Backstage Coach®
Informative. Educational. Effective.
ABOUT
BackstageCoach® offers:
Dance education books and instruction.
Created by dance educator Gina Sawyer, BackstageCoach® was founded in 1998 with the goal of training dance/drill team candidates in best practices for auditions. To date, it has expanded beyond performance coaching to include “how to” instructional books and workshops to serve both students and teachers in the dance industry.
Meet the Team
~ Gina Sawyer
Dance Educator / Founder of BackstageCoach® |
Gina Sawyer is the founder and owner of BackstageCoach.com. The dance/drill team experience provided a foundation from which to launch her current dance career. She serves as a dance educator and as full-time faculty at Dallas College: Richland Campus. She directs main-stage formal dance concerts as well as teaching modern, tap, and online Dance Appreciation.
Gina’s dance/drill team training began at Tyler Jr. College, where she was a Dance Captain for the Apache Belles under the direction of Ruth Flynn. After graduating from Texas Woman’s University with a degree in dance, she directed several dance/drill teams in North Texas and traveled around the U.S. as head instructor for NCA Danz (currently National Dance Alliance). She was voted a Top Ten Director by the Dance/Drill Team Directors of America organization. Gina holds degrees in a Master of Liberal Arts from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Arts in Dance from Texas Woman’s. “My goal is to elevate the learning experience of both students and directors with informative dance education books and services that are unique to the dance/drill team community.” - Gina Sawyer |
Kelley Jo Sawyer’s early training is in classical ballet from Lisa Owen, Horton Modern from Nicole Ray, and contemporary dance with Giovanni Allen and Stevo McMaryon. In high school she performed as a JJ Pearce Pacesetter and as a member of the elite jazz, kick, and hip-hop dance teams. She continued her dance/drill team performance as an Apache Belle at Tyler Jr. College and was voted Freshman Representative and head of the elite dance team. She has performed in Houston’s Thanksgiving parade and Governor Greg Abbot’s inauguration parade. She has also performed on a Carnival Cruise Line and for the U.S. troops in Hawaii.
Kelley Jo is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Performance Art and was a member of the UTD Dance Ensemble, under the direction of Miki Saba. She is also an instructor and contest staff for MA Dance and a teacher at Toby’s School of Dance. “I hope to help students in their journey to reach their performance success with a balance in the practice of how we experience dance and life.” - Kelley Jo Sawyer |
~ Kelly Jo Sawyer
Instructor / Choreographer |
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