Tech University. In 2017, she led the Texas Tech Pom Squad to the squad’s first national championship in school history in Division 1A Jazz at NDA. Her team has won…
new coach

Top 10 Tips for New Dance Team Coaches

The first year as a new coach is challenging, thrilling, emotional, and wonderful all at the same time. I remember my first year coaching my own team and it felt like magic! I spent hours working on team calendars and constitutions, planning…
orchid

Are Your Dancers Dandelions or Orchids?

Dance team can be stressful, and we all handle that stress a little differently. But did you know there are two types of people when it comes to our stress reactions? There are dandelions and there are orchids... Dandelions are resilient.…
Leyna Wimmer

Coach Interview: Leyna Wimmer of Francis Howell

I grew up dancing in Peoria, IL for 8 years and attended Lindenwood University after graduation to study dance and nutrition. I took time freshman year of college to travel with NRG Dance Project, working on the business side, and spent much…
personal growth

Coach: Your Simple Ingredients for Personal Growth

Are you focused on your personal growth, Coach? Sure, most of us focus on our team’s goals and what we want for the program. But what about YOU as a coach? Over the last few years I’ve talked about a lot of different ways you can invest…
meaning

How to Focus on the True Meaning of Your Dance Team In 2020

When was the last time you sat down and truly thought about why you do what you do as a dance coach? I know, we may jokingly question it all the time. During those late nights rhinestoning costumes, after a nasty parent email, or when you have…
Stress Relief

The #1 Way to Reduce Stress When You Don't Have Time

One of the top complaints I hear from coaches is that "I'm busy and stressed and don't have enough time to get it all done!" I think we all understand the importance of taking care of ourselves and focusing on stress relief if we need it. But…
UK dance team

Coach Interview: Dawn Walters

Dawn is the Head Coach of the University of Kentucky Dance Team, which is currently ranked 5th in the Nation in Game Day and 5th  in the Nation in Hip Hop at Universal Dance Association. In 2017, her team was chosen to represent…

Creating Genuine Team Unity with Dancers of All Abilities

Team bonding is such a big focus of the summer, but there are two important rules to team bonding. 1) You can’t force it and 2) You have to do it all year. One big challenge I hear from coaches who are trying to establish team unity is when…

Coach Interview: Kim Hille

Kim Hille received her BA from Washington State University in Elementary Education and her MA from the University of Connecticut.  She is currently an 8th grade ELA teacher at Bush Middle School where she has also coached the middle school…