Over this past summer, the St. Dominic dance team got a new head, and assistant, coach after the former coaches suddenly quit.

The Varsity Dance team is a year round, all season commitment. While the change was sudden and unexpected, the dancers are excited for new opportunities and better leadership. A fresh start for all grades, including seniors who have been on the team for all four years.

New head coach, Kristie Diekman, and assistant coach, Hallie Hebron, both with impressive dance and education backgrounds exemplify what it means to step up. Kristie being a dance teacher at her own studio for 5 years, and Hallie dances as a Blues girl for the St.Louis Blues and also participates in Miss USA pageants.

“Honestly, even though the season just started, the amount of organization and communication has been a huge bonus. So far, so good and I’m excited to see how this year goes,” senior Audrey Coutts said.

Between summer workouts, summer camps, summer practices, fall clean up, and now the start of school practices, the students are loving the new style of leadership. Diekman and Hebron have done a wonderful job instilling confidence and the idea that mutual respect is earned.

“Studio dance teachers and school dance coaches are incomparable. Although I’ve only known coach Kristy and coach Hallie for a few months, they have made the transition easy and overall enjoyable. I hope this year we continue to grow as dancers and as a family instead of individual dancers,” sophomore Quinn Auping said.

Many have said that the dance community is a toxic environment to put young girls in. The new coaches want to change that, and make sure to change that perspective. Overall, the new season and dynamics of the dance team are off to a great start and will hopefully continue to pave the way for future dancers.